我认为可以肯定地说，几乎所有不得不在工作中使用电子邮件的人都使用过Microsoft Outlook。我是许多人中的一员，他们对它的了解刚刚好，并且从不认为它只不过是一个可以打印日历的电子邮件程序。我的老板对Microsoft Outlook的了解比我少，所以我总是为她打印部门日历。所以，想象一下当我看到这本书的标题时我的惊讶！使用Microsoft Outlook进行时间管理和组织(time management and organization)？这个，我不得不看。就算是只有基本功的人也能这么用吗？我很想知道。
注意：(NOTE:)从现在开始，我将把这本书称为《有效的时间管理》——这样我(Effective Time Management)和你的时间(time and yours)就更少了。
无需专业知识
介绍很让人放心。是的，这本书适合只有基本Microsoft Outlook技能的人。作者确实要求读者理解基础知识，因为这不是一本“如何从一开始就使用 Microsoft Outlook”("how to use Microsoft Outlook starting from square one")类型的书。Microsoft Outlook中唯一会“从第一次单击”开始("from the very first click")解释的部分是Tasks，因为这是大多数人没有使用过或没有广泛使用过的部分。作者说这本书也适合有经验的Microsoft Outlook用户，因为它展示了一个组织和时间管理系统(organization and time management)这更好、更高效，甚至可以向最有经验的用户展示如何从软件中获得更多收益。有了这样的介绍，我渴望阅读更多。
每一章都以问题开始的概述开始，然后是一个名为"Let's get started and change this!"并以“你试试看”("You try it")部分结束，该部分总结了本章所教的内容，并为读者提供了需要做什么的指导。这本书最好的事情之一是它不依赖于一个特定的版本。这里有Microsoft Outlook 2003、2007 和 2010 的说明，因此没有人会被拒之门外。
不沉迷于电子邮件
我喜欢这本书想要让我们所有人不被淹没的“电子邮件洪水”的形象。对于许多人来说，这是描述它的唯一方式。我已经看到人们谈论成百上千封电子邮件仍然留在他们的收件箱中，而且更多的邮件一直在涌入。任何人都(way anyone)无法阅读所有这些电子邮件——他们需要的是一种可靠、有效的方式来处理已经存在的内容，并防止其再次堆积。而且，当然，如果从电子邮件“泛滥”开始，控制局势不会在一瞬间发生。必须有一个循序渐进的计划(step plan)。这正是有效时间管理所(Effective Time Management)阐述的内容。作者确定了问题的主要原因（比如分心，点击“("Reply All,")并且没有处理传入邮件的系统），然后引导读者完成必要的步骤来处理已经存在的内容并设置一个系统，这样它就不会再次发生。我真的认为任何花时间阅读本节并遵循作者建议（最重要的是，坚持他们的系统）的人都会发现它有效。他们诚实地告诉读者为了使事情井井有条，他们必须改变自己的行为多少，以及为什么做出这些改变是必不可少的。每个必要的步骤（例如关闭通知、留出时间处理电子邮件并在所有其他时间完全不理会它，以及创建提醒、任务、(Microsoft Outlook). 他们谈论创建您自己的文件夹集并标记重要消息，这样您就不会忽略它们，这是我希望我在工作中使用Microsoft Outlook时知道的。有设置规则的详细说明，以便将邮件自动分类到适当的文件夹中。最重要的是，它可以帮助控制收件箱的混乱(inbox clutter)，让人们专注于真正重要的事情。
保持你的优先顺序
关于使用任务(Tasks)设置优先级的部分也切中要害，并使用一个虚构的、常年杂乱无章的工人的例子来说明分心是如何产生严重后果的。然后，读者将通过几种方法来确定哪些任务真正重要，哪些任务应该优先于其他任务。这是大多数人都难以解决的问题——弄清楚什么是真正重要的，什么可以在处理最重要的任务时稍微推迟。作者强调写下来的重要性。这是几个众所周知的时间管理系统中的一个关键概念，而且非常正确。如今，我们要记住的东西太多了，甚至爱因斯坦(Einstein)都无法做到。写作(Writing)事情下来是关键。作者超越了简单的写作行为，并解释了人们应该如何以及为什么应该有书面计划。他们承认，如果以前从未做过，开始制定书面计划并不是一项简单的任务，他们解释了为什么这对于良好的时间管理(time management)至关重要。有效时间管理(Effective Time Management)描述了一个简单的系统(straightforward system)，用于设置约会和任务（并清楚地解释两者之间的区别）以及设置视图、过滤器和类别，以确保您可以快速有效地找到所需的信息。
类别、任务和时间
本书(book deal)的前几章主要讨论Microsoft Outlook在工作场所可以做什么。从“如何通过有效的周计划者获得更多时间来完成重要工作”("How to gain more time for what's essential with an effective week planner,")一章开始，作者继续描述了如何使用Microsoft Outlook来计划非工作时间。他们会通过必要的步骤来设置类别，并根据需要对它们进行颜色编码，以帮助设置优先级并保持任务井井有条。他们强调每周计划的重要性，以及将锻炼和教育(exercise and education)等个人事务的时间作为整体计划的一部分。起初将个人的非工作活动放在Microsoft Outlook上可能看起来很奇怪(Microsoft Outlook)每周计划工作，但作者清楚地解释了为什么这实际上是一个非常好的主意，强调平衡在职业和个人生活中的重要性。他们确实注意到，并非所有工作场所都允许私人规划，也不是每个人都可以从办公室外访问他们的工作计算机(work computer)，并且他们提供了处理这个问题的策略。很明显，他们不仅对他们的主题，而且对工作场所的现实都有深刻的理解。
现实生活中的规划
虚构的杂乱无章的工人的故事在现实生活规划一章中继续。大多数人并不真正知道任何给定任务需要多长时间，因为这是一项非常罕见的独立任务。到办公室的行程还包括上车、停车、步行到工作场所的时间，很多人只考虑到实际开车的时间(driving time)。人们会分心，或者发生的事情使通常的工作日(work day)完全混乱。人们做他们想做的事，并设法不做他们不想做的事情（这会根据工作的完成情况对任何人造成混乱）。在本节中，作者真正深入了解了人性，并展示了有效的一天计划(day plan)可以让一切运行得更加顺畅。准确跟踪每项任务所需的时间是这里的关键。没有更多的估计或大致数字——每项任务从开始到结束的实际时间。本质上，作者希望读者创建一个时间数据库(time database)，因此读者可以查找任何给定任务(task and plan)的实际时间量并做出相应计划，而不是仅仅猜测或猜测它。他们还要求读者评估他们自己的“生产力时间”("Productivity Hours,")，即人们在一天中发挥最佳状态的时间，以及他们自己的“中断时间”。("Disruption Hours,")一天中最有可能被打断的时间。然后他们制定了一个计划，在生产力高峰时段安排无中断时间，他们承认这不会在一夜之间发生，因为根据定义，其他人必须接受培训，以免在你工作时打扰你。他们强调建立“缓冲时间(buffer time)”的重要性，这样如果事情花费的时间比预期的要长，一天的其余时间就不会完全被打乱。
开会，开会，谁来开会？
会议似乎是商业生活中的一个事实，它们可能是巨大的时间浪费和生产力杀手。Effective Time Management承认这一点，并详细解释了如何通过Microsoft Outlook安排会议并与他人协调会议时间。不过，它最有价值的建议可以概括为“最好的会议是那些不举行的会议”。("The best meetings are the ones that don't take place.")会议让人们远离工作，打断工作流程，过分依赖每个人都能够出席并以有意义的方式参与，实际上花费了公司的钱(company money)因为人们在开会而不是在做他们的工作。因此，在解释了如何设置会议请求后，作者建议尽量少安排会议，并尽可能使用其他通信方式（如Windows Live Meeting或电话会议）。如果有必要开会，有一个计划可以让它们更顺利地进行并产生更好的结果。这涵盖了所有基础，应该会提高每个人的生产力并浪费(productivity and waste)最少的时间。对于任何工作场所来说，这都是一个极好的资源。
更少的纸张，更高的生产力
许多人仍然喜欢将他们的信息保留在纸上（我必须承认自己是其中之一）。但是纸张很容易丢失和错误归档，一段时间后，大量(sheer mass)纸张变得如此笨拙，以至于它可能会被送到碎纸机。有效的时间管理(Effective Time Management)提出了一种有效记录和有效跟踪电子文件的方法。作者建议读者使用(reader use) Microsoft OneNote，但承认它不包含在许多版本的Microsoft Office（尤其是旧版本）中，并且必须单独购买，许多人买不起。我希望作者对Microsoft OneNote的替代品提供了一些建议(Microsoft OneNote)，因为它显然是一个非常有用的程序，并且可以有效地与Microsoft Outlook集成。有效的时间管理(Effective Time Management)引导读者使用Microsoft OneNote记笔记、制定计划、设置日历以及设置结构化和有组织的系统来跟踪所有内容。它清楚地显示了使用电子笔记和文件代替纸质的优势。我必须承认，在阅读本章后，我开始对所有充满笔记和打印输出的文件夹有了不同的看法，我将开始考虑使用 Microsoft OneNote(Microsoft OneNote)或其他类似程序来帮助我更有效地跟踪事情。
总结一下
有效的时间管理以一个名为(Effective Time Management)“如何真正从本书中受益”("How to truly benefit from this book")的简短章节结束，该章节对前面的所有章节进行了透视，并解释了开始使用Microsoft Outlook和Microsoft OneNote以使您的职业和个人生活井井有条的最佳方法。作者明确表示，他们不希望该组织在一夜之间发生，并且如果没有读者决心使其发挥作用，他们也不希望它发生。但他们也解释了为什么按照他们的计划花时间和精力(time and effort)是值得的。即使一个人不使用Microsoft Outlook，这个计划可以奏效。还有其他程序提供了几乎相同的功能，也许不是在如此方便的包中，但仍然可以使用。我知道这本书的重点是Microsoft Outlook和Microsoft OneNote ，但我认为即使手头没有完整的Microsoft Office副本，作者也可以推荐一些其他程序来遵循相同的系统。 . 不过，这只是一个小建议，我相信任何有兴趣关注此系统的人都可以使用他们手头的任何软件使其工作。
判决
有效的时间管理(Effective Time Management)确实适合每个人。我们都可以受益于在我们的职业和个人生活中找到平衡，更有效地利用我们的时间，以及充分利用我们手头的工具。即使是确信自己已掌控一切的人也可以在这里找到有用的建议。作者清楚地了解软件和人性，并采取循序渐进的方法(step approach)并解释为什么他们所描述的内容会起作用。我很高兴有机会复习这本书，因为现在我可以开始实施它的计划，以更有效地管理我自己的时间。
Book Review - Effective Time Management
I think it's safe to say that nearly еveryone who's had to use email on the job has used Microsoft Outlook. I was one of many people who learned just enough about it to get by, and never thought of it as anything more than an email program that could also print calendars. My boss knew less about Microsoft Outlook than I did, so I always printed out the departmental calendars for her. So, imagine my surprise when I saw the title of this book! Using Microsoft Outlook for time management and organization? This, I had to see. Could it be used that way even by people with only basic skills? I was very eager to find out.
NOTE: I'm just going to refer to the book as Effective Time Management from here on out—thus taking up less of my time and yours.
No expertise required
The introduction was very reassuring. Yes, this book is for people with only basic Microsoft Outlook skills. The authors do ask that the reader understand the basics, since this is not a "how to use Microsoft Outlook starting from square one" type of book. The only part of Microsoft Outlook that will be explained "from the very first click" is Tasks, because that's the part that most people either haven't used or haven't used extensively. The authors say that the book is also for the experienced Microsoft Outlook user, because it presents a system of organization and time management that's better and more efficient, and may show even the most experienced user how to get even more out of the software. With this kind of introduction, I was eager to read more.
Each chapter starts with an overview of how problems start, followed by a section called "Let's get started and change this!" and ends with a "You try it" section that summarizes what the chapter has taught and gives the reader a guided tour of what needs to be done. One of the best things about the book is that it's not tied to one specific version. There are instructions in here for Microsoft Outlook 2003, 2007 and 2010, so no one gets shut out.
Not drowning in email
I like the image of the "email flood" that the book wants to keep us all from drowning in. For many people it's the only way to describe it. I've seen people talk about hundreds or thousands of emails still sitting in their Inbox and more pouring in all the time. There's no way anyone can read all that email—what they need is a solid, effective way to deal with what's already there, and keep it from piling up again. And, of course, if one starts with a "flood" of email, getting the situation under control isn't going to happen in a flash. There has to be a step by step plan. That's exactly what Effective Time Management lays out. The authors identify the main causes of the problem (like getting distracted, clicking "Reply All," and not having a system for dealing with incoming mail) and then take the reader through the steps necessary to get a handle on what's already there and set up a system so it doesn't happen again. I really think anyone who takes time to read through this section and follow the authors' advice (and, most important, stick with their system) will find that it works. They are honest about how much the reader is going to have to change his or her own behavior in order to get things in order, and why it's essential to make those changes. Each necessary step (like turning off notifications, setting aside blocks of time to deal with email and leaving it completely alone at all other times, and creating reminders, tasks, and appointments directly from incoming email) is described in detail for each version of Microsoft Outlook. They talk about creating your own set of folders and flagging important messages so you don't overlook them, which is something I wish I'd known about when I was using Microsoft Outlook at work. There are detailed instructions for setting up rules so that messages get sorted into appropriate folders automatically. That, more than anything else, can help tame the inbox clutter and keep people focused on what's really important.
Keeping your priorities straight
The section on using Tasks to set priorities also gets right to the point, and uses the example of a fictitious, perennially disorganized worker to show how getting distracted can have serious consequences. Then the reader is taken through several methods for determining what tasks are really important, and which should take precedence over others. This is something that most people have trouble with—figuring out what's really important and what can be put off a bit while the top priority tasks get taken care of. The authors stress the importance of writing things down. This is a key concept in several well known time-management systems, and quite rightly so. Nowadays, we just have too much to keep in mind, and not even Einstein could manage it all. Writing things down is the key. The authors go beyond the simple act of writing and explain how and why people should have written plans. They acknowledge that getting started on written plans is not a simple task when one hasn't done it before, and they explain why it's essential for good time management. Effective Time Management describes a straightforward system for setting up appointments and tasks (and clearly explains the difference between the two) and for setting up views, filters, and categories to make sure that you can find exactly the information you need quickly and efficiently.
Categories, tasks, and time
The first chapters in the book deal mainly with what Microsoft Outlook can do in a workplace. Starting with the chapter "How to gain more time for what's essential with an effective week planner," the authors move on to describe how Microsoft Outlook can be used to plan non-work time as well. They go through the necessary steps to set up categories, and to color-code them if you wish, to help with setting priorities and keeping tasks organized. They stress the importance of weekly planning, and of including time for personal matters such as exercise and education as part of the overall plan. It may seem odd at first to put personal, non-work activities on a Microsoft Outlook weekly plan at work, but the authors clearly explain why this is actually a very good idea, stressing the importance of balance in professional and personal lives. They do take note of the fact that not all workplaces allow private planning and not everyone has access to their work computer from outside the office, and they provide strategies for dealing with this. It is clear that they have a solid understanding not only of their subject but of the realities of the workplace.
Planning in real life
The story of the fictional disorganized worker continues in the chapter on real-life planning. Most people don't really know exactly how long any given task will take because it's a very rare task that stands alone. The trip to the office also includes time for getting to the car, parking the car, and walking to the workplace, and many people only think of the actual driving time. People get distracted, or things happen that put the usual work day into complete disarray. People do what they want to do and somehow manage not to do the things they don't want to do (which fouls everything up for anyone depending on that job getting done). In this section, the authors really take a good look at human nature and show how an effective day plan can make everything run so much more smoothly. Keeping accurate track of the time necessary for each task is the key here. No more estimates or ballpark figures—the actual amount of time for each task from start to finish. Essentially, the authors want the reader to create a time database, so instead of just guessing or winging it, the reader can look up the actual amount of time for any given task and plan accordingly. They also ask the reader to evaluate their own "Productivity Hours," those times of day when people function at their best, and their own "Disruption Hours," those times of day when they're most likely to be interrupted. Then they set out a plan for scheduling blocks of interruption-free time during peak productivity hours, and they acknowledge that this won't happen overnight since by definition other people have to be trained not to interrupt you while you're working. And they stress the importance of building in "buffer time," so that if things take longer than expected, the rest of the day doesn't get totally disrupted.
Meeting, meeting, who's got the meeting?
Meetings seem to be a fact of life in business, and they can be enormous time wasters and productivity killers. Effective Time Management acknowledges this and explains in detail how to set up meetings through Microsoft Outlook and coordinate meeting times with others. Its most valuable advice, though, can be summed up in the statement "The best meetings are the ones that don't take place." Meetings take people away from their jobs, interrupt the workflow, rely too much on everyone being able to show up and able to participate in a meaningful way, and actually cost a company money because people are in meetings instead of doing their jobs. So, after explaining how to set up meeting requests, the authors suggest that meetings be scheduled only rarely, and other means of communicating (such as Windows Live Meeting or conference calls) be used instead as much as possible. If meetings are necessary, there's a plan for making them run more smoothly and produce better results. This covers all the bases and should increase everyone's productivity and waste the minimum amount of time. It would be an excellent resource for any workplace.
Less paper, more productivity
Many people still prefer to keep their information on paper (I must admit to being one of those people). But paper's easy to lose track of and misfile, and after a while, the sheer mass of paper becomes so unwieldy that it might just as well be sent to the shredder. Effective Time Management sets out a method for taking effective notes and keeping track of electronic files efficiently. The authors suggest that the reader use Microsoft OneNote, but acknowledge that it isn't included in many versions of Microsoft Office (especially the older editions) and has to be purchased separately, which many people can't afford. I wish the authors had offered some suggestions for alternatives to Microsoft OneNote, since it's clearly a very useful program and can integrate effectively with Microsoft Outlook. Effective Time Management walks the reader through using Microsoft OneNote to take notes, make plans, set up calendars, and set up a structured and organized system for keeping track of everything. It clearly shows the advantages of using electronic notes and files instead of paper. I must admit I began to think differently about all my folders full of notes and printouts after I read this chapter, and I'm going to start looking into getting Microsoft OneNote or some other similar program to help me keep track of things more efficiently.
Summing it all up
Effective Time Management closes with a short chapter called "How to truly benefit from this book" that puts all the previous chapters in perspective and explains the best ways to get started using Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft OneNote to get organized in your professional and personal lives. The authors make it clear they don't expect the organization to happen overnight and they don't expect it to happen without the reader's determination to make it work. But they also explain why it's more than worth the time and effort to follow their plan. Even if one doesn't use Microsoft Outlook, this plan can work. There are other programs that offer much the same features, perhaps not in such a convenient package, but usable nonetheless. I understand that the book's focus is on Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft OneNote, but I think it would have been useful for the authors to suggest a few other programs that could be used to follow the same system even without a full copy of Microsoft Office on hand. That's just a minor suggestion, though, and I'm sure that anyone who's interested in following this system can make it work with whatever software they have on hand.
Verdict
Effective Time Management really is for everyone. We can all benefit from finding balance in our professional and personal lives, from using our time more efficiently, and from making the very best use of the tools we have at hand. Even people who are certain they've got everything under control can find useful suggestions here. The authors clearly understand both the software and human nature and take a step by step approach and explain why what they're describing will work. I'm glad I got a chance to review this book, because now I can start putting its plan into effect to get my own time managed more effectively.
