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The Time Trap is aimed at managers. Published in 1972, it predated by a year "How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life", by Alan Lakein. In 1970 Mackenzie had published "Managing Time at the Top". The book is clearly aimed at executives. I have not summarized most of the dated executive material. The book is not very well written, but does contain lots of anecdotes and suggestions, some of them confusingly contradictory, some dated, but some useful.
Time - A Critical Resource
Unique resource. You can only manage yourself, not time. All kinds of managers agree on what wastes time. Easy to blame external factors, but we bear responsibility. Overwork impairs efficiency. "Having lost sight of our objectives, we redoubled our efforts." Work is to be enjoyed, and leisure is for re-creation or renewal.
Managing Yourself
Self-assessment through objective ratings. Time logs give evidence that we neglect our priorities and how little time is available. Moreover, they show how inaccurate our knowledge of our time use is. "If we realized the extent to which we are mere walking bundles of habits, we would give more time to their formation." Procrastination: one problem area at a time; set priorities and focus on one thing at a time; set deadlines for yourself; don't duck the most difficult; no perfectionism. Handle once. Work through to completion.
Planning Your Work
Ivy Lee's advice to Chas. Schwab: "Write down the most important tasks you have to do tomorrow and number them in order of importance. When you arrive in the morning, begin at once on No. 1 and stay on it 'til it's completed; then begin with No. 2. If any task takes all day, never mind. Stick with it as long as it's the most important one.. If you don't finish them all, you probably couldn't do so with any other method, and without some system you'd probably not even decide which one was most important. Make this a habit every working day. When it works for you, give it to your men [!!!]. Try it as long as you like. Then send me your check for what you think it's worth." Planning is an investment. Several possible meanings to relative priority: level of effort for simultaneous projects, spill-over (all effort to A until completed, then to B), conflict resolution (A wins over B when there is an inconsistency), Order of completion. Use the Pareto principle (80/20). Manage by exception. Ignore detail. Decide what not to do. Learn to say no.
Economics Lab plan sheet: Phoning, Writing, Meetings, Lunches, General, 1-1:Agendas for key colleagues. How to use: Keep it current, schedule the most important first (not just priority, but also fit and execution), never clean up small items first, look for delegation opportunities.
Getting Organized
Organize physical space to gain control over interruptions and for productive propinquity. Use your workspace to direct your attention to what you've decided and that only. Keep your wastebasket close to your desk. File. Keep a diary. Write everything in it. Exploit travel time for handling correspondence. Handle correspondence with short, fast answers. Use dictating equipment. Use that new-fangled word-processing. Use the phone instead of memos to get reaction. Be a selective reader.
Blocking Interruptions
Much of the discussion involves delegating tasks and screening functions to secretaries and managing meetings..
Handling Decisions
Fast decisions give you more time for making corrections. Timeliness often critical to exploit opportunity. Most decisions should be made immediately, based on the facts at hand. Fear causes indecision. Delegation requires deadlines. Expect the unexpected.
Delegating
Manage, don't do. Managing: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Controlling, Deciding, Communicating. CEO 90% manager, 10% doer; First-line supervisor: 30% manager, 70% doer.
Managing the Time of Subordinates
Working with Your Secretary
How to Spring the Time Trap
Dennis C. During
"To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American women's rights advocate (1815-1902)
"What is not surrounded by uncertainty cannot be the truth." - Richard P. Feynman, Nobelist, physicist, raconteur, bongo player, safe-cracker
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