Optimize Transition Time (And Stop Being Late) - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review
Optimize Transition Time (And Stop Being Late)
At 6 pm, my wife Eleanor was looking tense. "We are so late!" she said.
After a great day of skiing in the Catskills, we were driving back to New York City, for a dinner party that was called for 7 pm.
"What do you mean?" I responded, "The party doesn't start for an hour; we've got plenty of time."
"Peter." She didn't hide her annoyance. "We're 100 miles from the city. There's no way we can make it on time."
"We're not late yet." I smiled. "We're still an hour early."
This explains why I am always late and Eleanor is always on time. Eleanor, you see, plans for transition time.
The night before the party, she figured out that we if we needed to be there by 7, we should plan to arrive by 6:45, which meant leaving our apartment in New York City at 6:15, which meant arriving at the apartment by 5:30, in time to drop of our bags, take showers, and dress, which meant arriving in New York City at 5 to give us time to park the car, which meant leaving Windham at 2:15, in case there was traffic, which meant stopping skiing at 1:15, giving us time to pack up and clean the house, which meant starting skiing at 8am if we were going to get in any decent runs, which meant waking up at 6:30, which meant going to sleep by 10:30 so we could get our full eight hours.
"Uh oh," I had said to her the night before, as I looked at my watch. "It's 11 pm. We're already 30 minutes late for tomorrow night's party."
Eleanor, of course and as usual, is right. The only way to get somewhere on time is to plan for it, taking into account each time-consuming step.
My intentions are good. I don't like being late. Most people who are late don't like being late. And I never plan to be late or intend to be late. I understand that it's disrespectful and unprofessional. Not to mention uncomfortable.
Here's my problem: I have a very high need to be efficient and productive. And transition time is neither of those things; it's annoying.
I'd rather just be somewhere. I don't want to waste the time getting there. So, even though I know I should leave more time, I push it, clinging to the illusion that I can get places faster than is humanly possible.
I'm not the only one. Anyone who has ever scheduled back-to-back meetings lives under the same illusion. How can we end a meeting at 2 pm and start the next one at 2 pm? Even if they're just phone meetings, we can't dial that fast. Or switch our mindset from one task to the other in so little time. And when you throw in a bathroom break? It's pre-meditated lateness, and we do it all the time.
At one of my clients it's policy not to start teaching until 10 minutes after a training program is scheduled to start. That's institutionalized lateness.
But the joke is on us late people. Because being late causes the exact things we're trying to avoid: inefficiency and counter productivity. Not just for the people who are waiting, but for the people who are late. Because nothing is more productive and efficient than transition time. It's not just our time to travel. It's our time to think. And to plan.
How many meetings have you been to in which, halfway through, you begin to wonder, now what is the point of this meeting?
How many times have you been on a phone call and found your mind wandering, or — be honest now — surfed the web, because you were bored?
How often have you thought: you know, this 60-minute meeting should have been 30 minutes?
And you're right. The meeting probably should have been 30 minutes. Or 45 at the most. Because almost anything that could be done in 60 minutes can be done in 45. But because we haven't thought enough about it before hand, the meeting drags on.
If we took a few minutes before the meeting to really think about it, we could drastically shorten it. So, here's the one thing you should think about as you transition leisurely (gasp) to your next commitment:
How can I make this shorter, faster, and more productive?
Even five or 10 minutes of that kind of planning can shave 30 minutes off a task. Think about your outcome. Think about what you really need from people. And then, in a move that will make everyone else in the room overjoyed, let them know you want to make the 60 minute meeting 30 minutes and tell them how you plan to do it.
Spend your transition time plotting how to maximize your outcome. Need people's ownership? Think about how you can involve them more openly, get their perspectives, and engage them. Going to a dinner? Ponder how you can have more fun.
Maybe you're thinking: but I already plan. Sure you do. But there's no better planning time than the 15 minutes before you walk into the room or get on the phone. Do you know any athlete who would rush off her cell phone and jump into the starting gate of a race? Of course not. Because athletes know that transition time is productive time.
To make this work we need to schedule it — literally put the transition time in our calendars. End meetings at least 15 minutes before the hour and schedule that time to prepare for the next one. Maybe, then, we can keep that meeting to 30 minutes and have an extra 15 minutes to go to the bathroom, answer email, or surf the web. That would be more efficient than doing those things during the meeting.
I have more to say about this — like how inefficient multi-tasking is — but I'll have to save it for another article. It's only 15 minutes until my next meeting so I've got to go. And besides, it's 4 pm and by my calculations, I'm already running late for a 2 pm meeting tomorrow.
Total Uninstall requires the same 'Run as admin' privs as Glary Utilities Portable to use. In Glary Utilities I added the UAC plugin to the launcher but for Total Uninstall I've just set "RequestExecutionLevel" to "admin". There's no difference in the end-user experience between the two. And no need to select 'Run as administrator'.
As the downloaded "setup.exe" is not extractable by 7-Zip, the installer runs it (installing to the machine), copies the files and then runs the uninstaller (uninstalling from the machine). See below. This also requires admin but, as there is nowhere to add the plugin or set "RequestExecutionLevel admin" in the PA.c Installer, you'll have to right-click and run the Total Uninstall Portable installer as admin.
Thanks to sl23, horusofoz and Chris Morgan!
Total Uninstall Portable 2.35 Development Test 2
Submitted by prapper on November 21, 2009 - 9:16am
Application: Total Uninstall
Category: Utilities
License: Freeware
Language: Multilingual
Description: Total Uninstall helps you monitor any changes made to your system during the installation of a new program. It allows you to perform a complete uninstall without having to rely on the Windows Add/Remove Programs tool.Total Uninstall creates a snapshot of your system prior to installing a new program. It then takes an additional snapshot after the installation has completed. It compares the two snapshots and displays all changes in a graphical tree view, marking all registry values and/or files that have been added, changed or deleted. Total Uninstall saves these changes and, if you decide to uninstall the program, it will reverse the changes to the previous state.
Note: This is an old, unsupported version. The links in the help file are for information only! It still seems to work quite well though...
Download Total Uninstall Portable 2.35 Development Test 2 [1+1MB download / 2MB installed]
(MD5: 3db474401969a11f678dcb856fd40c39)
Online Installer: This is an online installer that will download additional files during setup.Release Notes:
2.35 Development Test 2 (2010-01-11):2.35 Development Test 1 (2009-11-21): Initial release
Notes:
When running, Total Uninstall Portable will temporarily appear in MSConfig/Startup. This is intentional. Do not remove!Another reboot-able portable app...
Install Notes:
Admin rights required -The installer will download the ZIP, extract the setup file, install the program to the machine, copy the relevant files, uninstall from the machine and then clean up afterwards. Just follow the prompts and accept the defaults (no need to run the program/readme after install, just untick the boxes and finish).
If you already have a local install, you can cancel the download and it'll copy the existing files. Your local settings won't be touched.
The setup file is saved in 'Data\installer'. If you're sure you won't need it again, you can delete it and save some space (707KB).
Tested with:
7 Home Premium (admin)
XP Home SP2 (admin) - plus Cubase SX (for the reboot) and a lot of rubbish programs:-)Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Patrick for hosting.
Amaya Portable (W3C's Editor/Browser) | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives
Amaya Portable (W3C's Editor/Browser)
Submitted by r.brem on July 8, 2009 - 1:37pm
Application: Amaya
Category: Development
Description: Amaya is a Web editor, i.e. a tool used to create and update documents directly on the Web. Browsing features are seamlessly integrated with the editing and remote access features in a uniform environment. This follows the original vision of the Web as a space for collaboration and not just a one-way publishing medium.
License: OpenSource
Language: MultilingualDownload Amaya Portable 11.2 at RapidShare
Download Amaya Portable 11.2 at FreakShare
[10.9MB download / 37.2MB installed] (MD5: 321c5dfe9529983e119d5e4289230c91)Release Notes:
Development Test 1 (2009-06-24): Initial release
MediaMonkey Portable 3.2.0 [Launcher Only] | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives
- Updated to Installer 1.0.1
- Fixed issue with MediaMonkey folder remaining in Local Data on Windows 7 machines
- Fixed issue with Winamp folder remaining in registry
- Updated to latest PAF specs
- Added support to save Scripts.ini across sessions
- New icon
MediaMonkey Portable 3.2.0 [Launcher Only]
Submitted by Devo on December 1, 2008 - 10:24am
Application: MediaMonkey
Category: Media
Description: MediaMonkey is a digital media player and media library application developed by Ventis Media Inc., for organizing and playing audio on Microsoft Windows operating systems. By using plugins, it can be extended to handle video and other media formats as well.
Instructions: There are instructions for installing MediaMonkey portably in the root folder.Download MediaMonkey Portable 3.2.0 Launcher Test 1 [634KB download / 1.21MB installed]
(MD5: c5d931184aabc16bb0a53cf437ca5860)There is also one thing that I would eventually like to fix, but I don't know how: The launcher does not update the paths for any scripts that are installed. If there are any ideas, please let me know.
EDIT: I also would like to be able to edit MM.db to update the drive path. This would eliminate the need to use the Watch Folders within MediaMonkey and save some time during startup. If anybody knows how to do this, please post the code below.
Release Notes:
3.2.0 Development Test 1 (2009-12-29):
3.1.1 Development Test 2 (2009-09-11):
3.1.1 Development Test 1 (2008-12-01): Initial release
Sweet Home 3D Portable 2.1 Development Test 1 | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives
- 2.1 Development Test 1 (2009-11-08): updated to Sweet Home 3D 2.1
- 2.0 Development Test 1 (2009-06-18): updated to Sweet Home 3D 2.0
- 1.8 Development Test 2 (2009-05-26): fixed furniture library storage, added contained temporary directory
- 1.8 Development Test 1 (2009-05-25): initial release, using Chris's PortableApps.com Launcher Test 5.
Sweet Home 3D Portable 2.1 Development Test 1
Submitted by Chris Morgan on May 25, 2009 - 4:46am
Application: Sweet Home 3D
Category: Graphics & Pictures
Description: Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design program, written in Java.Download Sweet Home 3D Portable 2.1 Development Test 1 [10.6MB download / 15.5MB installed]
(MD5: 01618d3ff00c464ab344aaafc1076661)You will need a copy of Java Portable for this to work.
Release notes:
Synkron Portable 1.6.0. Development Test 1 | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB drives
Synkron Portable 1.6.0. Development Test 1
Submitted by prapper on October 15, 2009 - 10:28am
Application: Synkron
Category: Utilities
License: GPL v2
Language: Multilingual
Description: Synkron is an application for folder synchronisation that allows you to configure your synchronisations in detail. Despite having many features, the user interface of Synkron is very user-friendly and easy to use. Synkron is able to synchronise multiple folders at once, analyse folders before sync, restore overwritten or deleted files, plan synchronisations and much more.Download Synkron Portable 1.6.0 Development Test 1 [5.85MB download / 17.6MB installed]
(MD5: 7d0fe27910f720bbe1c96b988cab0e39)Release Notes:
1.6.0 Development Test 1 (2009-10-15): Initial releaseNotes:
No UPX yet.Tested with:
XP Home SP2 (Admin)Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Patrick for hosting.
HTM, HTML & URL files removed from Previewed Formats.
Added check for Firefox Portable on first run (and adding file associations is now optional).
"dxva_sig.txt" (if created after previewing video) deleted on exit.
Clean install recommended.
Directory tree +/- icons restored.
XYplorerFree opens at root of drive by default.
Thumbnail cache (off by default) directory set to 'Data\thumbnails'.
Clean install recommended.
URL preview disabled by default (uses IE).
URL, HTML and HTM file associations added for Firefox Portable.
A clean install is required to enable the above.
Thanks again Gringoloco:-)
'$APPDATA\Help' and '$LOCALAPPDATA\Help' are now both removed if created by XYplorerFree (thanks Gringoloco).
GID file backed up to 'Data\settings'.
XYplorerFree Portable 5.55.0001 Development Test 5
Submitted by prapper on November 21, 2009 - 9:08am
Application: XYplorerFree
Category: Utilities
License: Freeware
Language: English
Description: XYplorer is a multi-tabbed file manager for Windows featuring a powerful file search, a versatile preview, a highly customizable interface and a large array of unique ways to efficiently automate frequently recurring tasks.Note: This is an old, unsupported version. The links in the help file are for information only!
Download XYplorerFree Portable 5.55.0001 Development Test 5 [1+1MB download / 2MB installed]
(MD5: 7233f96544ff71238679e2f443028c63)
Online Installer: This is an online installer that will download additional files during setup.Release Notes:
5.55.0001 Development Test 5 (2010-01-13):5.55.0001 Development Test 4 (2010-01-11):
5.55.0001 Development Test 3 (2009-11-21):
5.55.0001 Development Test 2 (2009-11-21):
5.55.0001 Development Test 1 (2009-11-21): Initial release
Notes:
This free version isn't supported anymore but it still works well. There are NO "trial" features.Tested with:
7 Home Premium (admin)
XP Home SP2 (admin)Acknowledgments:
Thanks to Patrick for hosting.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
