One of the books on my "To Read" List for January is, "18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done," by Peter Bregman. A very interesting read and worth the time if you get the chance to pick it up - check it out here. Strange thing is that all along, and about 65% through the book, I've been wondering, "What's the 18 Minutes About?" Well, I guess it was a build up...
The 18 Minutes refers to key moments in your day that impact your ability to be effective. In a nutshell, here they are:
The 18 Minutes refers to key moments in your day that impact your ability to be effective. In a nutshell, here they are:
- Your Morning Minutes: 5 Minutes
Before turning on your computer, sit down with your "to do" list and decide which items, if accomplished, would make it a successful day. It is critical to only pick the items you can realistically achieve by the end of the day. Sometimes it helps to under-commit because you always have things come up that are unexpected. This isn't an excuse to be lazy though! - Refocus: 1 Minute Every Hour
Set your watch to go off every hour and use that one minute after the alarm to take a deep breath and evaluate whether you spent your last hour productively. Review your daily task list and determine how you're going to spend the next hour. - Your Evening Minutes: 5 Minutes
So how'd you do on your day? Did you stick with your daily task list? Did you achieve your most important objectives? If so, great for you. If not, use this time to recommit for tomorrow and maybe finish up things you didn't get to...little things like, do you need to quickly follow up with someone, or send someone an email. A few minutes at the end of your day will alleviate that voice inside your head that nags you of the things you didn't get to!
RSS Feed
