Reddit reviews The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done (Harperbusiness Essentials)
We found 7 Reddit comments about The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done (Harperbusiness Essentials). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
HarperCollins Publishers
Articles from reputable sources are a decent source of knowledge, but some quality business books will get you an infinitely better understanding of concepts. Here is my personal business book list if you want to get a "universal generalist" understanding of business:
I am graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree in May and I can easily say that one of these books (average price ~25$) has significantly more content than most individual classes I have taken (~600$). However, keep in mind that business knowledge and business acumen are two entirely different things. Knowledge is easily obtainable through books like these, and acumen is the result of applied experience with decision making. In short, it is one thing to be book smart, but it is another to get out there and actually apply it. No one can give you that in the form of an article or book - you have to do that yourself.
edit: added links to amazon
You're neglecting it for some reason, but these look a lot like self improvement ideas plus chores, which I know I don't like to process. They require taking action about yourself, which can be hard.
Peter Drucker has a great point about effective decisions - they must include an action, or they are not decisions at all.
Also at 7 things a day, with 100 things until you clear it out - that means you only clear out your inbox every 2 weeks, which sounds like you're not doing the weekly review!
Here are some tips I can give you, based on your example inbox items:
The GTD podcast has a guided weekly review which can be helpful if you're struggling to do them as well.
Say no more, fam.
You don't need a degree to run a business. Having your own business allows you to experiment with these books first hand instead of taking some professor's word for it. Professor's usually just read what the book says. If they were actually good at running a business they'd probably be doing that.
Having been through something like this, I can share my perspective on what makes the difference. Apologies if the second person imperative tense is a bit too much, but it feels right.
Since you don't really have any direct control over what other people think, thinking and ruminating about it becomes a hobby that doesn't actually provide any reward or positive value. Recognize that thinking about how identity groups behave isn't particularly helpful or productive at any level whatsoever, and explore other pursuits! Essentially, try to "change the subject" of what's occupying your mindspace and time by deliberate choice.
So, focus on building, creating, exploring, achieving, helping, contributing, imagining. Find good-hearted and interesting people and befriend them. Pursue hobbies, read, self-educate, go on a hike, join a running club, find people who want to learn to play piano with you. Decide on and pursue a career, think strategically, try to figure out how to have your ducks in a row.
I'm mainly talking about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is really the only technique that has demonstrated consistent results. One doesn't even need a therapist to use it; just keep track of what you're thinking about hour to hour, and every time you're drifting into rumination about wasted time, pinch yourself and think about your plans for your future.
I know it's not always easy to do. Some apps might help. But we're neuroplastic and malleable creatures, and we get better at what we practice. So the main goal is to start practicing other things -- be deliberate about "changing the subject" you're devoting mental energy to.
Hope this helps!
Write down every single action you do due the day for 1 month. After 1 month review them and
Sort them by
Repaet that process after 3-6 months...
You find more detailed information in the book from peter drucker;
https://www.amazon.de/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459
Just be careful, it's easy to fall down the rabbit hole of 'thinking you're being productive' but working ON things instead of "In" things. (Meta-procrastination is reading a book about getting organized instead of getting organized.) You should strive to have the simplest, most boring system that actually works for you. It's very easy to get caught up in the trap of researching the latest and greatest fad rather than actually doing the hard tasks that need to be done.
The 'classic' is "How to take control of your time and your life" by Lakein. This is the most generic, 1970s version of time management possible, but is helpful to understand as it is kind of 'responded to' by multiple other authors, even if they don't call him out by name.
Another frequently referenced work is "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Covey. This gets mentioned in a lot of places. It is a 'top down' style.
For a completely different perspective, try "Getting Things Done" by Allen. This will lead you to realize how many commitments that you have made. It is more 'bottom up'.
Finally, some of the most interesting stuff in this space that I have read is by Mark Forster. His latest book is here. And his blog is here.
At a high level, it is always useful to think about the utility of what you are doing - that is, making sure you are doing the right things, even if you are doing them slowly (working on your most important tasks), rather than doing low value tasks efficiently (man, I can read email quickly). Peter Drucker, Tim Ferriss (Four Hour Workweek), etc.
Other ideas/Books to research: JIT/Kanban, 80/20 'rule', "Eat that frog" by Brian Tracy. Smarter Faster Better by Duhigg, The Power of Habit also by Duhigg I also very much enjoyed. The Magic of Tidying up by Kondo might also give you some insight into cleaning out your commitments.
Hope this helps. I have read all of these so let me know if you have questions I guess...
I strongly recommend High output management by Andy Grove. Theres a reason it's called the Silicon Valley bible and so many tech leaders swear by it. I've read a lot of leadership books on managing people and this is the one I still keep coming back to.
Theres a lot of good stuff from Peter Drucker (pretty much the first guy to write on management as a discipline) that is timeless. Ironically he was good friends with Andy Grove and you can see some concepts borrowed from Drucker in High output management. The effective executive is probably his best work but Essential Drucker is a good compilation of a lot his stuff.
Eliyahu Goldratts Theory of constraints is really good as well as some of hi ls other stuff. He was accused of just copying old concepts from management science that was 40 years old. Thats probably true, but his books are still fantastic