Principle 2: It’s Not the Time You Spend but the Results You Produce
Principle 3: Think First, Read or Write Second
Many people feel overwhelmed by the huge volume of reading and writing they have to do for their business. They don’t realize that the key to faster and more effective reading and writing is more-rigorous thinking in advance.
To be a speed reader, you have to be very clear in your own mind about why you are reading.
When you get to the exam in a month or two, what do you want to remember from this chapter?” Then I’d say, “After reading this chapter, please write no more than the one or two paragraphs you want to remember for the exam. Then go back and see how you could read more efficiently to obtain that paragraph or two
With e-mails, the first thing to do is to decide which ones need to be read. Second, if any of them are important, I try to answer them right away. If I can’t, or they have lengthy attachments, I have them printed out. The next morning I have hard copies of them on my desk and know what I need to respond to.
When it comes to writing something longer than an e-mail, the key is to first figure out your argument. If I don’t fully understand my line of argument, I cannot write even a paragraph. To do this, compose an outline before writing. For an article or a memorandum, that means just four or five key points with a few subpoints under each. I’ve seen many executives realize what they wanted to say only after they had written a lengthy draft. That is unfortunate. You should know where you will end up before you start.
Try this: After composing an outline, write the concluding paragraph. That will tell you whether you really know where your article or memo is going.
Principle 4: Prepare Your Plan, but Be Ready to Change It
Exercise
With exercise, the key is actually doing it. Many successful people have a daily routine that involves running, biking, swimming, or fitness machines. I am bored by such activities, so I play doubles tennis two or three times a week.
It’s easy to skip your workouts when traveling. The facilities may not be good, or your schedule may be too tight. But those are the days when you need exercise the most.
Healthful Eating
Similarly, it’s easy to break healthful eating habits when you’re on the road. I know a private equity executive who puts on 10 or 15 pounds every time his firm raises a new fund. Here are three tips for avoiding this fate: Follow your normal breakfast menu even at breakfast meetings. Avoid all desserts at lunch or dinner events. And try to limit alcohol, which is quite caloric, to one glass of wine.
Sleep
Finally, let me give a sermon on the importance of sleep. Some executives say they can get along on four or five hours a night, but I doubt they are as mentally sharp as they could be. Seven or eight hours a night, plus a brief nap during the day, will make your waking hours far more productive.
Again, it can be challenging to stick to this routine when on the road. Evening flights from the East Coast of the United States to Europe last only six or seven hours, so I eat before getting on the plane and go right to sleep as soon as I’m in my seat. The key to sleeping on planes is a blindfold and earplugs, which create the sense of being in a cocoon, cut off from the rest of the world. This feeling is easier to create in a window seat than in an aisle seat, where it’s hard to avoid the commotion of the plane’s staff.
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Principle 6: Keep Things Short and Simple
On a daily basis, I try to keep the material aspects of life as simple as possible in order to maximize productivity.