Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours

by Robert C. Pozen

Overview

“Required reading for professionals—and aspiring professionals—of all levels.”
—Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Former Chairman of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Robert C. Pozen, one of the business world’s most successful—and productive—executives, reveals the surprising secrets to workplace productivity and high performance.

It's far too easy for working professionals to become overwhelmed by a pile of time-sensitive projects, a backlog of emails, and endless meetings. In order to be truly productive, they must make a critical shift in mindset from hours worked to results produced.

With Extreme Productivity, Pozen explains how individuals can maximize their time and energy by determining and focusing on their highest priorities. He also provides a toolkit of practical tips and techniques to help professionals at all stages of their careers maximize their time at work.

This essential handbook empowers every person with proven methods for prioritizing their time to achieve high-impact results and refine their career goals for long-term success, all while leading a full and meaningful personal life as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062188533
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	447,240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Robert C. Pozen teaches at MIT Sloan School of Management. He was President of Fidelity Investments and Executive Chair of MFS Investment Management, and served as a senior official in both the federal and state government. He is also the author of six books, including Extreme Productivity, one of the top rated business books of 2012. He offers MIT courses for executives on personal productivity, and has been teaching online since the spring of 2020. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Part I Three Big Ideas 1

1 Set and Prioritize Your Goals 3

2 Focus on the Final Product 21

3 Don't Sweat the Small Stuff 35

Part II Productivity Every Day 49

4 Your Daily Routine 51

5 Traveling Lightly 69

6 Efficient Meetings 85

Part III Developing Personal Skills 101

7 Reading Effectively 103

8 Writing Effectively 119

9 Speaking Effectively 139

Part IV Managing Up and Down 157

10 Managing Your Team 159

11 Managing Your Boss 177

Part V Pursuing a Productive Life 193

12 Maximizing Your Career Options over a Lifetime 195

13 Embrace Change but Stay the Same 211

14 Balancing Home and Work 227

Epilogue 241

Appendix 1 The Big Idea: The Case for Professional Boards 245

Appendix 2 Speech by Robert Pozen to the Boston Bar Foundation (2000) 255

Notes 259

What People are Saying About This

J. Michael Cook

“Read this book if you want to learn how to run efficient and effective meetings-or how to avoid them altogether. Bob really knows how to lead a discussion, get the group engaged, and drive to a consensus on what to do.”

Charlene Barshefsky

“This book is a must read for overwhelmed professionals. It gives you tips and tools to accomplish more on a daily basis and to make better choices about your career.”

David Calhoun

“Personal productivity requires you to focus on the most important tasks rather than spending your time on busy work or small wins. If you want to learn how to raise your game, look no further than Extreme Productivity.”

Martin Feldstein

“Bob Pozen’s prodigious output is extraordinary. Read this book to learn how he does it all in a 24-hour day.”

Shirley Ann Jackson

“It’s impossible to get ahead in today’s knowledge economy without knowing how to read, write, and speak effectively. Pozen’s tips on these three subjects alone are enough to make Extreme Productivity required reading for professionals-and aspiring professionals-of all levels.”

Editorial Reviews

One thing working people can agree upon today is that time is an increasingly scarce commodity: there is always too much to do and not enough hours to do it. Enter Pozen, an uber-productive executive who manages two full-time jobs and numerous writing projects while maintaining a healthy relationship with his family. Like many other how-to books on increasing personal and organizational productivity, Pozen emphasizes three factors: "set and prioritize your goals," "focus on the final product," and "don't sweat the small stuff." He provides worthwhile guidance on everything from developing writing and public-speaking skills to managing institutional chains of command. Of particular value are chapters on common but mundane aspects of corporate life like office meetings—and why they should be avoided—and maintaining productive travel habits. Constant pressure and conflicting deadlines and priorities can derail even the most diligent worker, so Pozen's methods for retaining focus are invaluable. These tactics arm workers and managers alike with the means to handle distractions with minimal disruption. Filled with useful recommendations on a wide variety of topics, this book will find adherents at every level of the company org chart. Agent: Jim Levine, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Pozen’s insights on traveling effectively, embracing change, and balancing home and work are particularly valuable. . . . An excellent how-to on personal productivity.

Booklist

"This book is a must read for overwhelmed professionals. It gives you tips and tools to accomplish more on a daily basis and to make better choices about your career."

Ambassador - Charlene Barshefsky

This book is a must read for overwhelmed professionals. It gives you tips and tools to accomplish more on a daily basis and to make better choices about your career.

Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky

Personal productivity requires you to focus on the most important tasks rather than spending your time on busy work or small wins. If you want to learn how to raise your game, look no further than Extreme Productivity.

David Calhoun

Read this book if you want to learn how to run efficient and effective meetings-or how to avoid them altogether. Bob really knows how to lead a discussion, get the group engaged, and drive to a consensus on what to do.

J. Michael Cook

It’s impossible to get ahead in today’s knowledge economy without knowing how to read, write, and speak effectively. Pozen’s tips on these three subjects alone are enough to make Extreme Productivity required reading for professionals-and aspiring professionals-of all levels.

Shirley Ann Jackson

Bob Pozen’s prodigious output is extraordinary. Read this book to learn how he does it all in a 24-hour day.

Martin Feldstein

Extreme Productivity is filled with such sage advice and pragmatism… The book is populated with practical, real world anecdotes....For companies’ to have more effective boards, they will need to change with the times. A good place to start is to read Extreme Productivity.

Huffington Post

[Pozen’s] insights on traveling effectively, embracing change, and balancing home and work are particularly valuable…An excellent how-to on personal productivity.

Booklist

I believe that everyone will find at least one section of the book that will resonate with them. Extreme Productivity is the essential guide to investing our time wisely.

Newsweek

This short, easy-to-read book packs in a huge number of practical and useful tips on how to increase your productivity. And it is a fun read with lots of personal anecdotes—for example, you’ll learn why Bob eats bananas for breakfast. But you will also be able to make immediate adjustments to how you work to be more efficient, gaining time back in your day to focus on your personal life as well.

Carolyn Everson

Extreme Productivity is the best book I’ve read on time management. Bob Pozen’s clear and readily applicable principles have better enabled me to focus on my top priorities and quickly deal with the small stuff.

Kerwin K. Charles

Bob Pozen—Harvard Business School lecturer, prolific author, financial-industry heavyweight—tackles more in a month than you manage in a year.

Fast Company

I believe that everyone will find at least one section of the book that will resonate with them. Extreme Productivity is the essential guide to investing our time wisely.

Newsweek

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