The authors create a dialogue between Bob and a fictional chief effectiveness officer who introduces a three-step strategy to work "on-time and on-target." The first technique "create priority," is explained in terms of triage, a battlefield term for assigning an order of medical treatment on the basis of urgency. Next, Bob encounters the intriguing notion of "Propriety" expressed in the format of a succinct "Bill of Rights": Am I doing the right thing, for the right person, at the right time, with the right reasons? Finally, Manager Bob learns to distinguish between interest and commitment and the deeper meaning of yes and no.
Each of the three strategies underline the premise of procrastination as a failure to define what is important. Occasionally, their message is sidetracked by cuteness, (nicknames for Bob) confusion, (calling the approach a "3-P strategy" ignores the C in commitment) and a contrived ending where Bob becomes the chief effectiveness officer. Still, the center holds with practical techniques, explained with brevity and clarity. Blanchard and Gottry know how to make a long story short. --Barbara Mackoff