Effective executives know that one rarely overprunes.
The final step in time management is to consolidate the time that record and analysis show as normally available and under the executive’s control. To be effective every executive needs to be able to dispose of time in fairly large chunks. This is particularly true with respect to time spent working with people, which is, of course, a central task in the work of the executive. The manager who thinks that she can discuss the plans, direction, and performance of one of her subordinates in fifteen minutes is just deceiving herself.
There are a good many ways to consolidate time. Some people work at home one or more days a week. Other executives schedule all the operating work—the meetings, reviews, problem-sessions, and so on—for two days a week and set aside the mornings of the remaining days for consistent, continuing work on major issues. But the method by which one consolidates one’s discretionary time is far less important than the approach. Effective executives start out by estimating how much discretionary time they can realistically call their own. And if they find later that other matters encroach on this reserve, they scrutinize their record again and get rid of some more time demands from less-than-fully-productive activities.
ACTION POINT: Consolidate your time and set aside large blocks of time to complete major tasks.
The Effective Executive
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker