Getting Results
Two books on Time Management that influenced me most in the late 1970s were both by Edwin Bliss, GETTING THINGS DONE, and DOING IT NOW! Down-to-earth, humorous, no-nonsense prescriptions for procrastination. In those days To Do Lists and Priorities made a lot of sense, and I'd still recommend these books to anyone interested in mastering the mental side of getting results in business.
However, that was before the PC, before e-mail, before the Internet, and before cell phones. These devices have given us the convenience of instant access anywhere, with strings attached. Lots of them. Like Gulliver in Lulliput, we have awakened to find ourselves tied down by multistranded leashes. We are tied to a To Do List that even a giant could not accomplish. It is hard to think in terms of priorities when your list is constantly being added to and imposed upon.
That was also before Mind Mapping, which gives you a one-page overview in key words and symbols, and much more flexibility than a linear To Do List. However, the branches of your Mind Map can also grow wild like vines, leaving you with a radiant headache, instead of a linear one.
Both the To Do List and the Mind Map are designed to simplify your life, not complicate it. It takes a vigliant mind to keep either one under control in today's world of instant and ubiquitous communications.
In NO B.S. TIME MANAGEMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS, Dan Kennedy recommends radical surgery. He himself does not use e-mail and does not own a cell phone. He is also quite successful in business, and presumably happier for the privacy and extra control over his time. However, for many of us this luxury is not an option.
There is another approach to getting results and managing your time, and one that works well without having to panic or play hermit. The approach is explained in a national bestseller by David Allen, GETTING THINGS DONE: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. This is not about how to manage your time, so much as how to manage yourself in time. If you feel stressed out by multiple commitments, changing circumstances, and time shrinking as it flies, then this book is required reading!
If you are a Mind Mapper, or already using MindManager, you should also learn about ResultManager at Gronix.com, an add-on software that applies David Allen's system graphically in Mind Map form. Also visit David Allen's website to learn about the Getting Things Done software add-on for Microsoft Outlook. Both of these software items are available as free trial downloads.
Even without the software, the book alone will help you reset your mental clock. As a Promethean tool, it will help you free your mind of unfinished business, even as you get results.
William Reed
B-SMART
GMARKETING GENIUS
posted by William Reed @ 1:25 AM
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