Time and Deadline

I have collected the entire set of this podcast (The Manager Tools) finally after listening to their new episodes here and there but now I bought this FM transmitter for the ipod and can listen to things in the car so decided I would rather start listening to the whole collection. Not that I am a manager and I am not even close and I honestly don't want to be any close but this show is a good one no matter what your position is...(BTW, the ipod transmitter, it is fun but damn it all this mobile phone noise you get as you drive! they should put an ipod stand in the cars from now on, right?)

Distracted...the very first show of the series is recorded back in 2006 and is about time management. It has this exercise to help you find your priorities and fill your calendar with them before it gets filled with rubbish. Truth be told, it happens very often.  Starting the exercise, I became a little more cautious or lets say aware of the passage of time during working hours...normally I get to work and after finishing the morning e-mail part and a couple of phone discussions, boom it is 1100 hours.

By the book, one should do things by schedule to prevent staying up all night to finish a presentation or working late for a report or working from home in the weekend. Maybe many other people are like that but I get absolutely and fabulously efficient just before the deadlines. I stay amazed how fast I get things done just before they are due or when they are a little over due. The next day when I am a little relaxed I just freeze finding out which next task is the best to start and that will be the last relax day at work again before another storm kicks in. I keep telling myself that this is all right...boss is happy metrics are up (they were in 2007. so far the first two months of this year were kind of barren).
Compared to many others, I might say I am damn organized (I never say that to people..this post is just my mirror talk :) Let me tell you: digital calendar and task list from outlook always up to date with deadlines sync with my on-line calendar and PDA for other people to know where and when I would be available. Excel sheets and mindmaps of tasks and priorities...Just a little more focus would do...

Something funny to confess: Since high school I have been known as the guy with the big bag..this continued in my university times and in all through career years. I could not just pass two hours in the library reading only two text books and call it the day...and now, the 4 Kg laptop and accessories+ papers and books as usual and you see me jumping from one to another at work. People see me in the lift and say: Hey are you traveling today? or, oh straight from the airport! where have you been? :)