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Time Management
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that 12-to-2 block of time for what can be a relatively
quiet period in the office.
Doing Nothing
Up to now, this chapter has examined ways to concentrate
blocks of time for serious work. But what about time for taking
it easy, socializing, just doing nothing? Is that productive?
It can be. Working past your optimum level of energy and
attention can be self-defeating; you could be spinning your
wheels and going nowhere. Pausing to relax and recuperate can
reenergize your work and make you more productive. It can
also make work seem less like work. And if you drive your
employees to squeeze effort out of every minute, you’ll be left
with people who are unmotivated, burned out, or seemingly
happy workaholics. Is this what you want?
Another reason for carving out totally unplanned times in
your schedule: it allows you leeway to deal with the unexpected.
An anecdote about Henry Kissinger comes to mind. The well-
known statesman is said to have remarked to a reporter, “Next
week there can’t be any crisis. My schedule is already full.”
A recent study discovered an interesting fact: executives
who did not fill in every single time block in their calendars,
who left broad stretches of blank space, were actually more
productive and less stressed than their overscheduled col-
leagues. Your day need not be seamless. Give your schedule
room to breathe.

Clustering

A term that is in frequent use in time management, clustering,
refers to the practice of assembling tasks. Clustering—for many
reasons—makes activity far more fruitful, efficient, and compact.
One example: paying bills. Should you deal with them daily,
as they come in, or pay them off in groups, perhaps once a
week, when you’re free to do so? The latter course of action
generally works far better; you need to get the checkbook and