Tuesday 3 April 2018

Master Your Time in 10 Minutes a Day - Michael Stawicki - Time Management Tips for Anyone Struggling with Work-Life Balance

Master Your Time in 10 Minutes a Day: Time Management Tips for Anyone Struggling with Work-Life Balance
Michal Stawicki
AISN B00NH18Z8S
ISBN 9781500187736



I have read this book three times over the last 4 years. That fact would surprise many coworkers and fellow students from my university days. I have a dual form of dyslexia and because of that have always needed to be very organized in order to be successful academically, and later professionally. And to be honest this is one of the best books for organizing your time I have come across.  In a previous review I stated that "I would compare Michal to Robin Sharma, Stephen R. Covey, Dan Millman and John C. Maxwell. It is a mix of some incredible insight, terrific tips, practice advice, and some good steps to get you there." And with each new book I have read of his I believe that more and more. This book and the others in the 10 Minutes a Day Series, are easy to read and even easier to apply. And the greatest strength of this book and the whole series is that Michal teaches from what he knows. Michael reads numerous books on a topic and synthesis the material down into a clear concise guidebook. His books are practical because they are born from experience, from personal trial and error, and because they have worked for him and his coaching clients.

The sections in this book are:
#1 Introduction
Action Items
#2 The 10 Minute Philosophy
Action Items
#3 Motivation
Action Items
#4 The Ultimate Time Management Tool
Action Items
#5 Work on What's Important, Not What's Urgent
Action Items
#6 Don't Kill Your Time
Action Items
#7 Work Every Day
Action Items
#8 Break it Down
Action Items
#9 Use a To Do List
Action Items
#10 Block Your Time
Action Items
#11 Eat that Frog
Action Items
#12 The Sand Grains Method
Action Items
#13 Multi-Tasking
Action Items
Conclusion

Each chapter has a few action items, they will help you not only learn about the concepts intellectually but will guide you through applying them. These action items will take less than the 10 minutes a day, and once you start applying them you will be amazed at how much impact a few small actions can make. For example, from the introduction:

Action Items 

-Read the introduction and make four lists (actually write these down): 
          - Daily Obligations 
          - Weekly Obligations
          - Monthly and Irregular Obligations           
          - Goals 

-Compare our lists and see if your time constraints and aspirations look similar to mine. 
-If you feel you stand to benefit by reading my methods to time management, read on!

This first item alone has helped me become better at time management. I review each of these lists every 2 or 3 months. It is a great tool for remaining focused. I now have a list of each of these 4 categories, and from that list have an action plan. I have items in each category for mind, body and spiritual development, and this method has helped me improve a lot over the last 4 years. I can state that because of this book and others by Stawicki I have much better work life balance than I did before I started reading his books.

Other than using the four lists the two chapters that had the most impact on me were Block Your Time and Eat the Frog. Both offer great insights. And I have used a technique from Chapter 12, The Sand Grains Method to create a Project Management Light Methodology, I have used it to successfully run 3 major projects at work. It has been so successful that it has been adopted by senior management, and it all came about from ideas found in this book.

Michal begins the conclusion of this book with these words: 
"Now you know the basics, go and implement them. The techniques I have shared with you are not rocket science, but they do require sustained effort."
This book in an excellent resource. No matter where you are at, if you are completely unorganized or considered to be a master of your time, I am sure there are some tips in this book that will help you improve in this area, and through improvement in time management you will see gains in so many other areas of your life.

Six Simple Steps to Success
Simplify Your Pursuit of Success - Book 1
Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It - Book 2
Bulletproof Health and Fitness: Your Secret to High Achievement - Book 3
Making Business Connections That Count - Book 4
Directed by Purpose: How to Focus on Work That Matters, Ignore Distractions and Manage Your Attention over the Long Haul - Book 5

How to Change Your Life in 10 Minutes a Day Series:
The Fitness Expert Next Door - Book 1
Learn to Read with Great Speed! Only 10 minutes a day! - Book 2
Release Your Kid's Dormant Genius In Just 10 Minutes a Day: Parenting Your
Smart Underachiever With Consistency and Love - Book 3
Master Your Time In 10 Minutes a Day: Time Management Tips for Anyone Struggling With Work-Life Balance  - Book 4
From Shy to Hi: Tame Social Anxiety, Meet New People, and Build Self-Confidence  - Book 5

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