Saturday, February 22, 2014

How to be a Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott

Graham reminds us that successful people are really no different than you or me in many ways. They have just learned to use tools, skills and have a special mindset. To help us become Productivity Ninjas, he starts with the characteristics: mindset of zen-like calm, ruthlessness, weapon savviness, stealth and camouflage, unorthodoxy, agility, mindfulness, and preparedness.

This is not a time management book. Time management is dead, Graham says. Attention management is the new game. Protecting your attention and how well you use it determines your success. His process of attention management includes capture and collecting, organizing, reviewing, and doing (CORD). He shows us how to determine our attention levels and then schedule tasks accordingly. He offers many practical ideas for regulating incoming information. His suggestions for incoming email are great. It will get your inbox to zero every day!

The book contains not just the tools and tips but the strategy behind them. The first part of the book is mostly strategy and I got a little impatient. But hang in there. All the great suggestions are eventually there in the book.

Graham is donating some of the royalties from the sale of the e-book version of this book to READ International, providing textbooks to schools in East Africa. To find out more about this organization, see www.readinternational.org.uk.

Behind every extraordinary achievement is an ordinary person. This book will definitely help you move toward your desired goals.

Graham Alcott was a chief executive for a charity then transition to freelance consulting. That got him interested in productivity. He is the Chair of READ International, a trustee of Centrepoint, and an acoustic singer songwriter. To find out more about the author and his work, visit http://www.thinkproductive.co.uk/.

Icon Books, 304 pages. You can buy the ebook here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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