Time is extreme valuable.

“Discipline and staying focused and prioritizing. Time will keep marching on. You can’t bend time to fit
the things you want to do, so you have to prioritize and then stay focused to get things done”

Work Smarter, Not Harder

“We don’t build the lives we want by saving time. We build the lives we want, and then time saves
itself”

Time is highly elastic, we cannot make more time, but time will stretch to accommodate what we
choose to put into it. And so, the key to time management is treating our priorities as the equivalent of
that broken water pipe.

I don’t have time = It’s not a priority

 Everything I do, every minute I spend, is my choice. “I don’t do x, y or z because it’s not a
priority”

Write next year’s review: What 3-5 things would make it a great year for you professionally? Write your
next year’s performance review NOW!

Write the family holiday letter: What 3-5 things would make it a great year for you personally? (for the
people you care about).

The key for accomplish  We treat our priorities as the equivalent of that broken water pipe, by
putting them into our schedules first. We do this by thinking through our weeks before we are in them.

A good time to do this is Friday afternoons “low opportunity cost” time.

 Make yourself a three-category priority list: career, relationships and self. Two to three items in
each. Then look out over the whole of the next week, and see where you can plan them in.

But small moments can have great power. You can use your bits of time for bits of joy. Maybe it's
choosing to read something wonderful on the bus on the way to work. I know when I had a job that
required two bus rides and a subway ride every morning, I used to go to the library on weekends to get
stuff to read. It made the whole experience, almost, enjoyable. Breaks at work can be used for
meditating or praying. If family dinner is out because of your crazy work schedule, maybe family
breakfast could be a good substitute.

5 Strategies for Getting More Work Done in Less Time

1- Clarify Actual Expectations: got clear on the fact that in some instances, all that was needed was
enough information to come to a go or no-go decision. By clarifying what is actually needed and
to what level, save hours of time deciding what to do and getting tasks done.
 2- Re-use Previous Material: that could happen with emails, presentations, training, proposals and
almost any other type of activity where you are communicating something very similar. Top
speakers tend to give the same speech again and again because practices make perfect.
3- Develop Templates and Checklists: you might want templates for activities like putting together
weekly reports, presentations, or meeting agendas. You may find checklists valuable for weekly
planning, one-on-one meetings or other repeated activities.
4- Make It a Conversation: depending on what you need to accomplish, you can potentially save
time by sharing what you’ve done verbally. Instead of writing up a formal presentation, it may
accomplish your purposes in less time to take notes and then talk through your findings during a
one-on-one meeting. This strategy can also work well if you need to communicate about more
abstract concepts, like design.
5- Time Box Your Work: deciding in advance how much time you will spend on a particular task or
part of a task, and then sticking to it. For example, if you struggle with producing an initial draft,
then you may pre-decide how much time you would like to invest in getting something typed
out. Helps with the Parkinson’s Law, that work expands to fill the time allotted for it.

Calendarized Timeboxing

We have five problems with the to-do list.

1- They overwhelm with too many choices

2- We are naturally drawn to simpler tasks which are more easily accomplished
3- We are rarely drawn to important-but-not-urgent tasks (like setting aside time for learning)
4- Lack the essential context of what time you have available
5- They lack a commitment device, keep us honest

So, go to this calendar system, also known as timeboxing (term from agile project management).
Getting the right thing done ate the right time is a better outcome for all.

- Timeboxing is the proper antidote to interruptions. You decide what to do and when to do it,
block out all distractions for that timeboxed period, and get it done.
- Disciplined timeboxing breaks us free of Parkinson’s law by imposing a sensible, finite time for a
task and sticking to that.

The CIA framework

First you must manage your mind. Considering your “thinking patterns” and identifying the work that’s
most crucial will help you develop a clearer sense of how to systematize your time.

1- “Create Clarity”: “Are there activities you are doing now that you could live without – ones that
you could cut back…which would save you time?” To create clarity requires understanding what
matters most to you. Set out by choosing your priorities and goals. Brainstorm and make a list of
your priorities. Post it in a prominent place where you can refer to it daily. Select your primary
work and personal priorities each day as you review your list and plan what you hope to
accomplish. Establish in three areas – “people, activities and work”. Decide which people are
most important in your life and which activities contribute the most to your health and peace of
 mind. What business tasks do you most want to get done? Select the ones that will increase
your income and sense of satisfaction. Relay on one bedrock principle: When something comes
along that might deflect you from your path, ask yourself  Will this help me achieve my
priorities? Then act accordingly. Choose you goals, select three “measurable targets” from your
work priorities and three from your personal priorities. Base your time-management choices on
these targets, make sure your priorities and targets challenge you, but not impossible. Be
specific about your priorities and goals  “I will work x hours per week, make $x per year, get X
new clients” or “X hours per weekday with my kids” etc.
 Before your workday is done, list your three most important tasks for the next day and the three
most important chores to finish at a future point. These are your crucial “3+3” tasks. List them
on your calendar, numbered one through six in order of importance.
 “Reflect with Power”: To build your sense of clarity, periodically step back from all your activity.
Pause and think about your time-management program and your efforts to achieve your
personal and work-related goals and targets. Do this reflection exercise weekly  Review all the
tiny, midsize and big jobs your accomplished. Be happy with your achievements, think about
what you decided not to do and celebrate these acts of self-control and discipline. You need to
take care of yourself to build clarity – Prioritize your health, and physical and emotional well-
being. Take deep breaths before you start any new work, maintain a nutritious diet, drink 64
ounces of water daily, take a walk every day and build periodic breaks into your work routine.
2- “Implement Structure and Flow”: your program requires orderly processes, routines and
systems. Success depends on your ability to set up your system, but then be flexible enough to
go with the flow when the unexpected occurs. The process of implementing structure and flow
has several components:
 Assignment and task completion – Plan your procedures. List your pending tasks and projects,
their due dates, the steps required for each job and how much time each step will take
(Timeboxing). Add a due date and a margin of extra time for every step. Once you complete
your planning, inform your colleagues.
 Go-Bag and work-space layout – Arrange your office to suit your specific work requirements.
Position your supplies to be easily accessible.
 Electronic communication – Electronic miracles can waste your time and deflect your attention.
Transfer your “temptation apps” off your main screens or eliminate them. Check messages only
at specific times daily.
 Notes, document and file management – Set up your files based on “how often you retrieve”
information. Organize papers on “DID” basis: Do something papers, Important to keep papers
and discard papers. The DID acronym also stands for “Deal with Incoming Daily paper.”
 Time protection – Track your time in detail, for instance, in 30-minute increments. Target and
drop unimportant or extraneous activities that waste your time.
3- “Assemble your Team”: Every person needs a back-up team. Organize your office and home
support teams with these components:
 Assemble your personal team – Enlist at least two people to audit your activities, advise you on
handling logistics and pressure and occasionally push you along. One person should come from
“outside your household”
 Assemble your work team – You need two team members at work to perform the functions
your personal team deals with at home. One should be from your industry and one from outside
 it. If you are a corporate employee, find two people in your department. Keep your team
members updated on your progress. Support them as they support you.
 Facilitate productive team meetings – Set up well-defined agendas built on specific time blocks.
Schedule weekly department meetings and request RSVPs. Prepare questions you can use to get
people engaged.
 Delegate the right stuff to the right people – Gather your task list and delegate some jobs to
the people on your office team. Figure out which tasks you must do and which ones you can
assign to someone else who will handle them well. Categorize each task according to the
particular “talent, knowledge and skills” it requires.

“Situational Solutions”
In addition to the formal CIA efficiency program, consider these time-management tips:
• The folly of multitasking – Multitasking doesn’t work, at least not with tasks that require thinking.
Multitasking burdens you with too many simultaneous mental demands. However, you can multitask on
jobs that require “low-function brain skills,” like, for example, manicuring your nails while watching TV.
• Mental interruptions – Go-getters constantly spark new ideas that divert them from the work in front
of them. To silence this disruptive mental storm without losing good ideas, create a reliable system –on
your cell phone or tablet – for quickly capturing random, promising ideas.
• Really bad days – Unexpected problems plague everyone. Don’t let them throw you. Take 30 minutes
to verbalize your frustration. Then plan a step-by-step repair strategy.
• Procrastination – Start your day with the most unpleasant jobs. Get them out of the way. Reward
yourself after you finish a task you dislike.
• Perfectionism – Achieving flawlessness in work or in life is impossible. Learn to tolerate tasks that are
“finished well”; don’t always hold out for “finished exactly right.”
• Appointments – Busy people sometimes have a tough time staying current with their appointments.
To cope, lock down the relevant details about each meeting, block adequate time, and confirm and
“reconfirm” the logistics. Factor in travel time.
• Saying no – Managing your time requires saying no to yourself. You also must be willing, on occasion,
to say no to other people who make demands on your time.
• Interruptions and diversions – Distractions undermine your focus and halt your progress. You can’t
eliminate them, but you can reduce them if you’re proactive. Reserve times when no one can interrupt
you. Reduce your “self-interruptions.” For example, silence the alert signals on your phone, tablet and
computer.
• Sleep – To operate efficiently, plan to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. To prepare
for a good night’s sleep, “take 10 deep breaths” before you try to fall asleep. Prior to that, devote 30
minutes to mental and physical relaxation. For two hours before you plan to go to sleep, don’t eat and
don’t drink anything but water. Turn off all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed.
• Staying with your new time-management program – Adapting yourself to any new behavioral
program is challenging. Time-management affects every waking moment. Stay positive and focused.
Banish these phrases from “your internal dialogue”: “I’ll try,” “I can’t” and “I never can.”
• Is your brain in overdrive? – Do you work all day and into the evening, seven days a week? If so, your
brain won’t function efficiently. Set up formal “business hours for your brain.” Don’t work any other
time. Plan on regular breaks during the day. Work 50 minutes, and then take a 10-minute break.
Schedule regular “play days” when you don’t work at all. If you can, take a week to play or even an
entire month.
Time Thief’s

You are you own worst time thief, and probably also steal time from your colleagues. Don’t feel too bad:
Everyone else is a time bandit, too.
 Restarts – Once an interruption occurs, most people go through a “now, where was I?” Getting
back up to speed requires more time and effort.
 Momentum loss – You Develop momentum when your work with concentration. Interruptions
undercut your concentration and force you to start again.
 Do-overs – Interruptions cause you to lose focus, resulting in mistakes. You must fix those
mistakes, which demands more of your time.
 Distress manifestations – No one likes interruptions, which lead to a variety of negative effects,
including “mental fatigue, irritability, loss of concentration, reduced efficiency” and “reduced
productivity.”

To regain control of your time and become more productive, master two important time-management
principles, “Time Locking” and “Focal Locking”.

Time Locking
Designate blocks of concentrated work time that you set aside with a “Time Lock”, so no one interrupts
you. During these periods, you work unimpeded by interruptions. Display a notice on your office door
that says, “Time Locking – please do not disturb.” At least one hour of uninterrupted work time daily.

“Time locking will not work without genuinely committed mutual agreements
between the interrupters (time bandits) and the interrupted.”

Focal Locking

Using focal locking – targeted, focused concentration. To focal lock, use the six techniques of the
“mental hygiene process”:
1- “Transcending the environment” – To concentrate perfectly, make sure you forget about the
external factors that interfere with you and hamper your work pace - noise, or air-conditioning
or other environmental deficiencies. Think about pleasant circumstances or events.
2- “Constructive acceptance” – To deal with unavoidable defects, deficiencies or shortcomings,
accept them as part of your reality – Then move on to what you can control.
3- “Visualizing the ideal self” – When distractions enter your mind, think positively about
something else. Utilize the popular visualization technique that many athletes adopt. In their
mind’s eye, they see themselves triumphing.
4- “Positive affirmation” – Use your own special affirmation to make yourself feel good. Your body
will create an adrenaline rush every time you state your affirmation. This is positive Pavlovian
conditioning. “Every day when I wake up, in each and every way, I’m going to feel better and
better and better.”
5- “Psychological counterpunching” – When a negative thought enters you mind – for example,
“You can’t finish that project; you are getting tired” – quickly counterpunch with a positive
affirmation – for example, “Yes, I can!”
6- “Changing your internal computer chip” - Ingrained neuronal patterns occur in the brain that
translate to habits that result in various behaviors, some good and some bad. When bad behaviors
surface during a time-lock period – for example, daydreaming or woolgathering – substitute good
behaviors. Author Edward G. Brown used this tactic to keep his head down during his golf swing. His golf
pro would place a penny next to the ball and tell Brown to stare at the penny, not the ball, while
swinging. Use a similar process to reprogram your brain so it works for and not against you. Replace
negative neuronal patterns with positive ones.

“Even over the phone, a smile can be detected and have an effect. It can calm
fears, soothe anger, offer sympathy, soften resistance and engender confidence.”

“What, How, Who, How Many and By When”

When your critical tasks are out of the way, save time by grouping similar, repetitive tasks. “Batch
processing,” an old-time computer term, helps you develop work momentum. You might be a morning
person. Other people are more effective in the afternoon or the evening. Handle your most demanding
tasks when you are most ready for them. To stay organized and work efficiently, plan your work using
this
protocol:
• “What?” – Define the job you need to do.
• “How?” – Figure out how you will do it.
• “Who?” – Determine who else you need on the job?
• “How many?”– List and number the different tasks that constitute the job.
• “By when?” – Create start and end dates.

Clock watching – Teams Synchronized Across Different Time Zones

 Set up ground rules: It is important to prepare for the worst. If an office overseas has a daytime
problem in the middle of your night, whom should the team contact? Outline your business’s
chain of command and make it accessible to everyone in every office. Setting up a “home base”
time zone – one that everyone knows to synchronize to – can be a useful strategy.
 Know when to video chat and when not to: Early in the morning or late at night it is easy for
people to stop paying attention during conference calls. Set some rules about video chatting
with which your team members feel comfortable.
 Schedule, Schedule and schedule: consistent meetings are much more important for global
teams than for co-located groups. “Consistent meetings where people can connect
in both formal and informal ways is critical for fostering team cohesion.” These
meetings also allow for formal check-in’s regarding projects, problems and other office
developments. With some strategic planning, groups can schedule online meetings that work for
offices in a variety of time zones. Such meetings do not need to occur every day, but every week
or two will keep everyone on the same page.
 Meet in person: If you can, have some of your employees meet in person occasionally, especially
if their positions regularly rely on each other from afar. Meetings in real life can be useful when
dealing with larger, more crucial projects, and decreases the risk of miscommunication via
email, phone or message.
 Be supportive: During your routine check-in meetings, make sure everyone is managing their
workload without too much stress. If there seems to be an imbalance of projects, how can you
adjust it to make things simpler?
  Find the right tools: Video chatting is just one way for your team to remain connected. Invest in
a project management software program (Basecamp, Jira), chat tools such a Slack, and whatever
else you can find to manage communication and projects.

Deciding with Speed

The key manager behaviors include making decisions based on balance consideration of all relevant data
sources, taking accountability for the consequences of own decisions, anticipating the impact of one’s
own decisions on other people or processes, and mitigating risks by forecasting the consequences of
failure before deciding. We must act with speed, getting to market more efficiently and imaginatively.

- Leaders who are competent decision-makers: Involve the right people in shaping decisions,
Consider perspectives gathered from a range of sources, Act even when data is incomplete, use
intuition with objectivity and handle complexity and ambiguity.

Get Agile with decision-making – Complexity and procedures shouldn’t hamper your ability to make
decisions. Business moves swiftly, so you need to make decisions swiftly. They don’t need to be perfect.
Courses correct if you need to. Embrace the “fail fast” culture to catch issues earlier, course correct and
move forward.
Be a brave leader! You must continue to think boldly and act with speed. Your decisions can make a big
impact – You need to work hard to demonstrate the courage to be vulnerable, practice the values most
important to you, build relationships based on trust, and learn and grow from failure. Accept the
discomfort of making crucial decisions – it is normal!
A brave leader is one who has the courage to risk uncertainty or emotional exposure in order to
accomplish something great.

What you can do

1- Clarify the issue: you can’t make a good decision if you don’t grasp the issue. Dig deep to
understand the matter, remove emotion from the process (don’t ignore gut instincts). Focus on
facts an avoid assumptions. Ask these questions: What issue needs to be solved? What are the
goals? What opportunity are we trying to seize?
2- Involve the right people: if you understand who’s important and why, you can reach the right
people and make decisions more quickly. Ask these questions: Who’s responsible for the
decision and who needs too be involved? Who can help you? Whom do you need to consult?
3- Generate alternatives: Original ideas may seem impractical at first, so it is best to gather many
ideas without judging them. Gather an array of alternatives and ideas. You can narrow them
down in the debate ideas. Ask these questions: Stand outside yourself to look at issue from a
different perspective, how would clients or competitors view it? Imagine what you would do if
you had lots of time, money and resources. Ask to others, how they might approach this. Be
careful not to favor an option, this is important in team decision-making, where individuals can
lock their thinking around one choice. If you are stalled, bring in someone who can get things
moving, such as a colleague. Review the options one more time, which might spark a few more
ideas.
4- Debate ideas: After made a list of options, consider which ones are feasible. How would each
option solve the issue? Discard any ideas that won’t solve the issue. Evaluate the pros and cons
of each idea. Ask for every option, “what could go wrong?” and “what could go right?”. Ask
“which might be too difficult or cost too much?” this get rid of choices that might address the
issue but add complications.
 5- Make you bet: Select the best solution, feeling comfortable that you explored all the options. If
you end up with more than one solid idea, consider yourself lucky.
- Make decisions that matter.
- Go for long-term solutions, not stop-gap measures.
- Select the option with confidence and with the client in mind.
- Gain commitment.
- Outline a plan for carrying out the decision.

Tips for success

#1 - Remind yourself that no one makes the right decision every time.
#2 - When faced with a crisis, stay calm and clear-headed – just like you want others to be.
#3 - Taking risks is how we make great things happen. Don't be afraid to fail fast.
#4 - When you're really stuck, get help from someone else or a small team.
#5 - Avoid analysis paralysis. Perform the best analysis you can, make the best decision you can,
implement it, and then move on.
#6 - When you make a wrong decision, admit it with grace. Then make a decision that sets things right.
How do you counteract biases?
- Question your instinctive response.
- Consider them from an outsider’s perspective.
- Take time and distance out of the equation-focus on the potential gain.

The 4 D’s – Do, Delete, Defer and Delegate

Do is simply put, act! Use two-minute rule from David Allen as decision framework: If your task take
longer than 120 seconds and you still need to do it, work on this task alone for 30 minutes or until you
complete it.
Delete it is simple, just making a simple decision to do or to delete. Use Pareto Principle (80/20 rule), ask
yourself: will this activity help me get the long-term result I or we want?
Defer means saying, “not right now” rather than, “not ever.” For example, when an email arrives that
takes more than two-minutes to deal with – drag to a folder called action. If a request from a tool like
Slack, add the item to a “to do” list on Trello. Defer these new requests so you can refocus on what’s in
front of you. If you follow this approach, remember to review your list of deferred tasks at the end of
the day or week. During the review decide if you want to do or delete.
Delegate effectively, create a playbook breaking down a project or task step-by-step and detailing what
the outcome looks like. Smaller tasks don’t necessarily need a checklist. Consider if your time is spent
more effectively by delegating or doing.

Make Every Second Count

Use these nine steps to better thinking:

1. Identify the problem.
2. Assemble pertinent facts.
3. Gather general knowledge.
4. Look for combinations.
 5. Sleep on it.
6. Use checklists.
7. Get feedback.
8. Team up with others.
9. Give new ideas a chance.

“Organization is the key to moving forward in life or in business.” – Sandee Corshen

Become "the master of your time, rather than its slave," by adopting the following work habits:

 Make to-do lists: daily, by project, and long-term, and chose your priorities.
 Manage meetings by starting and stopping at pre-arranged times.
 Overcome procrastination by breaking down projects into less overwhelming bites, giving
yourself incentives for completing things, overcoming your need to be perfect and delegating or
outsourcing parts of projects you find boring or awful.
 Eliminate bad habits that waste time and learn to avoid distractions.
 Use the 80/20 rule that states that "80% of your accomplishments come from only 20% of your
efforts."
 Figure out what makes that 20% so productive.
 Make and use standard operating procedures, including designing a productive workspace.
 Adjust your schedule to your energy levels.

Techniques to organize your life and save time:

 Carry a small to-do list and a pen with you. Write down thoughts and ideas when they arise,
then you won’t have to waste time trying to remember it all later when you need it.
 Create a filing system for everything so you can get what you need in seconds. Then do the filing
– Having the cabinets, the folders and the system (alphabetical, by topic, or a combination of
both) will do you no good if you don’t actually file anything. People waste hours and hours
looking for notes and papers. Filing systems are perhaps the most important aspect of time
management and organization. Forget the piles of stuff on the floor, desk and table: those are
not filing systems. Buy filing cabinets and use them.
 Don’t be a pack rat. Get rid of the clutter.
 Keep a calendar of appointments and deadlines.
 Keep a clean desk. A messy desk is a huge impediment to productivity.
 Put things in the same place every time. Every item has a "home." Let it live there.
 Make to-do lists and update them, using your priorities. Know what your priorities are.
 Learn to say no. You can’t do everything, and you can’t feel guilty about turning things down. Be
polite but bow out of things you would rather not spend time doing.
 Be realistic about the consequences of doing "one more thing."

Maintaining your personal energy: eat “light and right,” reducing caffeine and sugar (which boost your
temporarily and then cause you to crash) and getting enough sleep. Fight stress with relaxation
techniques, enjoy hobbies and take a vacation.
Your energy sags after 90 to 120 minutes of focused activity. The body needs a break to restore energy.
Focus by using your productive energy in intense short, one-task bursts, followed by breaks.
Reduce the amount of time you spend worrying, which saps your energy and rarely ever solves any
problems. Mull over the solution, yes, but don’t worry.

“Strangling businesses and causing personnel to suffer mental anguish and physical
illness, as well as having a detrimental effect on relationships and leisure time.”

How to keep up with all the information without overloading:

 Reduce information input.
 Don’t read everything, scan whenever possible.
 Cut "info fat" (such a gossip and celebrity news) from your "data diet."
 Improve your listening skills, provide feedback and don’t skip to conclusions.
 Be selective about the information you spend time absorbing.
 Subscribe to a customized news/data service.
 Reduce your e-mail correspondence.
 Clean out information resources frequently, such as paper files, electronic files, reference
manuals and the like. Get rid of whatever you don’t need anymore.
 Know when you have enough information.

“The cost of a thing is the amount of life you must exchange for it!”

Use space bar to go down and Shift + Space bar to go up.

Use space + space to put points when texting.
When using slides use B key to black the slides to the people look to you or W to white down.
Shift + or – to maximize text or minimize.