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I am putting this to practice already...
I learned a new word! Distractionistis¿ (Or is it a new disease?)
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In Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover, Dr. Jan Yager has put together a program that, if strictly followed, will allow the reader to get into the groove of getting out of having a cluttered life. When I first got hold of Jan Yager¿s book the thought that was on my mind was ¿Now this is something that I will be able to use for my work ¿ it is something that I badly need¿¿ After reading the book though it is clear to see that stretching your time and not getting things done is holistic. You cannot simply work on this at the office and expect to have more time. Habits have to be developed, goals have to be set, plans have to be made and prioritization (sometimes radical prioritization) has to take place.
The author adds several productivity tools throughout the book, some of them are diagnostic exercises and some of them are meant to be used daily. To be quite honest I normally skip these tools when using self help books but then I decided to just keep my phone log, one of the first tools in the book, for one day. It became glaringly apparent to me just the work that needed to be done to get this part of my life under control. And from there I went on and tried other tools as well. Batching work. Working on my ¿internet addiction¿ and the author describes it. Putting more time into advance planning rather than just diving into my work. I swear this is like when you haven¿t been to the gym in five years and then you decide to jump right in to two full aerobic work outs per day!
As I mentioned earlier, Jan doesn¿t leave the productivity at the office. She also makes sure that you are tending to your family, romantic partner, children and others in your social spheres. Some of the hardest part of the ¿work out¿ Jan Yager¿s book puts you through is coming to terms with the parts of your life that you will have to put on the back burner or even eliminate. I personally have lots of work to do in this realm and can¿t find any easy way to get through this. But I suppose the mantra should be ¿no pain, no gain!¿ I also have had major problems with delegation, which Jan Yager puts in high stock.
I have put recurring tasks in my Outlook on my computer just so I can revisit Jan Yager¿s pointers in the future and to make sure that the new muscles I have stretched haven¿t gone flabby again. I think I will keep at it until I wouldn¿t be embarrassed to let Jan Yager see my desk¿ -
Make Your Time A Tool For Success
Have you been trying to get it together but to no avail? Then read this book because Dr. Jan Yager nails it. She takes you through a miraculous 14 day makeover that's fun to do with her "Beat the Clock" exercises. After completing her 14 day makeover, you will have the tools necessary to achieve a happy, successful and productive life.
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TimBigby
Posted October 24, 2008
Great step-by-step resource.
Great step-by-step resource
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I was really pleased with the level of detail and great volume of ideas and information in this book. I decided to take it at face value and actually work my way through the book in 14 days. By the third day, I was already taking steps at work to be more productive; by the end of two weeks, I actually had co-workers asking me what was going on, my work habits were that noticeably improved. I definitely recommend this for those who are feeling overloaded and stressed out, particularly those who may already have decent habits, like list-making and prioritizing, but who want or need some even more specific guidance to take their organization and time management to whole new levels. -
Evaluate Your Work and Home Situation!
Most useful as a seminar guide or course guide, this book gets us rethinking our time-wasting ways at work and home. Clearly written, all areas of a situation get examined. The five ¿P¿s¿ caught my eye: procrastination, perfectionism, poor planning, poor pacing, and petulance. Who, me? Take time to think, she tells us, instead of plodding through the motions of getting through our day.
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Although set up for classroom or seminar presentation, I feel it takes more than fourteen days to rethink and restructure any work situation. I would recommend addressing one area at a time ¿ such as phone use or Internet use. Once under control, move on. I recommend this book for use by managers and individuals as well as for training purposes. -
Wayne_Botha
Posted October 17, 2008
Gets instant results.
This book will save you time, right off the bat. I answer over 100 emails a day as a Project Manager on multi-million dollar projects. Page 54 alone is the worth the price of this book. Now I know how to categorize emails and respond appropriately, depending on who sent the email.
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I like the structure of this book. One chapter per day is bite sized chunks that readers can absorb and apply, one day at a time. (We are busy people, which is why we are looking to learn how to work less and do more).
Jan has packed the book with logs and worksheets, placed throughout the book to keep it interactive, with permission to photocopy the worksheets for personal use.
I agree that Self-esteem is the key factor in Time Management that is rarely addressed, as Jan quotes on page 38. I would have liked to see more discussion on how to improve self-esteem, or at least a reference to a good book on improving self-esteem, which is a key factor.
I would also like to have seen more focus on how to deal with the volume of meetings that Professionals deal with today. No-one in my office has a paper-based calendar like professionals had ten years ago. We have 6 hours of virtual meetings a day, mostly with team mates in other states and countries. Meetings are scheduled days and hours in advance. As such, it is not possible to see your meetings for the week, when you walk into the office on Monday morning. I would have like to have tips on the best ways to prioritize and attend meetings, beyond the appointment book on Page 76. Today's workplace is far more dynamic than a week-at-a-time calendar.
Page 50 has a nice tip on how to get motivated.
Overall, this is a wonderful book, jam-packed with tips and for employees, self-employed professionals and even students. Jan goes far beyond the simple "to-do" lists and her tips help all readers to prioritize better, make better decisions on where to invest time, so that we can have more time to do what is truly important to us.
I highly recommend this book and it has a special place on my bookshelf, so that I can reread it should my time get out of balance again. -
NettieHartsock
Posted October 14, 2008
Fantastic book on Productivity
This book should be alongside Tim Ferris' "The 4 Hour Work Week", the most important value in this book is that unlike others it has an actionable program to employ that will help everyone truly "work less and do more." Wonderfully written and filled with worksheets that help you see a true picture of what you need to do in order to work less and do more.
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Anonymous
Posted August 21, 2008
Real Ways to Manage your Time
We all know that time in the 21st century has become a precious commodity, and figuring out how to manage it effectively is a challenge faced by anybody involved in the academic, professional and social spheres of today¿s frenzied society. Time management techniques are tackled by teachers, authors, and doctors worldwide, but nowhere are they presented in a fashion as realistic, practical, detailed, and well-laid out as in Dr. Jan Yager¿s book entitled WORK LESS, DO MORE: THE 14-DAY PRODUCTIVITY MAKEOVER. In a text filled with anecdotes, professional advice, and even etymology, Dr. Yager takes readers through a 14-day schedule with each day covering different topics related to time management. Her chapters cover actions such as planning, organizing, networking, and running effective meetings, technological duties such as phone calls and emails, as well as relationships both in and out of the workplace. Dr. Yager speaks to those of all professions, all financial levels, and all personalities. In her introduction, Dr. Yager immediately engages the reader with thought-provoking questions about time and provides exercises and quizzes to keep the reader active and involved. She then proceeds to address each day and topic with precision and thoroughness, quoting real people with thoughtful advice as well as providing her own tips and techniques. Her prototype for To-Do Lists, logs, and planning sheets are there and ready to be filled out. Her ¿Beat the Clock¿ sections at the end of every day provide a good summary of the section, jump starting readers to begin their time management makeover. The ACTION! Plan is straightforward and very useful. Dr. Yager even tells us it is ok to procrastinate, as long as we do it creatively. WORK LESS, DO MORE is engaging, educational, and filled to the brim with tips for anyone who questions, even in the slightest, their ways of approaching time. The book reflects extensive research, painstaking attention to detail, and a true understanding of the way effective time management can really be applied to all aspects of peoples¿ own personal lives and relationships with others. Dr. Yager¿s words are timely in their references to technology and current-day trends. Everything she says about productivity, success, and happiness is believable and inspirational, not overly idealistic or cliché. WORK LESS, DO MORE is a new spin on a widely pursued topic, a fine piece of non-fiction writing, and a valuable resource for those who take the time to read its words, take to heart its advice, and put in to practice its techniques.
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Anonymous
Posted August 30, 2008
Comprehensive time management skills in one easy read
This is definitely the most approachable guide to time management that I¿ve read. Whereas other self-help books sometimes talk down to readers, reading Work Less, Do More is more like having a conversation with a great mentor. The book does an excellent job of breaking up organizing time into simple steps, which are designed to address everything from the most basic to advanced levels of time management skills. Whether you¿re a mess or just looking to brush up on organization, you¿ll pick up something new in this book. One of the most helpful things about Work Less, Do More is that it¿s structured into a day-by-day approach. Jan Yager suggests that the program in the book takes two weeks, with each chapter covering a different aspect of time management for each day, but she also points out that Work Less, Do More could work just as well if you read it straight through and apply the topics at your own pace. (I decided to take the reading straight through approach, and it worked just fine for me!) There¿s plenty of information in each chapter, and Yager keeps the chapters short enough and focused enough that you never feel overwhelmed. The basic principles in each chapter will help people who are just beginning to learn to manage their time more effectively, while the variety of strategies Yager offers to deal with each challenge means that even experienced time managers will find something new. For example, one of the first chapters stressed the importance of setting goals and then writing those goals in a list. Now, making lists is my thing¿I never leave home without my planner, and I always have a to-do list. Work Less, Do More told me that these skills were a good place to start, but I also learned that it¿s important to break lists down into time frames. The tables in the book prompted me to figure out plans for the next week, month, six months, year and two-year time frames. Now I have a much clearer idea of where my day-to-day planning is headed and what I need to focus on in order to achieve my long-term goals. The other aspect of this book that I found especially helpful was that it covers all areas of time management. It¿s easy to get so wrapped up in improving study or work habits that you can forget that there are other important areas to invest your time. Yager balances chapters on structuring business meetings with sections about how to make the most of time with family and friends as well as how to find quiet personal time. It was a pleasant surprise to me that a time management book would value my family time and personal activities as much as my office productivity! It¿s easy to put the strategies of Work Less, Do More into practice because the point is to find a productive balance in all areas of one¿s life, not to become a workaholic. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to improve or develop time management skills.
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