Whether we work in a small or large company, telecommute, or own our own business, we are all warriors and super agents in some form or fashion. We are on a crusade in constant pursuit of our target: success. We gather whatever weapons and tools we can find to bust out of containment and forge ahead. We go undercover to find out how to get a leg up on the competition. We tend not to rest until each of the cases on our lengthy list is solved. We get knocked down and bounce back. But whether we’re male or female, parents or sans kids, single or married (or your Facebook relationship status is “It’s complicated”), we also desire some calm in between adrenaline rushes.
Science is organized knowledge; wisdom is organized life.
— Will Durant
If you want peace and some semblance of balance in both your work life and personal life, then no matter what stage of your career you’re in — your fifth month, your fifth year, or your fifth decade — it’s critical to understand organization and productivity.
At this point, you might be asking yourself, “What exactly does ‘being organized’ or ‘being productive’ even mean?”
When I write about or discuss organization and productivity, I focus on these meanings:
• Arranging or planning in a particular way
• Doing or achieving a lot: working efficiently and getting good results
• Having time to do what you want to do
The first two are right out of Webster’s dictionary. I threw that third definition in there because it’s what busy professionals like you crave.
As much as I would love to tell you that I can wave a magic wand and your life will change for the better overnight, I’m sure you know by now that that just isn’t the case. Otherwise, the last time you stressed out, you would have bought said magic wand instead of another box of chocolates or that bottle of wine.
It will be critical for you to sift through the facts of the case and determine which strategies and tactics to use to make your mission successful. Some of you may try to revolutionize everything at once, and that will work for you. Others might try implementing just one change per week or month because that’s more at your comfort level.
No matter how you proceed, please realize that nothing will change if you don’t do something different.
Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed from having so much to do?
Do you want to never miss another special moment?
Do you wish you had more time in the day?
Do you want to learn how to improve productivity, so that you can increase success and decrease stress levels?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re in the right place.
Welcome aboard! It’s time to go on a mission…
BECOME YOUR OWN HERO
Chip is a friend of mine who works for an incredibly fast-growing tech company. He’s built a bit like a linebacker, about six feet tall and almost 300 pounds. You wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley, but he’s a blast to spend time with.
This guy is such a hard worker. He is always working, from the time he arrives at the office (which is usually early) until the time he leaves (which is usually late). He rarely stops for lunch. He normally eats something out of a box or can at his desk.
He’s super-nice. He never says no to a request. He always drops anything he’s working on in order to help a coworker or client. He never asks for help. He’s a big, tough guy, so he feels like he needs to carry the entire load by himself at all times.
Or he did … until one day in the middle of a meeting, he experienced excruciating chest pains. He turned shades of white and green, grabbed his chest, and sputtered, “Someone call 911!” At the hospital, the doctor said to him, “Your blood pressure is through the roof! I can’t understand how you’re still alive!”
Talk about an awakening!
Chip almost became a member of the “Coronary Club.” Right then and there he quit his bad habits cold turkey. He was only 48 years old and had a lot more living to do. Eventually, his stress levels and blood pressure went down without surgery or medications. He worked fewer hours yet completed more work and at a higher level of quality. He even took an extended break for a long weekend getaway. How did he turn his habits around? By doing what we’ll be doing here — creating a Time Management Revolution and becoming his own hero.
In any book, television show, or movie involving agents or detectives, the hero has to figure out what the dilemma is, determine the causes, and apply the solutions through strategies and tactics that fit the situation. Today, like Chip, each one of you is the hero of your own super-agent story, and you’re about to receive the options to use for your strategic and tactical solutions. All of us have the capacity for a Time Management Revolution inside us. We just need to bring it out from deep cover and into our consciousness. (For dramatic effect, this is the part where you stand up, throw your cape behind your shoulders, and declare, “Oh, yes, I will be my own hero!”)
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses”
As I alluded to earlier, after meeting with Dr. Say, I changed my mind about becoming an undercover law enforcement agent. Instead, I started my adult career by becoming a change agent as a teacher in a Title I school. Teaching my kiddos time management skills by improving their critical-thinking skills is how I wound up starting my productivity consulting business years ago. It was then that I became an agent of change by helping clients to find work–life balance. I teach people how to be more efficient. I help them to lower their stress levels. I bring peace to people’s lives — and more profit to companies’ bottom lines — by slaying wasted time. I’m blessed to be able to speak all over the country as The Inefficiency Assassin. (Please know that I do not condone violence. However, I am all for battling lost time!)
I grew up reading Nancy Drew mystery novels, competing with my best friend, Amy Epman, in elementary school to see how many we could check off our reading list. You’ll find that the love I still carry for agent and detective books and movies is reflected not only in my job title but also in the examples and themes that I use in my keynotes, as well as in this book.
HOW THIS BOOK IS SET UP
The beauty of what I’ll teach you in this book is that anyone can do it! While I will throw in some science here and there to explain why things happen, what you as a business professional need to do to be productive is not scientific. It’s a choice of mind over matter — making better decisions and implementing them.
In order for you to become an agent of change in your own personal and work life, we’ll be massaging your brain at two different levels as you read this book: strategic and tactical. What most people want is to be handed tactical information — a checklist of what to do. It’s catchy. “Top 5 This” and “Top 10 That.” It’s short and sweet. It’s easy to digest. However, to successfully implement the tactical over the long term, it’s important to understand the strategic — how the tactics fit into a long-term strategy — which is why I will share both strategic concepts and tactical tips with you.
Implementing organization and productivity is very similar to planning a mission. So, before you dive into action, it’s important to map out the big picture. The heart of this book is set up in three parts, which contain 30 approaches for working smarter, not longer — my CIA framework for your Time Management Revolution:
| Create Clarity | Part 1 |
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