Peter Bregman - 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done

In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

This publication is designed to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. However, it is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and if legal, financial, or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this book.

Copyright 2011 by Peter Bregman

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

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ISBN 978-1-4555-0046-8

A down-to-earth book.

Crains New York Business

18 MINUTES is an intensely smart, insanely readable, and eminently practical guide to boosting our effectiveness and deepening our satisfaction. Ive already benefited from the ideas in this book in my own work. So will you.

Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

Feeling in control of your time is a key element of happiness. In the thoughtful, practical, and often funny 18 MINUTES, Peter Bregman explains how to make sure we have plenty of time to do the things that matter most to usso that our lives reflect our true values and priorities.

Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

Pick this book up and read it. Bregmans wisdom, humility, and ability to tell a great story run through every page of this gem. 18 MINUTES is the best blend of a business book and a self-help book I have ever read.

Robert Sutton, professor, Stanford University, and New York Times bestselling author of Good Boss, Bad Boss

To my wife, Eleanor,
and my children, Isabelle, Sophia, and Daniel.
You inspire me to write.

W hen Molly arrived at work on the first day of her new job as the head of learning and development at a mid-size investment bank, she turned on her computer, logged in with the password they had given her, opened up her email program, and gasped.

She had been on the job less than a minute and there were already 385 messages in her inbox. It would take days to work through them, and by that time there would be hundreds more.

We start every day knowing were not going to get it all done. And we look back on the years and wonder where they went and why we havent accomplished what we had hoped.

Time is the only element in the world that is irretrievable when its lost. Lose money and you can make more. Lose a friend and you can patch up the relationship. Lose a job and you can find another. But lose time and its gone forever.

I have a friend, a rabbi named Hayyim Angel, who carries reading material with him whenever he goes to a meeting. Why? Because, he told me, according to the Talmud [the Jewish book of law], if someone comes late to a meeting they are committing the sin of stealingstealing the time of the person who had to wait for them. And its the worst kind of stealing because what was taken can never be returned. I dont want to cause anyone to sin. So I always make sure, if I have to wait for someone, theyre never in a position of stealing my time.

And yet we steal time from ourselves constantly. Consider the following three stories

Bill hadnt questioned the meeting his secretary had placed on his calendar. But now that he was in itand boredhe wished he had. Bill pulled out his BlackBerry and began to read through his email. He was completely absorbed in his handheld when suddenly he heard Leticia, his boss, say his name. He looked up as Leticia continued, What do you think we should do? Bill had no idea what Leticia was referring to. Where did that moment go?

Rajit sat down with his laptop at nine oclock on Wednesday morning knowing he had one thing he needed to do: write the proposal for a new client he was pitching in two days. But three phone calls, fifteen emails, two trips to the bathroom, thirty minutes buying plane tickets for a family vacation, and four impromptu conversations with employees later, he hadnt yet started it. And now his assistant just IMd to remind him he had a lunch appointment in fifteen minutes. Where did the day go?

Marie walked into our twenty-fifth high school reunion and I was instantly reminded of her seventeen-year-old self. We sat down to talk, and she was all the things I rememberedbeautiful, smart, talented, courageous, honestwith one exception. Her spark was gone. Im not unhappy, she told me. I love my husband and children; my work is fine. In fact, my whole life is fine. But thats all it is: fine. I havent really done anything. Every year I have plans but, well, stuff gets in the way. She feels the unexpressed potential inside her. She has things she wants to do. But somehow she doesnt make them happen. Where did those years go?

According to Newtons first law of motion, an object will continue moving at a constant velocity until an outside force acts upon it. Whats true for objects is also true for people.

Either we keep moving along a path that isnt quite right but we fail to knock ourselves off it, or we intentionally choose the right path but keep getting knocked off it.

If we are to look back and feel good about what weve doneover a year, a day, or a momentwe need to break these patterns. To interrupt our inertia, everyday distractions, and gut responses. We need to intervene in our own lives.

Yet even if we know that, its hard to do. Its not that Marie doesnt want a family. She does. And she wouldnt have it any other way. Its just that her role in her family has overwhelmed everything else in her life, so she looks back at the end of the year and asks herself where it went and why shes not thrilled. Still, shes not sure what to do differently next year.

Rajit had planned to write his proposal. But a number of forces lured him off his trajectory. Perhaps they were important distractions. But at the end of the day his proposal remained unwritten.