Time Management - Marc Mancini
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48<br />
<strong>Time</strong> <strong>Management</strong><br />
Break It Down<br />
Henry Ford, credited with designing the first production<br />
line, once maintained,“Nothing is particularly hard if you<br />
divide it into small jobs.” Following his own advice, Ford examined the<br />
apparently huge task of assembling an automobile and broke it down<br />
into logical, sequential steps. What seems obvious to us now—the<br />
production line process—was, however, innovative in his time.Virtually<br />
any complex task is open to the same approach Ford took with the<br />
automobile.<br />
experts counsel the following strategy: every time you<br />
handle a paper-based document you don’t want to deal<br />
with, put a red dot on it. Once it starts looking like it has<br />
the measles, you’ll get the message.<br />
2. The task seems overwhelming. Herculean, massive, gargantuan,<br />
endless—all these terms can be used to describe that proposal<br />
you have to write, that meeting you must plan, or that home<br />
remodeling project you should undertake. The task is not necessarily<br />
unpleasant; in fact, you may even look forward to accomplishing<br />
it. But it’s so huge and overwhelming that you just don’t<br />
know where to start. A common example of feeling overwhelmed<br />
is writer’s block, paralysis by the enormity of a writing project.<br />
Here are three strategies to help you get a handle on the<br />
project:<br />
• Divide and conquer. Breaking a major job into small<br />
pieces can help conquer an overwhelming task. Chapter<br />
5 discusses this strategy in detail.<br />
• Find a solitary place to do it. Is there a room at work or at<br />
home where few people ever go? Hide yourself there to do<br />
the task that shouldn’t be interrupted. Close your office<br />
door and make clear to everyone that you are not to be<br />
disturbed. Or go off on a “work vacation” to do what you<br />
must in pleasant surroundings, undisturbed.<br />
• Ride the momentum. Once you get going, keep going as<br />
long as your concentration stays strong and fresh. But<br />
when your mind wanders, stop. Take a break.