Time is one of our scarcest resources. So learning how to better manage your time, especially as you go about starting a new business is a very worthwhile investment.

So obviously anyone writing a book on time management would be excellent at it. Better still when trying to promote their book they’d understand the limits placed on other people’s time and would do their best not to waste their time.

Apparently not because yesterday I received this email:

Hi, I wondered whether you might be interested in receiving info on a free ebook that we have developed?

We feel it could be helpful for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards.

Name removed to protect the guilty

To which I replied:

No idea. You haven’t told me what it’s about….

to which the reply was:

Thanks John.

As a blogger myself I receive a fair few emails from people asking to review stuff, so didn’t want to send through lots of info unless it was of interest in principle.

Please feel free to download a review copy from here: URL removed to protect the guilty.

I have also included below a press release for your information.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Kind regards.

Name removed to protect the guilty

Which still didn’t tell me what the e-book was about! OK fair enough when I opened the attached press release that did and I was shocked to find it was about time management! I mean really how can you expect to promote a book on time management – or expect me to give it a good review, when you waste both your and my time with poorly thought out emails?

Here’s what would have been a better approach, one single email that said:

John.

We’re just published a new FREE e-book on time management.

You can download a review copy here: URL

If you would like to promote the book please do so using: URL

Many thanks for your time.

Name.

Now that would suggest to me that you understand time management and that you respect the value of my time. I might then have been prepared to spend some of my time looking at the e-book, but instead like most busy people I save time by trusting my gut and making a judgement on first impressions (unfair maybe, but that’s life).

So what are the best time management books?

Hard to say, as I don’t have time to read them all but the following are generally considered to be good time management books:

• Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done, Today!
• Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-free Productivity by David Allen. Very highly thought of, but not really a book I personally liked.
• Do it Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management

Photo by: lrargerich.

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