Freelancers need focus; without a boss to keep you in line and being outside a traditional workflow it can be hard to know where to focus your efforts. Combine this with the pace of modern life and it’s easy to get swamped and to feel that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Not only is there a lot of work there are constant distractions, tweets, bleeps and pings pulling us away from our true goals and aspirations.
Focus: The Power of Targeted Thinking attempts to give the solution to all these feelings of confusion and distraction. Author, TV script writer, lecturer and consultant Jurgen Wollf offers intriguing time management techniques — from recognising the 80/20 rule in your life and work to the Alter Ego strategy (think De Bono’s ‘Many Hats’) — this book is a great read for anyone looking to boost their mind’s ability to focus on what matters most.
This is an easy to read and inspiring book which not only lays out the theory but has plenty of space to write notes — each chapter comes with a practical exercise that helps you focus and see how the techniques are to be applied.
The main focus (sorry!) of Focus is it shows how we can direct energy at the key tasks that lead to success, bringing in the creative parts of our minds, spotting and noting dreams, and then realising them by overcoming the information overload and stress associated with the tumult of distractions of today’s knowledge work.
More than just time management, Focus aims to helps you manage your own psyche, acknowledging the range of alter egos we all have at our disposal and harnessing them for specific tasks:
You can be ‘Miss Money Penny’ the rational, conservative you, perfect for preparing taxes or deciding purchases. Or you can be ‘Atilla’ the strong, and goal orientated fighter, the person that never lets others ride roughshod over your needs. Or, my favourite, ‘Sister Harmonia’ the negotiator – gentle, conciliatory and reasonable.
Published by Pearson the book comes with multi-media support material video interviews, diagnostics, mp3 and PDF downloads, plus blogs, podcasts and e-bulletins, all available on www.focusquick.com.
A great read. A practical workbook for anyone lacking concentration or dealing with diverging priorities: 8/10
Published by Pearson Prentice Hall and available, as always, from Amazon.co.uk
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