Extreme Productivity

About the Author

Robert C. Pozen is a distinguished figure in the realms of business and academia. As a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Pozen has shared his extensive knowledge and expertise with countless professionals. He has held prestigious positions such as chairman of MFS Investment Management and vice-chairman of Fidelity Investments. His contributions extend to public service, having served on President Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security and as secretary of economic affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, Pozen was associate General Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Caplin & Drysdale. His career is a testament to his ability to manage multiple high-stakes roles effectively.

Main Idea

In "Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours," Robert C. Pozen emphasizes that success is not merely a product of hard work and meticulous planning but also a result of a proper mindset. He advocates for a shift from focusing on the number of hours worked to concentrating on the results achieved. This shift, he argues, is crucial for achieving high performance and maintaining a balanced life. Pozen offers practical advice on how to enhance productivity, prioritize tasks, and manage time effectively, aiming to help professionals at all stages of their careers to achieve more in less time.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Three Big Ideas
3. Productivity Every Day
4. Developing Personal Skills
5. Managing Up and Down
6. Pursuing a Productive Life

Three Big Ideas

Set and Prioritize Your Goals

No matter your career aspirations, it is essential to begin by carefully considering why you engage in any activity and what you expect to gain from it. Establishing your highest-ranking goals and ensuring your schedule aligns with these priorities is critical. This process involves six steps:

• Write everything down: Document all your professional tasks, including routine tasks and long-term projects.
• Organize by time horizon: Categorize your tasks into Career Aims (5+ years), Objectives (3-24 months), and Targets (one week or less).
• Rank your Objectives: Evaluate your tasks based on what you want to do, your strengths, and what is needed from you. Rank them on a scale from 1 to 10.
• Rank your Targets: Categorize your Targets as Enabling Targets, which help accomplish Objectives, and Assigned Targets, which are given to you. Rank them based on importance and effectiveness.
• Estimate time allocation: Analyze how you spend your time and compare it with your priorities.
• Address mismatches: Adjust your time and tasks to ensure they align with your highest priorities.

Achieving high productivity starts with clear goals. Writing everything down ensures that you don’t overlook any critical task. By organizing tasks into time horizons, you can prioritize immediate targets and long-term objectives. Ranking your objectives helps in focusing on what truly matters, while ranking your targets ensures that the most critical enabling tasks get the attention they deserve.

Evaluating how you spend your time is crucial. If there's a mismatch between your priorities and time allocation, it is necessary to address it. This might involve changing personal habits or organizational procedures. For instance, you might find that you spend too much time on low-priority tasks, which could be reallocated to more impactful activities.