Time Management for System Administrators

brian_d_foy on 2006-02-09T07:36:00

jmcada writes "Recently, Perlcast interviewed Tom Limoncelli about a new book that he has written called 'Time Management for System Administrators'. You might remember Tom from an earlier title, 'The Practice of System and Network Administration'.

The new book, focuses specifically on how system administrators can better manage what they do and what is expected of them so as to get more done, meet expectations, and reclaim the 40 (or at least 50) hour work week. Tom provides tips that can be used by anyone in the technical field, but as a long time system administrator himself, he tuned this book for the needs of our ever so helpful cohorts who keep our systems alive."

Another recommendtion for time management

dagolden on 2006-02-09T14:53:53

For anyone interested in personal time management, I highly, highly recommend Getting Things Done by David Allen. The book and method is ideal for people with laziness, impatience and hubris. (Like us!)

It's a very lightweight system. Core principles

• Getting all "open loops" (uncompleted tasks) out of your head and into a system you trust (whether paper or electronic) to minimize the mental stress of remembering it all
• Organizing items by the context (location/situation) to which they apply, so you only look at items that are relevant to where you are and what you can immediately act upon
• Deciding upon a clear and distinct next step for each task
• Dynamic prioritization within each context -- recognizing that life has too many interrupts to ever hold to (or waste time on) a preset priority list

At under $10, used, it's a great investment.