TIME MANAGEMENT FOR EXECUTIVES

by Lauren R. & Susan K. Jones Januz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1981

An all-out collection of tips for saving time--on the job, in transit, even at home--which covers much the same ground as Ross Weber's Time Is Money (1980), to much less effect. Some of the advice is unexceptionable, even standard: set deadlines for every task, however small; establish priorities; delegate workaday assignments to subordinates; use canned responses for routine correspondence; reply to internal memos on the originals; use cabs or limos instead of rental cars; tackle important projects during ""prime time"" (i.e., at one's productive best). Other pointers range from effective (if abrupt) phrases for eliminating small talk to stratagems for minimizing the time wasted at meetings. And, like Weber, the authors recommend applying zero-base budget principles to major responsibilities--putting them on trial periodically, that is, for their continued existence (the way sunset laws are supposed to prove the worth of government agencies). Unlike Weber, however, they tend to be doctrinaire: e.g., ""Avoid going to the filing cabinet more than once per project."" They also incline toward the unrealistic: in the everyday world, how many bosses will relish ""tactful, occasional suggestions"" on ways to improve their time-management skills? (Equally problematic: the reaction of recipients of business cards detailing the hours at which they can reach the bestower by phone. Or, the viability of a family that keeps in touch via a ""communications center."") Janus and Jones are the publisher and editor, respectively, of a newsletter for time-conscious execs (to which reference is made throughout the text); it may be natural, then, for them to be single-minded. Weber, however, achieves the same ends without ignoring the human factor.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Scribners

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION