Mark Forster
Encyclopedia
Mark Forster is a British author best known for three books on time management
. A business coach until he retired on 24 November 2008, in the past he has also worked for the British Army, Ministry of Defence and the Church of England.
His biggest selling book to date is "Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management," which challenges some traditional practices in time management with four simple tasks and seven principles.
The four tasks of his "quick start guide" are:
The seven principles are:
Together, these form the foundation for what is the "do it tomorrow" (DIT) time management system.
Forster compares
time management
choices to those made when ordering from a menu
in a restaurant. There is only a finite amount of food one can eat and a finite amount of time in a day, so each choice has a logical opportunity cost
. The amount of work accomplished is a combination of creativity and efficiency, and can only be increased by (A) improving efficiency, (B) reducing the total number of tasks, or (C) increasing available time. Prioritized task lists only postpone problems of efficiency, which Forster asserts are the major factor in time management. By reducing "busy work," more time is made available for "real work" but many workers have an unrealistic sense of how much is possible. Improved efficiency alone cannot solve fundamental problems of work-life balance
. Forster asserts that "goals are as much about what we are not going to do as they are about what we are going to do." Proper attention to minor tasks prevents emergencies. Same-day or next-day responses are perfectly adequate in many cases, and judicious use of "closed lists" increases efficiency, regardless of the order in which finite tasks are completed. Strategic
use of delay and closed lists is what Forster calls "the mañana principle." Incoming tasks are thus "scheduled forward."
Important, non-routine projects are identified as the "current initiative" for some action each and every day. Backlogs may be a current initiative until completed, but the goal is to take breaks and complete a full day's tasks each day with efficient focus.
Time management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
. A business coach until he retired on 24 November 2008, in the past he has also worked for the British Army, Ministry of Defence and the Church of England.
His biggest selling book to date is "Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management," which challenges some traditional practices in time management with four simple tasks and seven principles.
The four tasks of his "quick start guide" are:
- to assemble all delayed work into "backlog folders" where it cannot be seen,
- collect all new work into related "batches" for the following day,
- write down ALL things too urgent to wait until tomorrow before doing them, and then
- start each day catching up on backlogged work.
The seven principles are:
- to have a clear vision,
- do one thing at a time,
- do small amounts of work often,
- define realistic limits using...
- "closed lists" of finite tasks that are not added to,
- reduction of interruptions, and
- clarifying solid commitments as opposed to vague "interests."
Together, these form the foundation for what is the "do it tomorrow" (DIT) time management system.
Forster compares
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
time management
Time management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
choices to those made when ordering from a menu
Menu
In a restaurant, a menu is a presentation of food and beverage offerings. A menu may be a la carte – which guests use to choose from a list of options – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established sequence of courses is served....
in a restaurant. There is only a finite amount of food one can eat and a finite amount of time in a day, so each choice has a logical opportunity cost
Opportunity cost
Opportunity cost is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the value of the best alternative that is not chosen . It is the sacrifice related to the second best choice available to someone, or group, who has picked among several mutually exclusive choices. The opportunity cost is also the...
. The amount of work accomplished is a combination of creativity and efficiency, and can only be increased by (A) improving efficiency, (B) reducing the total number of tasks, or (C) increasing available time. Prioritized task lists only postpone problems of efficiency, which Forster asserts are the major factor in time management. By reducing "busy work," more time is made available for "real work" but many workers have an unrealistic sense of how much is possible. Improved efficiency alone cannot solve fundamental problems of work-life balance
Work-life balance
Work–life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between "work" on the one hand and "life" on the other. Related, though broader, terms include "lifestyle balance" and "life balance".-History:The work-leisure dichotomy was invented in the mid 1800s...
. Forster asserts that "goals are as much about what we are not going to do as they are about what we are going to do." Proper attention to minor tasks prevents emergencies. Same-day or next-day responses are perfectly adequate in many cases, and judicious use of "closed lists" increases efficiency, regardless of the order in which finite tasks are completed. Strategic
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
use of delay and closed lists is what Forster calls "the mañana principle." Incoming tasks are thus "scheduled forward."
Important, non-routine projects are identified as the "current initiative" for some action each and every day. Backlogs may be a current initiative until completed, but the goal is to take breaks and complete a full day's tasks each day with efficient focus.