So I had a friend recommend “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss. It’s not your typical business book, and I like how he gets down to the essentials. (I think he’s a little materialistic but there it is.)

Here’s some points that made me think:

• Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate actions. It’s a failure to set priorities.
• The 80/20 rule – Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time.
• Parkinsons law (tasks expand to fill the time allotted) – Shorten work time to limit tasks to the most important.
• You should have, at most, 2 goals or tasks to do each day – and you should drive them through to completion.

So what am I going to try as a result of reading this book?

• I’m going to go on an information diet. I’m always multitasking, walking around with a book in my hand, and never giving anything – or anyone – the attention they need. It sends the wrong message and contributes to a feeling of being overwhelmed by events – instead of in command of them. So, for 1 week, I’m swearing off newssites, TV, and even reading books (except for one hour in the evening). No web surfing except for what’s necessary for work.
• Three times a day I’m going to ask myself – Am I being productive or just active? Am I inventing things to avoid the important?
• I’m going to try to keep M/F as free of work as possible and use it to up my skillset.
• I’m going to be setting my priorities every morning using Outlook calendar – but not checking my email. That’s for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Checking email first thing in the morning is the worst thing you can do to start your day.