What To Do When There's Too Much To Do

BOOK: What To Do When There's Too Much To Do
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More Praise for
What to Do When There's Too Much to Do

“Stack's incredible book shows you how to get organized better and get more done faster than you ever thought possible.”

—Brian Tracy, author of
Eat That Frog!
and
No Excuses!

“This book will save you time, money, and—most of all—your sanity. In our fast-moving, multitasking world of now-now-now, Laura Stack is an extraordinary resource for you, and her expertise is delivered with this book.”

—Tim Sanders, bestselling author and former Chief Solutions Officer, Yahoo!

“I don't know anybody who is more organized or who has more energy and has more fun getting things done than Laura Stack. No kidding. She doesn't just write about what she knows; she writes about what she lives. If you feel like there's too much to do, read this book for tips, tactics, and strategies that will decrease the time you invest and increase the results you enjoy.”

—Mark Sanborn, author of
Up, Down, or Sideways
and
The Fred Factor

“Laura's Productivity Workflow Formula will help you become the 5 percent employee that creates 95 percent of the company's value. Yet another high-value tool from the Productivity Pro!”

—Jeff Bettinger, Chief Career Strategist, HelpMyResume.com

“I am a raving fan of Laura Stack because she is the absolute master of teaching me how to do less and achieve more. For me, like so many others, time has become the new currency. I can always make more money, but I can't make more time. Laura teaches me to make much better use of the time that I have so that I can do more of what I want to do. For me, that's priceless. This book will motivate you to do the simple yet powerful things that can make your work and your life immeasurably more productive and fulfilling.”

—Joe Calloway, author of
Becoming a Category of One

“Leadership, strategy, and business acumen are essential for being successful in business today. At the heart of Laura's effective productivity system are strategies to maximize these essential business skills. Read this book! Adopting her system will unleash your strategic thinking potential and productivity in your business and maximize your results. It has worked for us, and I guarantee it will work for you!”

—Mike Howard, Chief Security Officer, Microsoft Corporation

“In this prolific and pragmatic guide, you will find tangible strategies for tackling the working world's toughest issue: time management. Finally, someone has realized we're at maximum capacity, and Stack gives us usable ideas to help us reduce, reduce, reduce.”

—Rory Vaden, cofounder, Southwestern Consulting, and
New York Times
bestselling author of
Take the Stairs

“If you have so much to do that you're not sure what to do, here's the first thing to do: buy Laura's book!”

—Randy Gage, author of
Prosperity Mind

“Are you overworked, overstressed, and overwhelmed, yet still you're underproducing? Laura Stack can help you. Buy this book and devour it. You can do less, stress less, and still achieve more. It's possible! Learn how inside.”

—Darren Hardy, Publisher,
Success
magazine, and
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Compound Effect

“Laura Stack is an extraordinary teacher, speaker, and coach who inspires people to become peak performers. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to stop ‘doing more with less' but ‘do less to achieve more.'”

—Dr. Nido R. Qubein, President, High Point University, and Chairman, Great Harvest Bread Company

“Laura Stack improved our work flow, communication, coordination, documentation support, and teamwork. Her touch to our business made and continues to make a lasting change for the better. I can't say enough about how helpful her knowledge and training have been.”

—Montague Boyd, Senior Vice President, Investments, UBS Financial Services

“Counterbalancing my practice that ‘If you aren't overwhelmed, you're not reaching your greatest productivity' is Laura Stack's most logical advice found in her latest book. Laura's philosophy is that what you opt
not
to do is often as important as—and often more important than—what you
do
. This book is all about productivity and making the most of the time that we all find in such short supply. Take the time to read the book, and you'll amaze yourself at the demonstrated and proven results.”

—Tim Jackson, CAE, CMP, President and CEO, Colorado Automobile Dealers Association

WHAT TO DO
WHEN THERE'S
TOO MUCH
TO DO

Reduce Tasks, Increase Results,
and Save 90 Minutes a Day

LAURA STACK

What To Do When There's Too Much To Do

Copyright © 2012 by Laura Stack
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650
San Francisco, California 94104-2916
Tel: (415) 288-0260, Fax: (415) 362-2512
www.bkconnection.com

Ordering information for print editions
Quantity sales.
Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the Berrett-Koehler address above.
Individual sales.
Berrett-Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. They can also be ordered directly from Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626;
www.bkconnection.com
Orders for college textbook/course adoption use.
Please contact Berrett-Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626.
Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers.
Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail:
customer.service@ingram publisherservices.com
; or visit
www.ingrampublisherservices.com/Ordering
for details about electronic ordering.

Berrett-Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

First Edition
Paperback print edition ISBN 978-1-60994-539-8
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-60994-540-4
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-60994-541-1

2012-1

Text design by Yvonne Tsang at Wilsted & Taylor Publishing Services

Cover design by Pemastudio

To my son,
JAMES STACK

When I have too much to do,
spending time with you
puts life in perspective and
makes everything better.
I love you.

CONTENTS

Preface

INTRODUCTION: THE CASE FOR REDUCTION

Saving Our Own Lives

Harsh Realities

The Solution

A Brand-New Model: The Productivity Workflow Formula™ (PWF)

1. DETERMINE WHAT TO DO

Why Do You Have So Much to Do?

What Is Your Productive Value?

Tracking Down Time-Wasters

Where Does Your Time Go?

To-Do Lists: Tracking What's Left

Triage: Wartime Prioritization

Summary: PWF Step 1 Checkup

2. SCHEDULE TIME TO DO IT

About That 4-Hour Workweek Idea

Scheduling 101

Further Reducing Your Commitments

Learn to Say No—And Make It Stick

Rescuing Your Time from Meetings

In the Decision Comes the Dilemma

Summary: PWF Step 2 Checkup

3. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION

Driven to Distraction

Handling External Distractions

Heading Off Internal Distractions

Slipping the Electronic Leash

Focus Aids

The Zen of Avoiding Distraction

Summary: PWF Step 3 Checkup

4. PROCESS NEW INFORMATION

Taming the Information Glut

Filing Precepts

Your Personal Time Management System

Basic Information Handling

The 6-D Information Management System™

The E-mail Decision Tree

Summary: PWF Step 4 Checkup

5. CLOSE THE LOOP

Organized Implementation

The People Problem

Handling Micromanagers

Reducing Inefficiencies and Breaking Bottlenecks

The Quest for Constant Improvement

Continued Progress Requires Constant Reevaluation

Summary: PWF Step 5 Checkup

6. MANAGE YOUR CAPACITY

Personal Energy

Get Some Sleep

Watch Your Diet

Exercise Your Body

Make Yourself Happier

Maintaining Your Energetic Edge

Summary: PWF Step 6 Checkup

A FINAL NOTE

An Extra Hour—Or More

The Productivity Workflow Formula (PWF) Self-Assessment

Notes

Index

About the Author

PREFACE

One morning, as I entered a ballroom to deliver a keynote address for a Fortune 100 telecommunications company, one of the employees approached me. She didn't look happy. “I have to tell you something,” she said. “I'm not excited about you being here.”

I was a bit taken aback, since I hadn't even opened my mouth yet. “No kidding,” I replied. “Do you mind telling me why?”

“Absolutely,” she continued. “I have no desire to be more productive. I'm working as hard as I possibly can. I'm killing myself with twelve-hour days and already have way too much to do. I don't want a productivity consultant telling me to do more with less. I want to do less and achieve more.”

The lightbulb went on, and I reassured her, “That's exactly what I'm here to help you do.”

I established my company, The Productivity Pro
®
, Inc., in 1992 to help people achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time
®
. This woman's description of “too much to do” and desire to “do less and achieve more” framed my twenty-year mission perfectly and inspired the title of this book.

BOOK: What To Do When There's Too Much To Do
2.22Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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