Review of Martin Avis’ book “Effective Time Management Skills for Everyone”
I am writing this like a diary as early complete the 14 days that Martin claims will change my life. That’s a very big claim and by the end of this diary we will see if the book has lived up to the claim.
Initial impression on receiving the book is that it is a smaller than I anticipated for the cover price, however the book is well produced with a pleasant, and easily laid out inside.
Introduction and Day 1. I know from the previous writings of Martin that his work is a very easy read in that the text flows and he covers things at a level that anyone can understand. I have picked one of the ideas for the first day and I will put into practice that idea for the next 14 days.
Day 2. I have unsuccessfully are put into place the practice that I selected from day one of this is mainly down to me being a bit finicky and trying to select the ideal tool for me. I have now found that all after trying several and hopefully I can now put this into use.
The principal explained on day two is one that I am familiar with and indeed have read a whole book on. Martin’s down-to-earth explanation and practical applications with regard to time management is very good. As it happens I am already applying which neatly ties in in a slightly different format so I will continue with that application and refine it along the guidelines in the book.
Day 3. Of the tips filled today I am finding it hard to decide which one I should try and implement. One of the reasons for this is that I am resistant to change unless I can immediately see the benefit. I appreciate that to properly benefit from the book I need to apply a principle each day irrespective of what I consider the outcome will be. So with this in mind I select one of the tips which neatly ties in with the tip I am using from day one.
Classic Tip. Between day three and Day for their is a classic Tip, this is indeed a classic Tip and one that I have used and taught to other I was employed as a manager. Whilst the explanation and summary of the tip was good I did think that the application, at least in my case, could have been slightly better executed.
Day 4. Any mixture of tips today all of which seem useful. I have selected one which I have, in part, endeavoured to use before and not succeeded. Martin explains in the book that this can be a very powerful strategy and I have perhaps overlooked how powerful it can be. It will certainly assist in my day-to-day working routine. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that after I have completed the 14 days and applied whatever strategies I choose and with whatever success level I achieve, it is going to be beneficial for me to return and reread and apply different strategies in a few months time.
Day 5. The first two tips in today’s chapter or before Friday’s obviously this assumes that you started reading the book and applying the advice on Monday, which is a fair assumption. As it happens I have recently started applying very similar strategy (albeit on a Saturday) and therefore I could not use the first two tips although they are great tips. The third tip ties in with and build on the strategy I took from day 1 so this is one that I have plumped for and will try and apply. The final tip for today is also a great tip on that I will come back to some time after the first 14 days.
Day 6. As I am reading the book I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that I need to write down what I have agreed to implement each day and I’m losing track of where I want to! Another for tips today the first one which I’m not sure about the advice given, it certainly isn’t for me.
The second tip is one that I’ve looked at before and to be quite honest it frightened the living daylights out of me doing the exercise that Martin suggests and that’s because I know it’ll show how much time I waste.
I feel that this tip is a whole time management exercise in its own right and not one that I would try to implement in this 14 day program with other steps as it would just be too much, but I will come back to it.
The third tip is the one for me today it will be very hard to implement but I suspect it’s one that certainly wastes a lot of my energy in particular emotional energy and therefore I need to do something about it.
Last tip I suppose I didn’t really understand what having selected the third and it’s not relevant to me.
Top Tip. There is a top tip between day six and seven and whilst the story is interesting and good to reflect on it and not actually a step you can apply in the same way as other tips.
Day 7. Coming up to the halfway mark and has said yesterday beginning to forget some things I agreed to apply each day, I should have written down to give myself better chance. Some good practical tips in today and I’m sure that all people who suffer from a time pressure will recognise that some of their culprits. I guess I did not take on any one tip to book the general strategy of a couple of tips I am embracing.
Top Tip. Great quote from Henry Ford as the top Tip and whilst it was clearly written a long time ago it’s amazingly relevant.
Day 8. On a daily basis it is getting difficult to remember which strategies I am applying as in theory and in our buying a new strategies! From the tips for today several useful bits of advice the third one being warned that will actually help you apply the time management strategies you want to take forward from this minicourse. I therefore wonder whether this should perhaps have gone out the beginning, perhaps as a introduction. It also is a helpful way to apply the methods in this book and is the methodology employed by Steven Covey in his book follow-up book to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Top Tip. This top Tip is a very useful one to getting lots done in life and one that we should all take on board.
Day 9. As an overall feeling that there was a lot more completed ticks on last week’s goals and is normally the case, that would suggest that even applying some of the strategies is making a difference.
Three tips to the first one of which is very interesting and not one that I have come across before and it’s one that I will try and implement as my “put off this” quite often get out a hand.
Day 10. Some more useful suggestions although there is nothing in the suggestions that I am going to apply this time round. This is not a reflection on the suggestions just that I was going to keep on top of the ones I’m already trying to do!
Day 11. The first tip is a great tip on well I do have trouble trying to stick with that. The third tip is one that I’ve seen several times and nicely built on top of the other tips are trying to most of.
Day 12. Interesting suggestions for reducing the amount of lost Time goes into meetings although her personally it’s not an issue for me but it was thought to be looking at some of the useful suggestions the other tips on not something that I can see myself immediately applying. At this point I’m thinking that I should have made a note on the days when there was to tips which seemed appropriate for a second it was then I could be applying it today can make the most of 14 days. When I return and go through the list is the second time I will do this.
Day 13. Today’s tips revolve around motivation and deadlines, and I found them very helpful whilst I am not quite organised enough to implement some of them as far as Martin goes I will certainly implement the overall idea and see what happens.
Top Tip. Top it which is about distractions and not the best tip and I have come across for dealing with the distractions themselves how to accommodate same within your working routine/deadlines.
Day 14 Final Day. Quite pleased that it is the final day as there is rather a lot to take on board and apply on a daily basis the second tip for today should be my opinion have been included either in Day one or at least in the introduction as it is about how to practically apply the strategies and tips covered in the book although maybe Martin’s idea was that you would come back and read the book a second time and be able to apply more time management techniques as a result of that. The same applies to the third tip of the day.
I hope my day-to-day thoughts are on some interest as you work your way through the effective time management book. As I stated in the conclusion if you are of a mind to apply and build on the time management strategies, tips, techniques that that put forward in this book and indeed you will improve your management of time i.e. improve your productivity which will then result in whatever outcome you would like as a result of being able to get more done be that spending more time with the family being able to work on generating more income etc
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Effective Time Management Skills for Everyone
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Effective Time Management Skills for Everyone: Getting Things Done: How to Stop Procrastination, Work Smart and Relieve Stress in Just 14 Days
