Chapter 9. Tools
In this chapter, we will discover the different tools that can help us manage time, from simple lists to calendars, organizers, alarms and reminders, and journals. A tool is just that—a tool. The value of a tool is in its effective use. This chapter covers how these tools may be leveraged to make the best use of time.
Earl Nightingale said, "No one can manage time. I only manage activities." In this book, we have seen that time management is the management of activities, appointments, and deadlines. In this chapter, we will see how tools can help us manage these aspects of time management.
From an orthogonal point of view, time management can be broken down into four process areas:
Planning
Remembering
Executing
Evaluating
The value of each of these areas cannot be stressed enough. There is no point in planning something if you fail to remember to execute the plan, and since paper—and, in these days, electronic aids—remembers what the mind forgets, tools play a large part in remembering...
