Aimed at those who have trouble completing assignments on time as well as anyone looking to lead a well-organized life, this innovative handbook takes a unique approach to time management. Efficiency expert Mark Forster shows that prioritizing tasks is never a sufficient approach to organizing a schedule, and is rarely even helpful. In the place of prioritization he posits several radical new ideas, including closed lists, the manyana principle, and the “will do” list. Innovative forms of communication that are designed to produce effective conversation and planning are also provided. The result is a complete system which will boost efficiency and simultaneously decrease stress and overworking.
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About the Author
Mark Forster is the author of Help Yourself Get Everything Done and How to Make Your Dreams Come True.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 66 people found the following review helpful
By Sandra Niven
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is easy to read, informative, well written, fun, short and practical. Buy it immediately!! If I had had to pay $500 for this book, it would have been worth it. The book addresses the nuts and bolts of getting through the day easily and with grace. . The author understands that most of us have a misguided sense of urgency and teaches us how to be selective in terms of declaring what is urgent so that you can stay on track with what you planned for the day. The book helps you get everything done you are committed to, so that nothing falls through the cracks. Your kitchen floor is just as important as the report due on your boss's desk. How you can get both the mundane and the big projects done day by day is the meat of the book. Project work due in a week, or a month becomes a piece of cake-because you learn to start it right away and keep going in little steps. I already feel more relaxed since I have started followed his suggestions, and am getting more done. I can see that it would be possible to be on top of everything, which would make life a pure delight. I had never seen that possibility before even as a time management consultant! There is nothing like it out there as much fun, doable and original in the time management field. Once you try some of his suggestions you will truly be in a position to go for your dream life. But on the other hand by doing what he suggests, you may already find yourself living it. If you are always struggling to get a grip on time like most of us----this is the book for you.
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By Burton Kent
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Mark's book is amazing, and following his principles has changed my life. He gives concrete ways to work -with- our natural resistance to whatever we might need to do.
For example, most of us use to-do lists. Mark recommends closed lists. Instead of our to-do list being a never-ending story - you finish what you're doing.
His method of dealing with backlog is killer. No - it doesn't involve throwing it out or ignoring it. Instead it makes the backlog entirely managable. Imagine coming back from a month long vacation and being relaxed about what you need to do?
A lot of people like David Allen's "Getting Things Done" and I do too. But even David needs to be listening to Mark. Want proof? After he wrote Getting Things Done, he put out his newsletter VERY sporadically and always apologized for it. I'm sure he now has systems and people in place now to get the newsletter out the door - but if his system worked - he'd have it together. He didn't.
The two books together are a good combination, but "Do It Tomorrow" definitely comes first - by far.
For example, most of us use to-do lists. Mark recommends closed lists. Instead of our to-do list being a never-ending story - you finish what you're doing.
His method of dealing with backlog is killer. No - it doesn't involve throwing it out or ignoring it. Instead it makes the backlog entirely managable. Imagine coming back from a month long vacation and being relaxed about what you need to do?
A lot of people like David Allen's "Getting Things Done" and I do too. But even David needs to be listening to Mark. Want proof? After he wrote Getting Things Done, he put out his newsletter VERY sporadically and always apologized for it. I'm sure he now has systems and people in place now to get the newsletter out the door - but if his system worked - he'd have it together. He didn't.
The two books together are a good combination, but "Do It Tomorrow" definitely comes first - by far.
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
1st edition (2006), 203 pages
Do It Tomorrow is only the fourth useful book on time management that I've come across (the other three are The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch, The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker and The Management of Time by James T Mackay - the last two of which were published decades ago).
Most standard time management dogma seems to involve advice about how to cram ever more of what you are currently doing into your day. I have been deeply suspicious of this approach for a long time now. It never worked for me and I've not seen it working for other people either.
I'll quote a paragraph from the beginning of chapter four (`The Problem with Time Management') which gives a good flavour of Forster's style and approach to his subject:
"The two things I want to examine are the concept of prioritising by importance and the frequently used tool of making a to-do list. Both of these tend to be the sacred cows of time management, and I believe both of them are fundamentally wrong. The reason is the same in both cases: they tend to make us do more of what gave us the problem in the first place."
It is a great shame that it is so rare for an author to pay close attention to the evidence, even if it leads to conclusions totally opposite to conventional wisdom on the subject. Mark Forster is one of those authors and I strongly advise reading his terrific little book - you won't be disappointed.
Do It Tomorrow is only the fourth useful book on time management that I've come across (the other three are The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch, The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker and The Management of Time by James T Mackay - the last two of which were published decades ago).
Most standard time management dogma seems to involve advice about how to cram ever more of what you are currently doing into your day. I have been deeply suspicious of this approach for a long time now. It never worked for me and I've not seen it working for other people either.
I'll quote a paragraph from the beginning of chapter four (`The Problem with Time Management') which gives a good flavour of Forster's style and approach to his subject:
"The two things I want to examine are the concept of prioritising by importance and the frequently used tool of making a to-do list. Both of these tend to be the sacred cows of time management, and I believe both of them are fundamentally wrong. The reason is the same in both cases: they tend to make us do more of what gave us the problem in the first place."
It is a great shame that it is so rare for an author to pay close attention to the evidence, even if it leads to conclusions totally opposite to conventional wisdom on the subject. Mark Forster is one of those authors and I strongly advise reading his terrific little book - you won't be disappointed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing
It is a very interesting little book. There are some good insights. However, it is not for me, since I disagree with the basic premise that reacting is a negative at work (unless,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by FooManChoo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Going well after several weeks
I've been using the methods described in this book for a little over a month. My inbox is empty at the end of the day and I get through my closed lists 90% of the time. Read more
Published 2 months ago by W. D. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Put Me On the Right Track...
The main takeaway from this book is the idea of the closed list. I love it. Once you have planned out a day's work, all new actionable items get dealt with "tomorrow", preferably... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Learning All The Time
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't bother doing it
I must admit that this is the first time I've read a book written by Mark Forster. There was a good idea or two littered between the 200 or so pages, but nothing that warranted... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mike Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars
When a book comes highly recommended, what should you read next?
Entrepreneurs and authors always use their time sensibly.
"Give me a bunch of people and I'll soon discover what they need or want to read. Read more
"Give me a bunch of people and I'll soon discover what they need or want to read. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Brian Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some nice nuggets
I am a fan of getting things done, supplementing that approach with other ones. This is one of the few books that added to my approach in any meaningful way. Read more
Published 20 months ago by John S
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definite practical value
Yes, I've tried a lot of time management advice and still was overwhelmed and miserable. Luckily, Mark Forster's "Do It Tomorrow" is more about teaching you to manage how you... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. H. Zuber
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works right out of the box
Although I love GTD philosophy -- keep things out of your head, review, batching, all that -- I can actually use Mark's systems to that effect without any more fiddling and/or... Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by Dylan Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really useful
The book gives tips in order to manage the daily tasks, and it is really useful. You can start from the very begining after the reading (no hard or long implementation of the... Read more
Published on December 18, 2010 by José Manuel Ruiz Martínez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Could this one finally be "The One?" I think so, and here's why.
If you're new to time management or productivity books and tools, you're lucky you found this one early. If you're a veteran like me, welcome to a master work. Read more
Published on September 11, 2010 by Josef Marc
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