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Preface
with the way computer programs operate makes software an
“efficiency enemy” for him. Instead of struggling to work out
how to format a table, he finds it easier and more satisfying to ix
sketch the table by hand and leave the details of formatting to
later—or to someone better equipped for that job.
Of course, we might suggest to Jim that he take classes on
the use of the computer. In today’s work environment, there’s
almost no way to be efficient without computer skills. But, by
nature, Jim may never become a “natural” like Tiffany. He
should certainly try to sharpen his computer skills, but he may
never be completely comfortable with them.
And Jim’s major talent perhaps lies in a different area. He’s
most useful to his company not as a word processor but as a
business development manager. While he shuffles among those
five documents, the company really wants him focusing on their
content—not on cutting and pasting electronically while retain-
ing the correct format from one document to another.
It’s important to remember, then, while reading Time
Management, that not every single suggestion, strategy, or tech-
nique will work for you. There will be moments of insight when
you think, “Yes! Why didn’t I think of that?” There will be other
moments, however, when you conclude, “I couldn’t possibly do
that! In fact, I hate doing that!”
Be reassured. We are individuals. We learn differently, we
work differently, and we succeed using different combinations of
methods. Rarely is there a “right” or “wrong” way to organize
one’s life. Results are what matter.
There are, however, many ways to improve upon the sys-
tems you already have in place or to consider entirely fresh
ones that can make our life—and your job—easier, more pro-
ductive, and more stress-free. This book, we hope, will provide
some useful suggestions to accomplish that. It’s up to you to
select which strategies are best suited to your particular style of
working and which, when incorporated into your routines, will
make you more confident in your ability to get the job done—on
time, accurately, and with the fewest possible hassles.