Randy Pausch on time management
December 13th, 2008 | by emontero |Do you guys remember Randy Pausch? No? What about his remarkable last lecture? Today, for the first time, I came across Randy’s fantastic take on a very pressing matter for most of us: time management. Here’s the entire YouTube video:
If you don’t have enough time to watch the whole thing (Aha! That’s a clear indicator of how poorly managed your time is!), here’s the presentation’s gist according to yours truly:
- Your desktop (i.e. your working environment) must always be as organized as possible. The more clutter you have, the worse off you’ll be.
- Multiple displays (i.e. monitors) are a must. In terms of sheer productivity, an extra screen goes a long way.
- Master your inbox. Do not let your inbox, and its unceasing influx of messages, waste your precious time.
- Avoid interruptions. If you’re working, you’re doing just that. Nothing should come between you and your working hours.
- Monitor yourself. You should be able to answer this simple question: what did you do 3 days ago at 3:45 PM? A calendar is a must-have.
- Procrastination is really expensive. Waiting until the last second to work on that assignment or project is more expensive than planning ahead.
- Kill your TV. Enough said here.
These are, of course, just a few of the most important pointers you can extract from Randy’s eloquent discourse. I suggest you watch the presentation in its entirety. That would be time well spent.
