I know time is
scarce, and I know you’re busy. You probably don’t think you'll have time
to read this book. You’re probably 100 percent sure you don’t have time to
change anything about your life. And you probably believe that there will
never be enough hours in a day. You’re mistaken, and throughout this book,
I’ll show you why. If you constantly dig through piles looking for
something you know you just had; or if you work hard, but don’t get enough
done; or if you don’t have enough time to do fun things, this book will
help you.
People often ask me how I came up with the idea to become a consultant and
help people figure out a smarter way to work. I love telling this story.
A few years ago, a friend of mine was worried about his staff. His top
administrator, who had been with him for years (and who had worked day and
night, including weekends), had retired, and the remaining staff members
were having problems keeping up and making deadlines. Everyone wanted a
more balanced work schedule, but hadn’t figured out how to do it and keep
up with their workload. Their morale was deteriorating. As I listened to
him, I’d make suggestions he could try, until finally, he asked me to come
sit with everyone to see if I could figure out what they could do. I
approached the situation by putting myself in their shoes.
On my first visit to this office, the first thing that I noticed was a
typewriter with piles of papers stacked beside it. I discovered that they
used it to fill in all the forms they used to run the business, including
staff travel expense statements. The first thing I did was show them how
they could create forms in Word and Excel, complete with formulas that
would do the math (I’m also a computer trainer). After that revelation,
they were putty in my hands, and whatever I said was fine with them! We
had so much fun totally revamping work processes, creating new filing
systems, and learning all about how powerful the software they already had
really was. The staff’s morale skyrocketed, and I had found my calling.
Over the next couple of years (and while I had the day job), I started
planning my consulting business. I really wanted to help people figure out
a smarter way to work.
By now, you might be wondering where I learned to think things through and
find the best way to do it. It may have come from my mother, who was the
ultimate planner. She’d plan our annual vacations two years in advance (it
probably wasn’t this much in advance, but at the time, it sure did seem
like it). By the time we’d hit the road, she’d have everything written
with a complete schedule and checklist of everything we would need to do
and to take with us.
My mother was the efficiency expert at home, and I learned a lot, but I
credit IBM for teaching me how to apply those skills in a business
environment. IBM’s well-defined processes and procedures made me
appreciate how my work habits and computer skills directly affected my
productivity.
I’ve helped many corporate employees and small business owners and their
employees make work easier. The ideas in this book have been tried and
tested in the real world with busy people just like you. To make them work
for you, you have to make the commitment to stop the vicious cycle you’re
caught up in—the cycle of not having enough time because you’re wasting
it. You have to make the time and take the time to do this. And unlike
dieting or exercising, the results are immediate!
Here’s the plan. So you’ll be able to think and stay focused, you’ll clear
the clutter and create systems that, with proper maintenance, will keep it
from coming back. Then, with a clearer mind, you’ll learn how to set goals
so you’ll know what’s important and can set priorities. Then you’ll learn
how to approach other time management challenges such as procrastination,
calendar management, meetings, etc. Next, we’ll dissect your processes,
and streamline them as we go. Then you’ll improve how you use technology,
which will help you save even more time. Whew!
We have our work cut out for us, so let’s get started. We’re going to put
time management to work!
Peggy Duncan is author of a new book, Put Time Management to Work
(PSC Press). Click here
to order. She can be reached at
peggyduncan@mindspring.com.
For more information about her other books and consulting services, go to
http://www.peggyduncan.com.
