18 Minutes Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done

by Bregman, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780446583404
• ISBN10: 0446583405
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-11
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Summary

Based upon his weeklyHarvard Business Reviewcolumns (which is one of the most popular columns on HBR.com, receiving hundreds of thousands of unique page views a month),18 MINUTESclearly shows how busy people can cut through all the daily clutter and distractions and find a way to focus on those key items which are truly the top priorities in our lives. Bregman works from the premise that the best way to combat constant and distracting interruptions is to create productive distractions of one's own. Based upon a series of short bite-sized chapters, his approach allows us to safely navigate through the constant chatter of emails, text messages, phone calls, and endless meetings that prevent us from focusing our time on those things that are truly important to us. Mixing first-person insights along with unique case studies, Bregman sprinkles his charming book with pathways which help guide us -- pathways that can get us on the right trail in 18 minutes or less.

Author Biography

Peter Bregman is the CEO of Bregman Partners, a global management consultancy where he is the advisor to CEOs as well as to their top management teams on leadership and workplace issues. He is based in New York City.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xv
Pause
Hover Above Your World
Slowing the Spin	p. 5
Reducing Your Forward Momentum
The Girl Who Stopped Alligator Man	p. 10
The Incredible Power of a Brief Pause
The Day Andy Left Work Early	p. 15
Stopping in Order to Speed Up
Frostbite in the Spring	p. 20
Seeing the World as It Is, Not as You Expect It to Be
Multiple Personalities Are Not a Disorder	p. 25
Expanding Your View of Yourself
Why We're Fascinated with Susan Boyle	p. 30
Recognizing Your Own Potential
You Don't Have to Like Him	p. 34
Where Do You Want to Land?
What Is This Year About?
Find Your Focus
What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do	p. 43
Choosing Your Next Move at the Intersection of the Four Elements
Reinvent the Game	p. 48
Element One: Leverage Your Strengths
I'll Just Take the Shrimp	p. 52
Element Two: Embrace Your Weaknesses
Heated Seats	p. 56
Element Three: Assert Your Differences
The Pilot Who Saved 155 Passengers	p. 61
Element Four: Pursue Your Passion (Desire)
Anyone Can Learn to Do a Handstand	p. 65
Element Four: Pursue Your Passion (Persistence)
A Recipe for Finding the Right Work	p. 70
Element Four: Pursue Your Passion (Ease)
What Matters to You?	p. 76
Element Four: Pursue Your Passion (Meaning)
I'm the Parent I Have to Be	p. 81
Avoiding Tunnel Vision
I've Missed More Than Nine Thousand Shots	p. 85
Avoiding Surrender After Failure
When the Future Is Uncertain	p. 89
Avoiding Paralysis
Maybe	p. 95
Avoiding the Rush to Judgment
What Is This Year About?	p. 100
Creating Your Annual Focus
What Is This Day About?
Get the Right Things Done
Dude, What Happened?	p. 111
Planning Ahead
Bird by Bird	p. 115
Deciding What to Do
Wrong Floor	p. 121
Deciding What Not to Do
When Tomorrow?	p. 125
Using Your Calendar
The Three-Day Rule	p. 130
Getting Things Off Your To-Do List
Who Are You?	p. 134
The Power of a Beep
It's Amazing What You Find When You Look	p. 139
Evening Minutes-Reviewing and Learning
An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day	p. 144
Creating a Daily Ritual
What Is This Moment About?
Mastering Distraction
Mastering Your Initiative	p. 153
Move the Table	p. 154
Avoiding the Need for Motivation
Never Quit a Diet While Reading the Dessert Menu	p. 159
We Need Less Motivation Than We Think
The Nintendo Wii Solution	p. 163
Having Fun
The One-Two Punch	p. 168
Getting Started and Keeping It Going
Am I the Kind of Person Who…	p. 174
Telling the Right Story About Yourself
The Hornets Stung My Mind	p. 180
Getting Out of Your Own Way
Mastering Your Boundaries	p. 186
The Time Suck of Collaboration	p. 188
Saying Yes Appropriately
But Daddy…	p. 191
Saying No Convincingly
The Third Time	p. 196
Knowing When to Say Something
We're Not Late Yet	p. 199
Increasing Transition Time
I Don't Want to Go to Ski Class	p. 204
Decreasing Transition Time
We'll Regress. We'll Forget You. We'll Replace You	p. 209
Managing the Tension of Relaxation
Mastering Yourself	p. 214
Does Obama Wear a Pearl Necklace?	p. 215
Creating Productive Distractions
Would You Smoke Pot While You're Working?	p. 220
Avoiding Switch-Tasking
It's Not the Skills We Actually Have That Matter	p. 226
Getting Over Perfectionism
Why Won't This Work for You?	p. 231
The Value of Getting Things Half Right
Don't Use a Basketball on a Football Field	p. 237
Staying Flexible
Conclusion: Now What?
You Don't Have Ten Gold Behaviors	p. 246
Choosing Your One Thing
Acknowledgments	p. 253
Index	p. 257
About the Author	p. 263
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