Text extracted via OCR from the original document. May contain errors from the scanning process.
reasonable?” It’s hard for people to label things unreasonable.
Realize that bosses are supervisors, not slave masters. Establish yourself as a consistent challenger of
the status quo and most people will learn to avoid challenging you, particularly if it is in the interest of
higher per-hour productivity.
If you are a micromanaging entrepreneur, realize that even if you can do something better than the rest
of the world, it doesn’t mean that’s what you should be doing if it’s part of the minutiae. Empower
others to act without interrupting you.
SET THE RULES in your favor: Limit access to your time, force people to define their requests before
spending time with them, and batch routine menial tasks to prevent postponement of more important
projects. Do not let people interrupt you. Find your focus and you’ll find your lifestyle.
The bottom line is that you only have the rights you fight for.
In the next section, Automation, we’ll see how the New Rich create management-free money and
eliminate the largest remaining obstacle of all: themselves.
=> Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS
People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up
with all the idiots in the world.
—CALVIN, from Calvin and Hobbes
B laming idiots for interruptions is like blaming clowns for scaring children—they can’t help it. It’s
their nature. Then again, I had (who am I kidding—and have), on occasion, been known to create
interruptions out of thin air. If you’re anything like me, that makes us both occasional idiots. Learn to
recognize and fight the interruption impulse.
This is infinitely easier when you have a set of rules, responses, and routines to follow. It is your job
to prevent yourself and others from letting the unnecessary and unimportant prevent the start-to-finish
completion of the important.
This chapter differs from the previous in that the necessary actions, due to the inclusion of examples
and templates, have been presented throughout from start to finish. This Q & A will thus be a summary
rather than a repetition. The devil is in the details, so be sure to reread this chapter for the specifics.
The 50,000-foot review is as follows:
1. Create systems to limit your availability via e-mail and phone and deflect inappropriate contact.
Get the autoresponse and voicemail script in place now, and master the various methods of evasion.
Replace the habit of “How are you?” with “How can I help you?” Get specific and remember—no
stories. Focus on immediate actions. Set and practice interruption-killing policies.
Avoid meetings whenever possible:
e » Use e-mail instead of face-to-face meetings to solve problems.
e » Beg-off going (this can be accomplished through the Puppy Dog
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