Successful Time Management For Dummies [Paperback]

Dirk Zeller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2008 | ISBN-10: 047029034X | ISBN-13: 978-0470290347 | Edition: 1

Do you need help with time management? Need to better manage your time at work or at home? Feel like there are never enough hours in the day? Successful Time Management For Dummies delivers practical solutions for getting organized, working better and faster, reducing stress, and getting rid of time-wasting distractions. You’ll find out how to eliminate late nights at the office and spend more time with your family, friends, or even just yourself!

This authoritative, plain-English guide shows you how to set yourself up for success, overcome common time management obstacles, and focus your efforts on your most important tasks and objectives. It explains how to determine the value of your time, provides fantastic tips on streamlining your workspace to speed up the flow, and even helps you minimize or eliminate interruptions from your workday. You’ll discover how to:

• Assess your strengths and weaknesses and establish goals
• Create a routine and make the most of time-saving technology
• Prioritize daily efforts, block off time, plug in to-do items
• Grasp the time-equals-money concept and boost your hourly income
• Create an environment that fosters solid focus and establish boundaries
• Eliminate time-wasting behaviors and promote time-efficient habits
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Say goodbye late nights at the office and enjoy your leisure time more

At work or at play, don’t let time pass you by. Get Successful Time Management For Dummies and make the most of every precious minute!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Practical strategies and advice for putting time on your side—and keeping it there!

Feel like you never have enough hours in the day? No matter what career and job role you're in, this plain-English guide delivers solutions for working better and faster, getting rid of time-wasting distractions, and ultimately, reducing stress. You'll see how to eliminate late nights at the office and spend more time with family, friends — or even yourself!

• Set yourself up for success — assess your strengths and weaknesses, establish goals, and create a routine

• Overcome time-management obstacles — communicate more effectively, circumvent interruptions, and eliminate procrastination

• Focus your efforts — identify your most important tasks, prioritize your daily efforts, block off time, and plug in to-do items

• Put a value on your time — grasp the time-equals-money concept, figure your hourly income, and boost your hourly value

• Streamline your workspace — assemble essential tools, keep a clutter-free desktop, and create an environment that fosters solid focus

• Find a work/life balance — maximize the use of your personal time and enjoy a rich, rewarding life away from the office

Open the book and find:

• Specific insight addressing challenges for admin staff, salespeople, owners and executives, and managers

• Tools to help organize your physical and electronic workspace for optimal productivity

• Suggestions for using traveling time well

• Strategies for communicating directly, effectively, and tactfully

• Tips and tricks for handling interruptions and ending procrastination

• Guidance for working efficiently with supervisors, colleagues, and business associates

About the Author

Dirk Zeller is a top time manager and sales performer as well as the author of Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies and Telephone Sales For Dummies. For the past decade, he has taught success, sales, and time management strategies and coached executives, managers, and salespeople. Zeller is one of the most sought-after speakers in time management.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (November 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047029034X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470290347
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dirk Zeller has been a Real Estate Agent, Investor, Coach and Speaker for more than 20 years. He is one of the most published Authors with over 500 articles published to his credit, along with six books; all of which have hit industry best seller lists. Three of his books are for the famous Dummies® series.

Time Management for Dummies®
The Champion Real Estate Agent
Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®
The Champion Real Estate Team
Telephone Sales for Dummies®
Your 1st Year in Real Estate

In 2009, Dirk and his company Real Estate Champions, had 41 of their current, past and mentor coaching clients on the Wall Street Journal's Top 100 Agents and Top 100 Teams list.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Time Management for Salespeople not Individuals, September 5, 2010

By 

darkguardian2 "darkguardian2" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Time Management For Dummies (Paperback)

I read the book end to end and though there were some ideas I could use; it wasn't what I was looking for.
The book is more tailored foe sales and business oriented people. There are 6-parts to the book. The first covers the myths and beliefs in managing time and you conduct a self survey of your strengths and weaknesses. You do the classic goal setting exercise and scheduling your day. This is all like I've seen in many books on time management. Part 2 used the 80/20 rule in accomplishing the important tasks first that makes the most impact and not just routine unimportant activities to stay busy. This part also goes over setting up a work area and some techniques of managing the paper blizzard. Not much detail on what to look for. The book got off track in Chapter 6 on Technology. He talked about the obvious use of email clients, PDA but mostly about CRM. Customer Relations Management software. Considering all the technology out there to save time, he should have covered more topics. I'm just an individual. He then covers traveling light and efficient which was useful. Part 3 covers challenges for you to stay on track. He did this by setting appointments and being hard to get hold of. He wants to schedule all calls for a certain time of day. Emergencies knows no schedule. This is why it's so hard to call companies when everybody is doing the same thing and nothing is syncing up. I did like the guide on writing effective emails and making decisions. Part 4 - He follows by applying time management to the work place including your boss. As a boss, he even covers points that if a person isn't being time efficient to "his" standards then he would fire them. I know with downsizing some people are doing the work of 5-6 employees and that some employers don't realize that employees can't do everything well. They don't realize this until they've gone through 3 or 4 people and they all perform the same. Part 5 is more specialize with each chapter covering Salesperson, Owners, Admin, Executives, and coaches. Finally, Part 6 had parts of ten covering behavior, habits, technologies that should have been in the earlier chapter but still lacking and personal life that I found odd. Personal life covered only hiring maids, gardeners, detailers etc so you can have more free time to do stuff. That's advice for a rich person and not somebody living in a one bedroom apartment. Summary - The book has many ideas that a person can use but is more geared for the business world and not every day people just trying to add more organization to their lives. I read the front, back cover of the book but there was no hint that this is a business book. Only 100 pages are of any use and most of those are common knowledge. Plus the referenced websites wants your email in exchange for test results.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Book from one of The Best Coaches & Trainers!, January 13, 2009

By 

C&B Golden (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Time Management For Dummies (Paperback)

First things first, as a real estate broker and team leader who owns almost all of Dirk Zeller's books, I will admit to being a bit biased in his favor. This prolific author simply writes cleanly and clearly, in a language that we can all easily understand. His latest book is one of his best and is a MUST READ for anyone who has ever felt the pain of "too little time" in their business or personal life. I have found this book to be life changing and have been surprised at how easy many of the concepts are to implement in my daily routine. As Dirk notes early on, Dummy books do not have to be read front to back; instead, you can do what I did and start with areas that hold the most interest for you. In my case, this meant going right to Chapter 5, "Setting Up and Maintaining a Productive Workspace." Using the simple steps in this chapter I got my massive desk cleaned up, moved tons of "to do" items into Outlook tasks, refined my workflow with my wife (the vice president of the company :o) and otherwise got my space turned into a much more productive and sharp looking workplace. Next stop for me was Chapter 10, "Overcoming Procrastination, a Notorious Time Thief." More organizational goodness ensued... I bought this book for all the obvious reasons but mostly because I knew that many of the holes in my business and personal life are centered on time or the lack thereof. If (like me) you have become honest enough to admit you could improve your time management, this book is FOR YOU. I think it would be especially good for business readers but others can still benefit from its practical advice and suggestions. Lastly, if you are in any way involved in real estate, you owe it to yourself to check out Dirk Zeller's many other fine books; his work is easily on par with Gary Keller, Stephen Covey and Michael Gerber (to name a few). This book is amazing, it really is, check it out...