Extreme Productivity audiobook

Great book. Summary of Chapter 11. This is worth reading.Summary of Chapter 21. Overcome procrastination -Don’t try methods of unstructuring procrastination -Set mini-deadlines and reward yourself for meeting them. -Make yourself accountable to someone. 2. Don’t give into the face time=productivity mindset. Let your followers set their own hours. Summary of Chapter 31. Use OHIO: Only handle it once. 2. Check email on a set schedule.3. Multitask low-priority items. 4. As a leader, eliminate bureaucratic roadblocks that hinder your people. Summary of Chapter 41. Make daily calendars at the beginning of each week for each day. 2. Use split calendar (see pg. 53) and write what you hope to get out of each activity.3. Take a 30 minute nap each afternoon. 4. Exercise regularly. Exercise is rated as the 2nd most happiness inducing activity- right behind sex. Summary of Chapter 51. Keep a checklist of things to bring on trips. 2. Beat jet-lag by exercising when you get to your destination. 3. Buy a small gift for your family when gone, and call them every single day. Summary of Chapter 61. Avoid meetings when possible. 2. Assign someone to play devil’s advocate at the meetings. Summary of Chapter 71. Decide what your purpose in reading is. 2. Get a grasp of the structure.3. Read the intro and conclusion. 4. Skim the tops of paragraphs. 5. Write a summary of what you want to remember. Summary of Chapter 81. Outline before you write. 2. Brainstorm, Categorize, then organize. Summary of Chapter 91. Do not write your speech word for word. 2. Start out with a joke. 3. Turn them (the audience) from passive to active listeners by wandering around the audience and asking questions. Summary of Chapter 101. Get everyone to own their own space. 2. This a good chapter to read when beginning a new leadership role.3. Start innovative awards: e.g. Best New MistakeSummary of Chapter 111. Keep a list of accomplishments that you can send your boss at the end of the quarter. Summary of Chapter 121. Get education (start with hard skills)2. Learn about other cultures. 3. Network. Summary of Chapter 131. Write down three or four ethical principles that will always guide you. 2. Remember that it takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it. 3. Think about the New York Times Test. Summary of Chapter 141. Not worth reading.

I have read the book 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris a number of times because it has some good tips in it about being effectively productive. But it is also not a very practical book--for instance, I'm not planning on quitting my job anytime soon to take up Argentinean dance nor do I want to completely outsource my life. I also don't have the luxury of focusing completely on one to two things at the expense of everything else I have in my life (like my child). I've read a number of his other books, I'm still a fan, but I regard him as bit of a flim-flam man or a snake oil salesman. His own attention span is short and his work (and writing) is somewhat sloppy, so I continue to dip into his works looking for little nuggets that help.I am also not a believer in David Allen's Getting Things Done. Blech. Any time I've tried his system I end up with a todo list that is a mile long and so overwhelming as to not be effective at all.Over the years I've cobbled my own system by setting my goals and priorities ala Covey's First Things First, and a bit of the Pomodoro method thrown in, with a smaller focused "three things that have to be done today" todo list.Now comes Robertt C. Pozen's book, Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results and Reduce Your Hours. As someone who has read every productivity book out there, this one is a winner. In some ways, Pozen even has some of the same ideas as Ferris...such as excusing yourself from pointless meetings or focusing your talents toward the 20% of Pareto's law for maximum return. But Pozen isn't a snake oil salesman--he is someone extremely accomplished--Harvard Business School Professor, Chairman at Fidelity, maker of Public Policy...and author of numerous books. He is very practical and his productivity is so that he can accomplish more and do it effectively. He also doesn't have you create endless todo lists. I like his focus on figuring out what you do best, do it, and delegating the rest.I like this book very much--he spends the requisite amount of time on setting goals and priorities, but then the rest of the book has specifics...like how to read faster and how to write more effectively, then there are chapters that have great advice for planning your overall career. I also liked that Pozen addresses the homefront as well as career finding yourself a stay-at-home spouse or a quality support system. And for someone that you might expect to be a bit old-school, I like that Pozen has embraced the flexible workplace.

I wish I had read this book before I read this book, because I would know that skipping a few of the less worthwhile chapters would have been more productive. Other than that, it was quite useful.

“Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours” by Robert C. Pozen contains practical advice for increasing personal productivity aimed at professionals in a more corporate setting. While I think everyone would probably pick up some tips to becoming more productive, those in the corporate setting will gain the most from this book, and some people will find chapters that don't relate to them as much.The first part of the book contains three chapters that focus on three big ideas: Set and Prioritize Your Goals, Focus on the Final Product, and Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. Common ideas, but Pozen does a good job of describing them and explaining why they are important to being productive. These ideas can be applied to just about anything by anyone.Part 2, Productivity Every Day, has three chapters as well. Your Daily Routine, Traveling Lightly, and Efficient Meetings. All of these chapters have good practical advice on the topics, but some people won't find them as useful. The routine is more of the person in a more corporate setting, not a small business owner or someone who works from home. The same goes for traveling and meetings, these are more focused on how the corporate professional travels and attends meetings.The third part, Developing Personal Skills, provides advice on three topics that I think would help anyone be more productive and effective. Reading Effectively. Writing Effectively. Speaking Effectively. These are three very important skills and Pozen shares some practical advice on all three, especially for the corporate executive. Part 4, Managing Up and Down, has two chapters that will only be useful to those in some situations. Managing Your Team and Managing Your Boss. You obviously have to managing people, and have a boss to get the most of these chapters. If you do manage others, and have a boss to report to, these chapters provide some great suggestions for being more productive.The fifth and final part, Pursuing a Productive Life, concludes the book with these three chapters: Maximizing Your Career Options over a Lifetime, Embrace Change but Stay the Same, and Balancing Home and Work. I thought there was good advice on all three of these topics in the final chapters. I agree with the thought that the reason to be more productive is to enjoy a more rewarding life, and that focusing on results produced rather than hours worked is a better way.Pozen writes from experience, and those who wish to rise to an executive position will find a lot to help them in this book. Others will also find many practical tips on productivity, but may have to modify some or skip some depending on their specific work situation. The chapters end with summary key points and practical suggestions you can put to work immediately. Bottom line: If you want to be more productive, Extreme Productivity by Robert Pozen can help you get there.

You will probably finds recommendations other authors have made but I guess that would be with many books of this genre.I still like to "listen" his angle. There are several up to date practical reconsiderations.It is an easy read. Is no a dry book. He try to cover personal and professional aspects

Productivity relies on efficiency. That means nothing will stop you from becoming a faster, smarter worker if you set clear goals and priorities. This results-driven approach will do away with procrastination, break up big projects and clearly define your working hours.

Coming to my second book on productivity this year, immediately after “The Pomodoro Technique”. This one is a little more strategic, whereas the Pomodoro was more tactical when it came to time management. The promise of this 2012 book is to “Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours”. So how does he plan to achieve it? To begin with, Pozen dispels the myth that increase productivity does not mean killing yourself by working longer and harder. In fact, it’s the opposite – you spend less time, you end up happier, and you get int the virtuous cycle of being more productive as a result. So there’s considerable time spent on planning and prioritizing. It’s good sensible advice. Balanced, it covers everything from work, play, family, and friends. There’s even a chapter on writing – which I thought was a little too specific. Useful, nonetheless. A good read!

Probably one of the best books on productivityIt reminded me of the focus and brutal effectiveness of some of the very top executives I have worked with.Able to manage insane work and task loads with class and style.It has very practical advice on specific tactics to be effective.It surprised me that this book doesn't eclipse some of the other iconic business books like 7 Habits, How to win friends etc.* Listened via Libby, at 2 to 3x

Excellent!Simple and valuable advices. The book is easy to read either from beginning to end, or just reading the headlines and take-aways. Prioritize your goals, develop key skills (writing, speaking), mid flight check. They seem like obvious advices, but it is good to read them as reinforcement.

A bit of a cheesy title, but otherwise better than expected. Written by a professional in law and finance, not by a food blogger or e-bay seller.Good coverage on general productivity tips, career advancements and work-life balance.I will definitely look at implementing a couple of ideas from this book.

Randomly stumbled on to this and it came out of nowhere to go into my pantheon of productivity porn. Amazing book that I’ll continue to reread and gift to others. It’s invaluable to hear an executive talk about how he spends his time.

While there were quite a few awesome concepts in the book, at the very end, it was too repetitive. I thought that the book is going to primarily focus on actionable points (or hacks), it primarily focused on vague lectures on "motivated reading".