ity is directly linked to personal coping mechanisms, and a non-coping worker is usually less than optimally productive. Allen writes,
"In training and coaching thousands of professionals, I have found that lack of time is not the major issue for them (though they themselves may think it is); the real problem is a lack of clarity and definition about what a project really is, and what the associated next-action steps required are. Clarifying things on the front end, when they first appear on the radar, rather than on the back end, after trouble has developed, allows people to reap the benefits of managing action." (Allen, 2001, 1)
One of the lasting impressions made by the book centre on the management of multiple, complex projects. The speeding up of decision-making is a critical factor which Allen emphasizes as an essential element in a worker's ability to become more productive. He makes clear, logical and flow-on suggestions to put into practice, and stresses the significance of self-monitoring, which is a very empowering principle in stress management.
Demands imposed by the internet and instant communication transfer require workers to be on their toes throughout the day. The very rapidity of the tasks and the steps in their completion makes the mind race, which creates a sense of stress. Goal-oriented jobs, especially sales, where sometimes quite arbitrary and unrealistic targets are imposed, are among the highest stress producers in the modern workplace. Allen's advice certainly fills a niche which has been created by the increasing speed of communications in the modern workplace.
Allen asserts that the average workers' concept of time management is flawed because it is not possible to "manage" time. Time flows outside of human spheres of influence, so it is a misnomer to discuss productivity in terms of managing time. Instead, workers can manage the projects which are allocated to complete in a certain ...