Who can argue with the premise of this book: Activities rule, not the clock? If you’re looking for how-to approaches to time management, then reading this is book will be well worth your time. There are how-tos and practical easy to use time management activities you can begin using immediately.
Whether you work from home or in an office, how you manage your time and energy affects how well you manage your business and, how well you manage your life. Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You gives you step-by-step ideas, ready to use activities and 101 real life productivity strategies that make good practical sense.
The authors are a father and son team of writers. The father Trapper Woods was a seminar leader for Day Timer® and became fondly known as “father time.” His son Mark picked up the time management gauntlet and continues to carry on his father time saving message.
What struck me most about this book is how simple and easy it is to read and understand. Honestly, it actually saves you time just reading it. You can get a feel for how practical the book is, just by the name of the chapters:
Chapter 1 – Activities Rule! Not the Clock --- Don’t Be A Slave to Time
Chapter 2 – Color Your Choice --- The Art of Choosing and Refusing
Chapter 3 – Carry Your Time in Buckets --- Fine-Tune Your Tools
Chapter 4 – Arrange Your Plate --- Think Inside the Box
Chapter 5 – Don’t Just Execute, Flexicute! --- Learn to Turn on a Dime
Chapter 6 – The Hocus Pocus of Focus --- Make Time Wasters Disappear
And, my favorite section 101 Productivity Strategies.
I found Attack Your Day! to be well written and filled with simple and practical activities both business people and at home entrepreneurs can use with ease. There aren’t any “systems” to learn or products to buy – it’s up to you to take the step-by-step suggestions and use the ones that work best for you.
According to the authors, the key to success in time management is to understand how the time management paradigm as changed. Here is what the authors say, “The new paradigm is for us to see our work and personal life as one life, with work and activities integrated throughout the 24-hour day.” I agree with the authors, time management affects all aspects of our day, not just our working time.
I found Chapter 3 – Carry Your Time in Buckets --- Fine-Tune Your Tools filled with visual tools to help me sort through all the tasks and “need-to-do’s” of my day. The idea of sorting them into “buckets” caught my attention. These buckets have names like the Catch All Bucket, The Daily Bucket, etc. I found this concept appealing because I am a visual and when I can visually divide my time out in piles or buckets, I can begin to see how I am actually spending by hour-by-hour and task-by-task time and energy.
I still have to say my favorite section is the 101 Productivity Strategies. Here is a good example: Reduce Overlong Telephone Calls 30 Percent to 50 Percent – this tip is short, practical and to the point with bullet points of how-to actions I found myself using in my business immediately.
Here’s the bottom line: Time management has to begin somewhere. Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You gives you an easy to use place to begin managing your time. It is easy to read and the suggestions are simple to use. I recommend this book especially for time management beginners. I believe, anyone who reads this book will leave with at least one new good useable idea to save them time.
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Sharon Recommends:
Here is an offsite link to Amazon.com where you can read more about this book and also purchase it: Attack Your Day!: Before It Attacks You
Here is a link to the Kindle edition: Attack Your Day!: Before It Attacks You
I was given this book to review but, my opinions are solely mine. I am also an affiliate of Amazon.com and if you purchase this book through this link, I will earn a commission.
