Meir Ezra on secret of efficiency

You can increase your accomplishments and have more free time if you rid yourself of two bad habits and form one good habit.

Two Bad Habits

1. Looking at a piece of work you are supposed to do-a letter, program, interoffice communication, task assignment, request, whatever-and putting it aside to do later. You read it, digest it, think about doing it, consider the problems involved, sigh and put it down. Nothing is accomplished. A total waste of time.

2. Taking a piece of work, deciding you do not want to do it and referring it to someone else, even though it is your job to do. The other person eventually sends it back to you. A total waste of your time and their time.

One Good Habit

"Do it Now."

"One of the best ways to cut your work in half is not to do it twice."

"If you do every piece of work that comes your way WHEN it comes your way and not after a while, if you always take the initiative and take action, not refer it, you never get any traffic back. . ."

"In short, the way to get rid of traffic is to do it, not to refer it; anything referred has to be read by you again, digested again, and handled again; so never refer traffic, just do it so it's done."

"So if you are truly a lover of ease, the sort of person who yawns comfortably and wears holes in heels resting them on desks, if your true ambition is one long bout of spring fever, then you'll do as I suggest and handle everything that comes your way when it comes and not later; and you'll never refer anything to anybody that you yourself can do promptly."

The best time to get the "do-it-now" habit is (of course) RIGHT NOW!

1) Take a stack of papers or any kind of cluttered mess.

2) Read or examine the first item.

3) Deal with it.