This article will show you three techniques you can use to save more than half of the time you use in reading newspapers.  You will not only save time, but also your focus will increase and you’ll have fun reading even the uninteresting reports.

Read the first paragraph

The reason why journalistic writing is called ‘history in a hurry’ is because of its wont to quickly condense vast information in a very small space.  This plays to the advantage of the harassed reader who wants to stay current but has very little time to read.

Often all you need to understand a news piece is the first paragraph.  Here the reporter will tell you what’s happening, who it’s happing to and where it’s happening.  Sometimes you don’t even need to read the entire paragraph because the first sentence or the first couple of sentences give you all the information.

If you still have more time you can move on to step two; otherwise, you can stop reading.

Read the last paragraph

Some news pieces are follow-ups of events that were earlier reported.  In such a situation, the first paragraph may not give you all the information you need.  But the last paragraph will do the job.  It’s usually in the last paragraph that the user is given the background information that leads to the story.

Read the “quotes”

After you’ve read the first and last paragraphs and you still feel you need more information or have more time to play with, you can dabble into middle of the piece by reading the direct speech of the sources of the news item.  

In all forms of writing where quotations are used, the writer leads the reader into the quotes and then leads the reader out.  This (leading) takes too much space and therefore, robs the reader out of some precious time.

Fortunately, you’re intelligent enough to understand what the subject or the source is saying without any interpretation from the reporter.  So glide directly to the quotation marks and read what’s within them.

Conclusion

Read the first and the last paragraphs.  Then read the quotations.  If you follow these steps, it’s possible to get about 80 per cent of a news piece.  And it’s rare to find a report that’s compelling to the extent that you want to get more than 80 per cent out of it.

One of the most common time management mistakes is using memory instead of just about everything else available to keep track of all the thinks you need to do and the places you need to be.

Ever since a distant day in the past when my phone rang and a voice said “how far away are you?” “Err Birmingham why?” “Because you are supposed to be at the Contract Managers Meeting in Walsall” Thereafter each months meetings were faithfully entered into Outlook with a reminder the day before and another an hour before start time. I adopted this practice for every meeting and event I was involved in thereafter and never had the problem again.

Why this is a problem

Most people have to keep track of numerous small details as part of their normal day. This is especially true of managers in property development and construction for whom industrial multi tasking seems to have been invented. Even on a good day there will be many plates spinning on at least a couple of jobs.

Information overload is a problem and if not addressed can be the cause of anxiety and stress. However reducing the amount of things you need to remember by having a good time management system will significantly improve this condition.

Other problems associated with using your memory to retain too much information are:

• It leads to a feeling of overwhelm as more and more details pile up and you end up overloaded.
• Important things are easily forgotten
• You actually waste time thinking what it is you’re supposed to be doing
• You get distracted and unable to focus on what you need to do
• Working from a prioritised plan is much easier. When you can see things in writing you have the opportunity to compare and contrast

How you avoid it

The number one strategy is to give yourself as many ways as possible of retaining information without using your memory. Try having a voice recorder with you or carrying a small note pad or notebook in case you need to record something important.

Use something like Outlook for setting reminders and making you aware of meetings or important events that are coming up. You can even schedule your daily tasks on computer software if you like.

Most importantly have a “brain dump” before going to bed. This simply means writing down anything that is concerning or you or is coming up tomorrow etc. This will reassure your mind that the vital information is recorded then it will let it go rather than trying retaining it at the expense of your sleep.

In summary find as many ways to retain information as possible that don’t involve your memory. Get used to working with these tools; create a system that works for you. Like anything else the more you practice time management skills the better you will get.

About Author
Arrest even more “Time Bandits” by getting your FREE copy of 11 Fatal Time Management Mistakes and How To Avoid Them at http://www.effectivetimemanagementforpropertydevelopers.com/ and for more in depth Time Management information go to http://lenstimemanagement.blogspot.com/

One of the most common time management mistakes is using memory instead of just about everything else available to keep track of all the thinks you need to do and the places you need to be.

Ever since a distant day in the past when my phone rang and a voice said “how far away are you?” “Err Birmingham why?” “Because you are supposed to be at the Contract Managers Meeting in Walsall” Thereafter each months meetings were faithfully entered into Outlook with a reminder the day before and another an hour before start time. I adopted this practice for every meeting and event I was involved in thereafter and never had the problem again.

Why this is a problem

Most people have to keep track of numerous small details as part of their normal day. This is especially true of managers in property development and construction for whom industrial multi tasking seems to have been invented. Even on a good day there will be many plates spinning on at least a couple of jobs.

Information overload is a problem and if not addressed can be the cause of anxiety and stress. However reducing the amount of things you need to remember by having a good time management system will significantly improve this condition.

Other problems associated with using your memory to retain too much information are:

• It leads to a feeling of overwhelm as more and more details pile up and you end up overloaded.
• Important things are easily forgotten
• You actually waste time thinking what it is you’re supposed to be doing
• You get distracted and unable to focus on what you need to do
• Working from a prioritised plan is much easier. When you can see things in writing you have the opportunity to compare and contrast

How you avoid it

The number one strategy is to give yourself as many ways as possible of retaining information without using your memory. Try having a voice recorder with you or carrying a small note pad or notebook in case you need to record something important.

Use something like Outlook for setting reminders and making you aware of meetings or important events that are coming up. You can even schedule your daily tasks on computer software if you like.

Most importantly have a “brain dump” before going to bed. This simply means writing down anything that is concerning or you or is coming up tomorrow etc. This will reassure your mind that the vital information is recorded then it will let it go rather than trying retaining it at the expense of your sleep.

In summary find as many ways to retain information as possible that don’t involve your memory. Get used to working with these tools; create a system that works for you. Like anything else the more you practice time management skills the better you will get.

About Author
Arrest even more “Time Bandits” by getting your FREE copy of 11 Fatal Time Management Mistakes and How To Avoid Them at http://www.effectivetimemanagementforpropertydevelopers.com/ and for more in depth Time Management information go to http://lenstimemanagement.blogspot.com/