How many times have you thought of something crucial to do and then forgotten it completely? That's why people invented lists. And very useful they are too. If, and only if, they are used effectively. Put thirty things on a list, and it becomes too daunting. Put three things on, and there's no point in having a list. And so we have refined the art of list writing to allow for about ten or twenty things to do.

But in truth, most lists are rubbish. Randomly assembled, they do little to help the author navigate their way through the maze of stuff to do. After all, the only point of a list of things to do, is to get things done.

Tick Achieve does just that. It shows you how to get stuff done, with lots of little techniques tried and tested on scores of individuals over 25 years. This includes the cathartic and highly effective process of writing a list of what you are not going to do.

The author has trained hundreds of people in the art of getting stuff done. There is no Big Plan as such (contrary to what many other books suggest). It's all about details, and they can be very easy to implement. Little things can make a massive difference.

Once you get the hang of it, life gets easier. In a business context, and personally. You can sleep better and worry less. Concentrate on the things that matter, and leave out the trivia and irrelevant. Learn how to celebrate little bits of progress, look down your list, tick off a job well done, and shout Tick Achieve!

EXAMPLE CHAPTER OUTLINE

1. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE



"I'm too busy, I'm in a meeting": professional time wasting and how to avoid it
Teams; what's the point?
The problem with the business world: other people
How to think more and worry less
How being organised lets you take it easy
Action not activity
Outcome not output
"If I do x, then y will happen...'

2. STRAIGHT TALKING AND GETTING STUFF DONE



Permission to talk straight
Cliché and jargon red alert list
How to get to the point and get everything done quickly
Some ways to say no politely
How to liven up boring meetings
Spotting business bull****
Cutting through it and moving on

3. LEAVE IT OUT



Less really is more
How eliminating issues gets to faster answers in business
Write a list of what you are not going to do
Improving your time management
Simplifying everything
Being totally objective about the past
How leaving it out forces the issue

4. ONE IN A ROW



How breaking big problems down into small tasks really works
How to eat an elephant - in stages
Knock 'em down one at a time
Rapid sequential tasking: an alternative to multi-tasking
The one-touch approach
Tick, achieve, move on

5. LOOK LIVELY!



The value of energy: in business, and in life generally
Getting your attitude right
Why lazy people are unhappy people
Speed, that's the thing
Spotting pointless people
Ditching the time wasters
Don't waste time yourself: beware aimless net surfers
Cutting out the irrelevant stuff

6. HOW TO OUTTHINK YOURSELF



Pre-arranging tripwires
Dealing with problems
Pretend the job is finished
It's urgent - pretend it's not
It's not urgent - pretend it is
The art of outthinking yourself

7. TICK ACHIEVE



The art of great list writing
The Priority Matrix
The Growing Pane and how to use it
Tick achieve
So have you done it?