Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked

into my office in the morning with a vague sense of

what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned

on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours

later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s

problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be

thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could

hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when

I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And

I know better.

That means we start every day knowing we’re not going

to get it all done. So how we spend our time is a key

strategic decision. That’s why it’s a good idea to create

a to do list and an ignore list. The hardest attention to

focus is our own.

But even with those lists, the challenge, as always, is

execution. How can you stick to a plan when so many

things threaten to derail it?

Managing our time needs to become a ritual too. Not

simply a list or a vague sense of our priorities. That’s

not consistent or deliberate. It needs to be an ongoing

process we follow no matter what to keep us focused

on our priorities throughout the day.

I think we can do it in three steps that take less than

minutes over an eight-hour workday.

STEP 1 (5 Minutes) Before turning on your computer,

sit down with a blank piece of paper and decide what

will make this day highly successful. What can you

realistically carry out that will further your goals and

allow you to leave at the end of the day feeling like

you’ve been productive and successful? Write those

things down.

Now, most importantly, take your calendar and schedule

those things into time slots, placing the hardest and

most important items at the beginning of the day. And

by the beginning of the day I mean, if possible, before

even checking your email. There is tremendous power

in deciding when and where you are going to do

something.

If you want to get something done, decide when and

where you’re going to do it. Otherwise, take it off your

list.

STEP 2 (1 minute every hour) Set your watch, phone,

or computer to ring every hour. When it rings, take a

deep breath, look at your list and ask yourself if you

spent your last hour productively. Then look at your

calendar and deliberately recommit to how you are

going to use the next hour.

STEP 3 (5 minutes) Shut off your computer and review

your day. What worked? Where did you focus? Where

did you get distracted?

The power of rituals is their predictability. You do the

same thing in the same way over and over again. And

so the outcome of a ritual is predictable too. If you

choose your focus deliberately and wisely, and

consistently remind yourself of that focus, you will stay

focused. It’s simple.

This particular ritual may not help you swim the English

Channel. But it may just help you leave the office feeling

productive and successful.

And, at the end of the day, isn’t that a higher priority?

Extracted from: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/07/an-18minute-plan-for-managing.html

TITANIC NEGREIRO

O Brasil é um navio negreiro em direção ao futuro.

Um negreiro, com milhões de pobres excluídos nos

porões – sem comida, educação, saúde – e uma elite

no convés, usufruindo de elevado padrão de consumo

em direção a um futuro desastroso. O Brasil é um Titanic

negreiro: insensível aos porões e aos icebergs. Porque

nossa economia tem sido baseada na exclusão social

e no curto prazo.

[...]

Durante toda nossa história, o convés jogou restos

para os porões, na tentativa de manter uma mão de obra

viva e evitar a violência. Fizemos uma economia para

poucos e uma assistência para enganar os outros. [...]

O sistema escravocrata acabou, mas continuamos

nos tempos da assistência, no lugar da abolição. A eco-

nomia brasileira, ao longo de nossa história, desde 18

e sobretudo nas últimas duas décadas, em plena de-

mocracia, não é comprometida com a abolição. No

máximo incentiva a assistência. Assistimos meninos de

rua, mas não nos propomos a abolir a infância abando-

nada; assistimos prostitutas infantis, mas nem ao me-

nos acreditamos ser possível abolir a prostituição de

crianças; anunciamos com orgulho que diminuímos o

número de meninos trabalhando, mas não fazemos o

esforço necessário para abolir o trabalho infantil; dize-

mos ter 95% das crianças matriculadas, esquecendo

de pedir desculpas às 5% abandonadas, tanto quanto

se dizia, em 1870, que apenas 70% dos negros eram

escravos.

[...]Na época da escravidão, muitos eram a favor da

abolição, mas diziam que não havia recursos para aten-

der o direito adquirido do dono, comprando os escra-

vos antes de liberá-los. Outros diziam que a abolição

desorganizaria o processo produtivo. Hoje dizemos o

mesmo em relação aos gastos com educação, saúde,

alimentação do nosso povo. Os compromissos do setor

público com direitos adquiridos não permitem atender

às necessidades de recursos para educação e saúde

nos orçamentos do setor público.

Uma economia da abolição tem a obrigação de ze-

lar pela estabilidade monetária, porque a inflação pesa

sobretudo nos porões do barco Brasil; não é possível

tampouco aumentar a enorme carga fiscal que já pesa

sobre todo o país; nem podemos ignorar a força dos

credores. Mas uma nação com a nossa renda nacional,

com o poder de arrecadação do nosso setor público,

tem os recursos necessários para implementar uma

economia da abolição, a serviço do povo, garantindo

educação, saúde, alimentação para todos. [...]

BUARQUE, Cristovam. O Globo. 03 abr.

TITANIC NEGREIRO

O Brasil é um navio negreiro em direção ao futuro.

Um negreiro, com milhões de pobres excluídos nos

porões – sem comida, educação, saúde – e uma elite

no convés, usufruindo de elevado padrão de consumo

em direção a um futuro desastroso. O Brasil é um Titanic

negreiro: insensível aos porões e aos icebergs. Porque

nossa economia tem sido baseada na exclusão social

e no curto prazo.

[...]

Durante toda nossa história, o convés jogou restos

para os porões, na tentativa de manter uma mão de obra

viva e evitar a violência. Fizemos uma economia para

poucos e uma assistência para enganar os outros. [...]

O sistema escravocrata acabou, mas continuamos

nos tempos da assistência, no lugar da abolição. A eco-

nomia brasileira, ao longo de nossa história, desde 18

e sobretudo nas últimas duas décadas, em plena de-

mocracia, não é comprometida com a abolição. No

máximo incentiva a assistência. Assistimos meninos de

rua, mas não nos propomos a abolir a infância abando-

nada; assistimos prostitutas infantis, mas nem ao me-

nos acreditamos ser possível abolir a prostituição de

crianças; anunciamos com orgulho que diminuímos o

número de meninos trabalhando, mas não fazemos o

esforço necessário para abolir o trabalho infantil; dize-

mos ter 95% das crianças matriculadas, esquecendo

de pedir desculpas às 5% abandonadas, tanto quanto

se dizia, em 1870, que apenas 70% dos negros eram

escravos.

[...]Na época da escravidão, muitos eram a favor da

abolição, mas diziam que não havia recursos para aten-

der o direito adquirido do dono, comprando os escra-

vos antes de liberá-los. Outros diziam que a abolição

desorganizaria o processo produtivo. Hoje dizemos o

mesmo em relação aos gastos com educação, saúde,

alimentação do nosso povo. Os compromissos do setor

público com direitos adquiridos não permitem atender

às necessidades de recursos para educação e saúde

nos orçamentos do setor público.

Uma economia da abolição tem a obrigação de ze-

lar pela estabilidade monetária, porque a inflação pesa

sobretudo nos porões do barco Brasil; não é possível

tampouco aumentar a enorme carga fiscal que já pesa

sobre todo o país; nem podemos ignorar a força dos

credores. Mas uma nação com a nossa renda nacional,

com o poder de arrecadação do nosso setor público,

tem os recursos necessários para implementar uma

economia da abolição, a serviço do povo, garantindo

educação, saúde, alimentação para todos. [...]

BUARQUE, Cristovam. O Globo. 03 abr.