Extreme Productivity
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
“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.
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I felt that I should check the publishing date (2012) as sometimes the advice sounded more like 1953 than 2013. There are a few good items so it gets a slim three.
Extreme Productivity is a guide to boosting your productivity through time management and expert control over the scope and requirements of your work. The book will teach you how to prioritize important tasks, end procrastination and generally become more efficient.
About the author: Robert C. Pozen, in addition to being a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, is the author of six books and a number of articles. Previously, he served as the chairman and vice chairman of various large financial companies and worked on the Bush administration's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.
My highlights:
Prioritize your tasks and invest your time accordingly. Split up tasks into aims, objectives and targets
Career aims take five years or more.
Objectives take between three and 24 months.
Targets are anything that will take three months or less
First focus on the things that both you and your boss want to achieve; once that's done, you can address the tasks that concern only you.
Quickly handle low-priority tasks by keeping your perfectionism at bay. fight the temptation to be perfect when it comes to your low-priority tasks.
The product you deliver matters more than the time you spend on it. Results are what count. The number of hours spent on any given project is irrelevant.
Unfortunately, lots of managers still put more emphasis on hours worked than on results produced.They tend, often subconsciously, to value workers who put in overtime and weekend hours. As a result, many managers claim to favor results but in practice prefer employees who work long hours.
