Too Much to Do, Too Little Time

A Luddite's Guide to Gadgets

Time Maven: Garry Hare, founder, CEO, and president of Fathom Pictures Inc. in Sausalito, California, producer of such computer games as "Return to Cybercity" and "Bob Bondurant High Performance Driving."

Minutes from My Daily Log: Sleep 7 hours a night . . . 15-minute commute . . . 2 hours per week in company meetings . . . 0 to 60 hours per week in meetings with clients . . . race Porsches once every ten weeks . . .

The Challenge: To put a lid on technology-induced information overload.

We work at warp speed, turning out new product every three months. Living in a high-tech work culture, I'm a real contrarian when it comes to new technology. If I don't stay skeptical, I'll drown in the flood of information spawned by that new technology.

Lesson #1: Be ruthless with e-mail.

I use e-mail to communicate instantaneously with clients, not as an alternative mailing address. So I maintain a private e-mail account to which fewer than a dozen people have the address. Messages sent to the company's e-mail address are screened by my assistant, who forwards the important stuff. And I don't allow internal e-mail. After all, we've got just 23 employees. In such a small operation, there's no excuse for not having face-to-face conversations.

Lesson #2: Restrict your use of the telephone.

I don't carry a beeper. This notion that you've got to be "connected" at all times is just plain crazy. I also gave up on my car phone after two days. The first time I got a call, I realized that I don't want to be interrupted while I'm driving. That's some of my rare private time to think. And just because someone calls me doesn't mean I have to answer immediately. I don't take calls after noon and I return all my calls during two periods, at 10:45 AM and between 5 and 6 PM My assistant, however, has a short list of people who can get through to me at any time.

We don't have voice mail during business hours. If the person who ordinarily answers the phone is out, the calls are transferred to another line and a real person answers. (We do have voice mail after hours. It comes in handy when it's 3 AM and an overseas distributor wants to leave a message.) Also, we don't have call waiting. Whenever someone says to me, "Wait a sec, I'm getting another call," I hang up. It's rude, but it's a waste of my time.

Coordinates: Garry Hare, fathom@linex.com

Cruise through Time Traps

Time Maven: Steve Kahn, CEO of Integrity QA Software, a Silicon Valley company that develops quality-assurance products to automate bug-finding in applications written on Windows 95 and Windows NT platforms.

Minutes from My Daily Log: Wake up at 5 AM . . . Browse Web sites and do e-mail twice a day for 35 minutes total . . . Work out 60 minutes -- four times a week -- with a personal trainer . . . Work 55 to 65 hours a week . . .

The Challenge: To minimize everyday time-sinks.

As the CEO of a nine-month old startup, I can't find enough days in the week to do everything. I don't have much of a support staff -- we've got an office manager and a very part-time rent-a-CFO. So I've got to be real strict on how I allocate my time.

Lesson #1: Set limits on people who take up too much of your time.

How do you get people to shut up? If a person gets long-winded in explaining something, I say, "Give me the short version." Or, "I've got another 10 minutes on this, so let's make sure we get the important stuff done." Then I smile, to avoid being perceived as rude.

Lesson #2: If a meeting is not a top priority, stay for the beginning and then hand off to an associate.

We outsource our benefits administration. When the benefits people come here for a meeting, I don't want to hear the details but I know they need some face-time. So I bring my assistant, stay for the first five minutes to go over the big picture, and leave. My assistant handles the details. It's like getting an executive summary and delegating to someone else. I hold these meetings in a conference room -- it's pretty hard to walk out of your own office.

Lesson #3: To avoid workplace interruptions, work off-site.

I have a home office with an ISDN line and the same equipment I have at my company office. I can access files from either place. Working at home allows me to extend my day by two to four hours. With fewer interruptions, I do twice as much in half the time.

Lesson #4: If you don't have time for something, just say so.

We don't have a receptionist to screen calls. Just the other day I answered the phone, and it was somebody who knows nothing about this business trying to get me to advertise. My reply: "Sorry, I don't have time for this." Sure, I was abrupt. But I kept the entire conversation to less than 30 seconds.