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‘Inefficiency Assassin’: Helping harried workers reclaim free-time
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AS modern urban workers, most of us need to work in a large commercial organization to earn our bread.
But we also pay dearly for our subsistence, judging by the hours and energy we put into our work on an average day. Worse still, we sometimes allow our work to invade the private sphere.
As Helene Segura observes in her “The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer,” many employees are so busy that their professional lives constantly infringe on their personal time.
They routinely work late into the evening and over weekends, leaving little time for loved ones, friends, or for the natural world. It threatens their health. Efficiency can, to a degree, help liberate us from such love-denying, life-killing habits.
According to Segura, the way to eliminate inefficiency is superior time management. As the title suggests, the author, who is a productivity consultant, styles herself as an “Inefficiency Assassin.” Segura believes the key to time management is “mind management.” As she observes, “Half the battle of getting organized is figuring out your own brain.”
Consider your “thinking patterns” and identify the work that’s most crucial. “Are these activities you are doing now that you could live without — ones that you could cut back ... which would save your time?” she asks. Her answer to this question is her “CIA framework” for time management, a system that rests on three components.
1. “Create Clarity”
Many think they can find a magic bullet for effective time management, while what is really needed is a “calendar, file folder, filing cabinet” or similar organizing structure.
Start out by choosing your priorities, make a list, and post it in a prominent place. “(Knowing) what our top three or four priorities are in our lives gives us the clarity to make better decisions about how we use our time,” the author observes.
To build your sense of clarity, periodically step back from all your activities, and pause to think about your time-management programs. Spending a few minutes on meditation each day can calm your nerves and help you concentrate.
2. “Implement Structure and Flow”
An effective time-management program requires orderly processes, routines and systems. Specifically, this includes the following components:
“Assignment and task completion” — Plan your procedures.
“Go-bag and work-space layout” — Arrange your office to suit your specific work requirements. As the author observes, “If you don’t invest the time now to decide where you’ll store your items, you’ll spend far more time looking for supplies when you need them.”
“Electronic communication” — Computers, smartphones and tablets are great tools for communication, but can distract your attention when you do not need them. As the author cautions, “The more connected we are to our devices, the more disconnected we are from the people who are in front of us and the tasks for which we’re responsible.”
3. “Assemble your team” — Organize your office and home support teams
In addition to these three components, Segura also comes up with a host of tips of which I find the following of particular help:
*Resist the temptation to multi-task.
*Do not procrastinate — start your days with the most unpleasant jobs.
*Avoid perfectionism — achieving flawlessness in work or life is impossible, so learn to tolerate tasks that are “finished well;” don’t always hold out for “finished exactly right.”
Since being more efficient means having more time for the people we love and the things we enjoy, Segura’s manual for efficiency is a must-read for anyone who feels bogged down by too many tasks.
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