The 4-Hour Workweek

I know, you're thinking IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PROJECT MANAGER! Well, you don't have to buy into the whole "create an Internet product and get rich" thinking, but there is some very useful information in this book about communications that Tim Ferriss has to share.

First, he limits his email communications. Just this week I got another one of those "high priority emails", so I really appreciated some of his similar stories. In the modern office, people stricken with various forms of ADD can no longer plan sufficiently to jot down questions and ask once a day, rather than blast out emails every few minutes.

Then, he empowers his employees to solve minor problems on their own. What a novel concept! By training his staff to handle minor issues on their own, more time is freed up. Free of interruptions, I find myself able to think and plan more clearly.

Finally, he funnels all his communications through one channel. I do something similar. All my phone calls go to my cell phone. My actual home land line number is rarely given out, my office phone rolls over to the cell phone, and the cell phone number is just about the only one I publish. Email-wise, with the exception of work emails, my professional networking and other email addresses are all forwarded to a single copy of Outlook where I can read and respond as though I were using different email addresses.

So I can't say I'm quite ready for the 4-hour work week yet either, though it is sure an appealing concept. But by reading the book, you'll pick up a lot of useful information on communication skills and marketing which are bound to help your Project Management career.