The Secret to Peak Productivity: A Simple Guide to Reaching Your Personal Best

237 Pages·2014·3.55 MB·English

by  Tamara Myles

Americean riMmeii
The SecreT To Peak ProducTiviTy
“P eople need to be more productive in their routines so they can control their
stress levels and stop simply reacting. Everyone needs to evolve to the next level
of their lives. I am a frm believer in structured frameworks that support you
step by step. This book’s Peak Productivity Pyramid System can help you take
this next step in all aspects of your life.”
—Christian Barbosa, CEO, Triad Productivity Solutions
“T he Secret to Peak Productivity provides a new innovative approach to reaching
goals and ‘possibilities’ in all areas of life. Tamara Myles has done an outstanding
job in offering specifc guidance for completing each step necessary to attaining
successes. She provides the reader with clear explanations, examples, and out-
lines of the steps that are necessary to complete in order to advance to the next
step in this ongoing process.
This is an easy read, and unlike many books, the author’s style refects her
message: It is lucid, offers direction, and leads the reader to the goal of realizing
true possibilities. This book will defnitely be on my list of resources offered to
my clients.”
—Rosanne Lowe, R.N., Ph.D., Psychologist, Certifed Positive
Psychology Coach, Wellness Consultant and Coach
“T his is a book I will keep close for reference for years to come. Owning my own
business over the last twelve years had unnecessarily stolen some of my ‘inner
peace,’ which comes from accomplishing day-to-day responsibilities with ease.
Thanks to Tamara’s manageable organizational system, I have already begun to
put the Peak Productivity Pyramid System into effect. Tamara’s ‘Three To’s’ and
‘Email ABC’s’ have already started a major decluttering process!”
—Eileen Rappold, Owner/Director, Personal Best Karate, Easton, MA
“W hat a valuable and unique system Tamara has created and has generously
shared with all of us. The Productivity Pyramid will, I repeat, will change the
way you work and live for the better! Simplifying our work and life using the
Peak Productivity Pyramid is a gift that Tamara is sharing with all of us. Be sure
to accept this gift.
I have personally beneftted an enormous amount because of this book and
Tamara’s insights. In order for me to describe all of the benefts that have oc-
curred because of reading it, I would need to write my own book!”
®
—John James Allaire Jr., Realtor , Broker,
Owner, Easton Real Estate, Easton, MA
“T amara Myles presents the steps to organizing life and work activities for success
in a simple-to-understand process with her Peak Productivity Pyramid. I highly
recommend reading her book, for even if you think you are already a master at
organizing—you’ll learn something new.”
—Maureen Wilkinson, VP & Director HarborOne U
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
“ The Secret to Peak Productivity offers a unique blend of organizing and produc-
tivity theory and a pragmatic, practical approach to organizing your business
and personal life. Read the book. Commit the Pyramid to memory. If you imple-
ment just one tip from this book, you will see immediate results and be making
a step toward many possibilities in life.”
—Ellen M. Bruno, CPA/PFS, CGMA, President,
Compliance Advisor Professionals, LLC
“T amara’s book offers a comprehensive solution for the productivity challenges
we all face. Her clear and logical approach is easy to understand and is sure to
resonate with business professionals and any individual striving to maximize her
or his potential. She leaves you with an actionable, step-by-step plan to follow,
which is every productivity consultant’s dream resource.”
® ®
—Wendy Buglio, Certifed Professional Organizer , Functional Places
“T his book was inspirational and very easy to read. It is truly a valuable reminder
of those important focus points that all of us with way too much to do and too
little time to do it can use to keep our productivity at its highest level. I have seen
the members of the Women’s Business Network of SE MA utilize portions of
Tamara’s system in organizing their physical offces, as well as to help them im-
plement their own goals in a more productive way with their electronic systems.
Tamara offers many solutions that business owners will easily be able to use right
away. Now that I have read this book once, I will be reading it again and again
to continue to fne-tune my own productivity strategies.”
—Susan Finn, Founder/Director of the Women’s Business Network of SE MA
“A fter reading just the frst few chapters of The Secret to Peak Productivity, I got
inspired to become more organized, effcient, productive, and satisfed at work.
I loved the book. It was an easy read; insightful and motivating. Instead of feel-
ing bad about the lack of organization in my life, it made me feel excited about
the possibilities. I decided the most important thing I can do for myself and my
team is to give each staff member a copy of this book. Thanks to Tamara for the
incentive to get back on track.”
—Cheryl Opper, Founder and Executive Director,
School on Wheels of Massachusetts
“I mplementing Tamara’s Peak Productivity Pyramid System has helped me
streamline my workday and makes me feel more in control of my business.
While interruptions will always occur, having a structure in place has helped
minimize distractions, put focus on the most important tasks, and keeps my
business moving forward.”
—Katy Argenzio, Owner of Anytime Fitness, Easton, MA
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
a
peak
productivity
a Simple Guide to r eaching
your Personal Best
tamara Myles
AMericAn M AnAgeMent AssociA tion
new York • Atlanta • Brussels • chicago • Mexico city • san Francisco
shanghai • tokyo • toronto • Washington, D.c.
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
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American Management Association / www.amanet.org
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
contents
gtemd s l e n w k o n c A xv
1. StepS to p roductivity 3
Maslow’s Pyramid 5
The Peak Productivity Pyramid 6
The Challenge of Change 9
Climbing the Peak Productivity Pyramid Levels 10
Productivity Pointers 13
2. Where to Start 15
Peak Productivity Pyramid Assessment 16
Scoring Your Assessment 16
noitzai n a O l g r a c i s y h P : 1 l e L v e 23
noitzai n a O c i g no r r t c l e 2 l E : e L v e 24
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
viii contents
Level 3: Time Management 25
Level 4: Activity-Goal Alignment 27
Level 5: Posibility 28
Productivity Pointers 29
3. LeveL 1: p hySicaL organization 31
Why Clearing the Clutter Matters 32
Getting Rid of Clutter 34
To Tos 36
To Do 37
To Kep 37
April’s Story 39
Using the Three To’s of Sorting 42
Filing Options 42
Adam’s Story 45
More on Filing 46
John’s Story 48
Advanced Techniques 49
Grace’s Story 52
Margaret’s Story 52
Productivity Pointers 56
4. LeveL 2: eL ectronic organization 57
Seven Warning Signs 58
Electronic Files 61
A, B, C’s of E-Mail Processing 62
Aces 64
Batch 65
Check 6
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contents ix
Delete 67
Execute 67
File 68
Backing Up Your Files 69
The Future of Electronic Management 70
Productivity Pointers 72
5. LeveL 3: t ime management 73
Three P’s of Time Management 74
Defning Time Management 75
Importance 75
Choice Management 76
Productivity Pointers 77
6. pLan 79
Write Down Everything 80
Four Decision Categories 81
Beth’s Story 82
Using Calendars 84
One Life, One System 85
Paper Planner 87
Tracking Tasks Your Way 88
Productivity Pointers 88
7. prioritize 91
Prioritizing with Urgent and Important 91
Box 1: Important and Urgent 93
Box 2: Important and Not Urgent 93
More paisfaiaAroriesMrrip ae iiscsnnngaoairegieA