Time Traps: Proven Strategies for Swamped Salespeople

The book Time Traps: Proven Strategies for Swamped Salespeople by Todd Duncan is the source under the analysis. The main idea of the book is to discuss in a simple and interesting manner how people spend their time. The book is divided into ten chapters. Each chapter is devoted to various topics and the author discusses those themes using personal examples. The chapters highlighted in the book are as follows, Time matters all the time, Fighting back, the organization trap, The yes trap, The control trap, The technology trap, the failure trap, The party trap, The identity trap and Freedom. Each chapter is devoted to time traps and how to deal with them. One of the main problems people have with time is that they do not pay attention to it and fail to appraise it. People perceive time as something for granted, however, this is wrong. Time is a valuable part of human life and only the ability to manage it and to avoid time traps may bring maximum benefit.

The first chapter called Time matters all the time is devoted to the problem of time structuring and the way how people perceive time. The author dwells upon personal experience of jumping from the plane and diving under the sea. During these both cases the author appraise the time he spent with pleasure, however, all the rest time is usually considered as something unimportant. However, the author tries to show that the time is valuable all the time. People must try to structure their time but at the same time they should not try to manage time as in this case they will be bothered with time management more than doing the things. The problem of many people is that when wasting time they feel bad. At the same time they do not feel good when time is spent on somebodys benefit.

Reading the second chapter Fighting back, it is possible to see the authors perception of the already passed time. Time passes and it is impossible to stop this process, however, it is possible to make sure that the time people spend is done in a proper way with the aims fulfilled. The main message the author tries to deliver is how to assure the effective time spending. Presenting the examples from the personal life, Duncan assures that it is possible to spend less time working but this time sis going to be more productive. The increase of productivity while spending the limited amount of time should be the purpose of each employee, especially when it deals about the sales managers.

The organization trap chapter is devoted to the aspects which steel human time. Working in the office a person deals mostly with the computer. Checking email each 5-10 minutes does not increase the productivity. Vice versa, people spend time ineffectively. Such small actions are the main organizational time traps of the employees. Checking email is an important issue, however one should spend this time with pleasure and productively. Checking empty email box does not carry any productivity in the human life. This chapter teaches how to avoid unnecessary actions which we have already considered as the essential working moments. These details may occur not only in the office. Many people check time every five minutes, change papers from one place to another one, check the plans, etc. just to assure that the working time passes, but it does not bring any productivity into the working process.

The yes trap chapter is devoted to another time trap. Many people in the modern business world simply cannot refuse the requests. As a result, they do the job they do not have to and spend much time on it without having any productivity for personal business. People must be able to refuse as constantly saying yes does not bring anything positive. Agreeing to help a person means that one will spend time on the business he/she should not have to. As a result, he appears in the trap. The business is done, but there is not productivity seen in this particular case.

The next chapter is The control trap, which is devoted to problem of controlling the particular process for the benefit of the whole working process. The authors opinion is simple, one should control the working process assigned having ignored all other aspects. Also, it is important to understand when one should stop. The controlling functions are attractive and some people having started controlling the working process cannot stop doing it. As a result, one appears in a very complicated situation when doing the job of another person he does not doe his/her own. The chapter devoted to the control trap is valuable for the pieces of advice offered by the author how to structure the control of the working process in a proper way. Duncan writes, if you have a dream and dont have a team, your dream will die. But with a team, your dream will fly. The author spends much time on discussing the correct way of controlling the work and time organization.

The technology trap is one of the most serious one in the modern world. Technologies have occupied all the spheres of human life. However, according to Duncan, technologies should be used only in case they are required. The overuse of the information technologies may lead to the fact that people do and redo the same processes for several times. People are too adjusted to the technologies and sometimes they forge that some of the working processes may be completed faster without the involvement of the information technologies. The author warns people about it. Efficiency should be the main criteria in selecting either the innovation technology or referring to the use of the particular actions without the reference to innovations.

The failure trap is the chapter devoted to the problems people have and to the time they spent on dwelling upon the problem. Many people fail. It is a norm to fail some processes. However, when people start spending time on crying because of the failure they appear in the trap. The failure cannot be corrected. One may either take another chance or try to redo the same thing. Time cannot be returned and there is no need to cry over the failure. People have to learn from their failures. This is what important in the modern world. It is impossible to do everything without a mistake. However, it is possible to learn from the personal mistakes

The party trap chapter dwells upon the issue of success. Many people are sure that having achieved a success in one particular process they are going to be successful the whole their life. However, this opinion is mistaken. Human success ones achieved may be spent in vain. A person should constantly work on personal success to assure that all the future actions are also considered as successful. The author teaches to mind each step, each action and never stop to perfection ones actions. This chapter is closely connected to the next one called The identity trap. This trap is devoted to understanding the working process as constant act. One should try to assure that when he/she works the process gets the highest appraisal. At the same time one should understand that when the work is not in the process, it still may bring the productivity.

Freedom is the final chapter in the book. The author devotes it to the human beings and their freedom. Dwelling upon time traps from the position of the freedom the author argues that some people understand freedom in a wrong way. Freedom for people is also some time they spend. The question is whether the time is spent with efficiency or not. Freedom is a human right and if it is spent correctly people gain the more success they are able to. The author writes, Unfortunately, if we dont slow down and begin invest our freedom more thoughtfully, more purposefully, we will eventually come full scale and end up back where we started or worth .

In conclusion, basing on the authors experience and advice it is possible to manage personal time and to take the highest efficiency from everything one makes. The author is guided by the following advice and it may be taken by everyone who does not want to appear in the time trap:

• My Faith gives me peace.
• My Family gives me harmony and stability.
• My Fitness gives me stamina and energy.
• My Friends give me counsel and comfort.
• My Finances give me direction.
• My Focus gives me growth.
• My Feelings shape my attitude.
• My Faithfulness gives me serenity.
• My Freedom gives me choice.
• My Fun gives me renewal.
• My Fulfillment gives me joy.

These words should serve as an encouragement for everyone as they give energy for the author and help him cope with all his businesses in time and without getting into the time raps.