University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Inefficiency Assassin
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The Inefficiency Assassin

Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer

Helene Segura
New World Library, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Applicable

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Productivity consultant Helene Segura, who bills herself as the “Inefficiency Assassin,” has a clear theme: Time management is life management. She details her “CIA framework” for time-management, advising you to “create clarity,” “implement structure and flow,” and “assemble your team” to manage your time productively. She offers tips and techniques you can use to make your personal and professional spheres more efficient. She advises against multitasking, interruptions and “flooded inboxes,” just as she advocates prioritization and her “DID” method for “Dealing with Daily Papers.” getAbstract recommends Segura’s manual to anyone plagued with too many tasks. Use her helpful ideas to turn your “to-do lists” into “done lists.”

Summary

When You’re Too Busy

Most executives, managers, employees and entrepreneurs are tremendously busy. They routinely work in the evenings and over the weekends. This leaves little time for themselves or their friends and families. They feel overwhelmed and can often miss out on life’s special moments.

You can fix this pervasive problem with self-awareness, planning and organization based on efficient time-management systems, processes and strategies. To manage your time, you first must manage your mind. “Half the battle of getting organized is figuring out your own brain.”

Considering your “thinking patterns” and identifying the work that’s most crucial will help you develop a clearer sense of how to systematize your time. For most people, this means making major changes in how they operate. However, embracing time saving tactics can give you real control over managing your work and personal life. Putting one good idea into regular use can save an hour per workday; that’s “5 hours per week, 20 hours per month, 240 hours per year.”

The “CIA Framework”

This time-management system rests on three components:

1. “Create Clarity”

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About the Author

Helene Segura, the “Inefficiency Assassin,” assists clients with time-management and personal productivity.

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