Book review: The Power of Slow

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Normally, I take notes when I read books to review.
However, I have only read The Power of Slow once and don’t have any notes.
I think I was just sucked into the book and read it quickly, which probably wasn’t the point.
Christine Louise Hohlbaum writes on techniques for being slow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean managing your projects at snail’s pace and missing milestones.
The book is titled 101 Ways to Save Time In Our 24/7 World. Hohlbaum gives slow a special meaning.
She says, “Slow is mindful.” “When we become mindful, it is easy to slow down and see the bigger picture. It’s not about speed. It’s about the whole process of evaluating what is truly important to you.
Slowness in project management is a sign of better prioritization and more productivity. Each chapter of the book offers ten ways you can save time and be more organized. The last chapter only has one point, so the total is 101.
How often do your colleagues think you could do their job better and faster?
Chapter 10 covers delegation:
“Keep an eye on the priorities of your project and then delegate according to them. Delegation requires a balance between autonomy, control, and both. Your delegates should be able to fly while still keeping an eye on them in case they get lost in their own world. Milestones are good for checking in, but it’s equally important to give them some autonomy.
It is important to be able to share work with others in order for projects to succeed. This allows you get more done and helps you manage your time better. Oops.
Hohlbaum says that time management is not possible. Hohlbaum writes that time management is not possible because you can’t control what you don’t control.
Instead, she encourages readers not to lose sight of the fact that they have limited time and should manage what they do.
The book discusses managing our relationship to time and how to create a better balance so that time doesn’t control us. This is all about the power to choose.
We have the option to listen to our project teams when they bring up issues. We can also listen with one ear and finish an email.
We can say “yes” every scope change and then panic when it doesn’t fit within the existing schedule. Or, we can accept only what is necessary to deliver the project on time.
The Power of Slow isn’t a book about project managing, but it is useful information about the principles of working within time limits. Project managers do this every day.
This article contains good advice about how to avoid multitasking and how to get rid of distractions that can eat away at your productive time.
Peter Taylor’s book, The Lazy Project Manager, is a project management guide that will help you get the most out your day while still sitting comfortably in project management. If you want to go deeper into what time means to you at work and at home, read The Power of Slow.