Download pdf - Extreme Productivity: Introduction

introduction

People often ask me how I get so much done. During most of the last five years, I’ve held two full time jobs— serving as full time

chairman of MFS Investment Management and carrying a full teaching load at Harvard Business School. I’ve also served on the governing boards of two publicly traded companies (Medtronic and Nielsen), a health care foundation (the Commonwealth Fund), and a medical research center (the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center). At the same time, I’ve managed to write three books (including this one) and publish roughly a hundred articles in newspapers and magazines. Through all this, I’ve maintained a strong relationship with my wife of thirty five years and our two children, as well as a wide network of friends and relatives.

Though these multiple roles did not seem unusual to me, the editors of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) were intrigued and asked if they could interview me about the secret recipe for my productivity sauce. When these interviews elicited a large positive response in the blogosphere, the HBR editors asked me to write a short article distilling my principles of productivity. I got even more enthusiastic reactions to that article. Strangers stopped me in airports to talk about productivity, and an MIT professor thanked me for improving his reading habits.

However, because the article only skimmed the surface of what can be said about personal productivity, I decided to write this book. In reflect

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ing upon productivity over my career, I can point to a number of habits and methods that have helped me become successful. But even more critical was the realization early in my career that success comes not just from hard work and careful planning— though those are both important. Success depends in large part on a proper mind set: focusing on the results you plan to achieve, rather than the number of hours you work. The results are what matter most to your employer, clients, and colleagues.

whAt is PErsonAL Productivity?

Let’s begin with what I mean by “personal productivity.” I mean the quantity and quality of your results in achieving your own objectives. I won’t attempt to dictate what those objectives should be, only that you should clearly articulate them and their relative priority. You may be looking to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible or seeking a better balance between your professional and personal lives. In either case, you will benefit by getting more done in the hours you work.

This book does not ask you to embrace a new philosophy of life in order to be successful. It does not even require you to adopt a totally integrated system for personal productivity. It contains specific and practical suggestions on how to increase your productivity at work. You can pick and choose whichever suggested techniques seem most helpful to you.

The suggestions in this book are much broader than those in the typical manual on time management, with its emphasis on mundane tasks such as organizing your files. Although time management is a significant component of productivity, it is not the only one. A useful set of recommendations on productivity should cover a wider range of topics, as this book does— for example, on setting goals for your career and developing skills such as effective writing.

Most fundamentally, the book urges you to adopt a different mind set as well as to follow concrete techniques. As I previously noted, in order to be productive, you have to focus on the results you want to achieve, not the time you spend at work. Unfortunately, this mind set is directly at


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odds with the system of billable hours in accounting or law firms and the emphasis on hours logged at the office in most occupations.

Last, this book is not selling snake oil. In the 1830s, some authors suggested that one could succeed only by following a special diet, sleeping on a hard bed, or abstaining from masturbation!1 More recently, others have urged quick fixes like holding many short meetings or working only a few hours per week. There are no miracle cures in this book. Most of my recommendations call for rigorous thinking and disciplined behavior sustained over long time periods.

sPEcific And PrActicAL AdvicE

This book is organized into five main parts, each with two or three chapters. The end of each chapter includes specific and practical “takeaways”— lessons to be learned.

• PartItellsyouthethreebigideasunderlyingtherestofthe book— setting goals with explicit priorities, focusing on the final results, and not sweating the small stuff.

• PartIIhelpsyouimplementyourshort-termprioritiesin a disciplined manner. It contains chapters on organizing your daily routine, managing your travel schedule, and running efficient meetings.

• Part III helps you develop three key personal skillsthat are critical to becoming a successful professional. It contains chapters on improving your reading comprehension, writing abilities, and effectiveness in public speaking.


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• PartIVhelpsyounavigatethroughtheorganizationalchallenges of personal productivity. It contains chapters on managing down by delegating functions and managing up by working well with your boss.

• PartVprovidesyouwithaframeworkformakinglong-term decisions about your career. It contains chapters on maximizing your options, succeeding in a rapidly changing world, and achieving a satisfying work life balance.

thE knowLEdgE workEr’s guidE to Productivity

I’ve written this book for all types of professionals— those who primarily use their brains in their work. This includes accountants, computer programmers, doctors, engineers, investment bankers, lawyers, marketers, psychologists, real estate brokers, retailers, scientists, teachers, and so on. Although the majority of the book’s examples are drawn from the commercial world, most of its lessons apply to professionals in other types of organizations: not for profit institutions, academia, and government. No matter where you work, you probably face many of the same challenges in allocating your time, running meetings, and dealing with difficult bureaucracies.

Though each of the book’s five parts addresses all professionals, some chapters are particularly relevant to groups at certain stages of their careers. Those beginning their professional career may be particularly interested in the chapters on career planning and business writing. Those climbing the corporate ladder may be particularly interested in the chapters on managing up and down. Senior executives may be particularly interested in the chapters on efficient travel and effective speeches. To get the most out of this book, concentrate on the sections that are most relevant to you.
