“Productive laziness is all about success, but success with far less effort.”
There are many fantastic books on project management available for all aspects and angles of project management. The Lazy Project Manager – How to be twice as productive and still leave the office early by Peter Taylor recently came across our desk.
The title The Lazy Project Manager seems a little deceptive. Rather than advocating being a ‘lazy’ project manager, the book looks at taking a more focused approach to project management, exercising practices that really matter rather than expending energy on non-critical activities. It focuses on the old adage “work smarter, not harder” – or “productive laziness”.
This book is not a training manual for learning to become a project manager. Rather, Peter Taylor, through his lively and entertaining writing, offers his trade secrets to help you to identify and focus on the activities in your projects and how to do them more effectively while improving your work-life balance.
‘Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.’
“I am not, by nature, a lazy person but I do have many other things to do in life, beyond the projects and programmes that I manage, and I have therefore learned the manner in which to balance life, projects and work. What I am, though, and also by nature, is success orientated. Therefore the balanced approach that I utilise also has to ensure that both my projects and my career are successful and that they leave me with sufficient time for home and family. I am a Lazy Project Manager. You can carry on as you are or you can join me in the comfy chair of life and still get the project results that you and your project sponsors demand. Lazy does not mean unsuccessful.”
The book covers key points such as:
- The intelligence of laziness – why smart, lazy people have the edge over others;
- Why the Jungle Book’s ‘Bare Necessities’ should be the productive lazy theme tune;
- How to get the maximum output for a minimised input;
- Quick tips to productive lazy heaven.
Why we like it
It’s easy, as a project manager, to lose site of the work-life balance when large projects require the bulk of our focus. The Lazy Project Manager focuses on all the important aspects of project management and helps to identify simply how they can be approached more effectively. This not only creates a more productive project team, but also more effective and well-managed projects.
Takeaways
You can find more information and a sample of the book on Peter Taylor’s website – The Lazy Project Manager.
The Lazy Project Manager is also available on Amazon in Kindle Format or Paperback edition.