Time is of the essence

Time flies; time is money; time and tide wait for no man: the English language is littered with such sayings. These are tiresomely muttered by colleagues as another meeting is disturbed by a late entrant or, more worryingly, brandished by an angry client as a deadline is missed.

It is a truism that time is more valuable than money and as it is a finite commodity its use (and abuse) is extremely important.

Tom McConalogue provides a manual for those wishing to come to grips with managing time and those wishing to improve their usage.

It is not one of those US "can do" books which swamp the market every couple of months, dotted with anecdotes and soundbite approaches to complex issues.

This is a book which sets out, rather drily, I must admit, how to use your time effectively.

It sets out its stall early. It tells managers how to say no to a task. It points out the difference between comfort work (meetings, correspondence, etc) and achieving results and the attraction of the former when the latter is overwhelming.

McConalgue emphasises prioritising work; avoiding the temptation to lengthen the working day; completing important tasks when fresh rather than doing routine work first off; delegating responsibility and not colluding with time wasters by accepting or encouraging them.

McConalogue deconstructs the working day and the problems faced by managers and then designs a template which aims at maximising efficiency.

Each chapter is finished with a short do's and don'ts list, extremely handy for the reader with zero amount of time.

One of the more pertinent chapters deals with tackling stress, probably the single greatest problem faced by managers.

McConalogue identifies the nodes of stress and outlines practical ways of dealing with them: from proper exercise to eliminating the unnecessary stress inducers.

He also makes the point that it is crucial to recognise that one is under stress and lists the common signs of health and emotional problems. The author rounds off his book with his best piece of advice. Do something about it - the road to the cardiac ward is paved with good intentions.

comidheach@irish-times.ie Conn O Midheach