The 26-Hour Day: How to Gain at Least 2 Hours a Day with Time Control

This Twenty Six Hour Day Is Not Fiction! A Book Reviewby Mike Banks ValentineVince Panella might have been accused of writing a work offiction when titling his book "The 26 Hour Day, How to Gainat Least 2 Hours a Day with Time Control". When he beginshis "Introduction to Time Control" chapter by stating on thefirst page that he's . . . "come to the conclusion that -- time management does not work!" he immediately had me hooked.I was charmed by the intensely human approach he takes fromthe beginning. I've got to agree with him because my ownexperience with time management is that it has a mechanistic,almost robotic feel to it as presented by efficiency experts,management consultants and minutia-charting time accountants.Here is an approach that allows for "wasting time" and, evenmore surprisingly, advocates getting sufficient sleep!Although he suggests wasting incrementally less time than younormally might he is clearly aware that as human beings, weare driven less by deadlines than by emotional needs. At leastonce in every chapter, reminding the reader that we are not perfect and that it's OK that we're not precise as robots.Panella blends the best of self improvement with his uniqueapproach to what he calls "Time Control", quoting personalgrowth gurus Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra beside referencesto American Statistician, W. Edwards Deming, the man who was". . . given credit for engineering Japan's modern industrialsuccess over the last 50 years." Deming guided Japanesebusiness through a formula of continual success improvement.Constant incremental refining of success formulas is certainlynot limited to Deming. One of my strongest early inspirationswas reading "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin", in which thecontinual improvement of Franklin's character throughout hislife is chronicled. Self improvement predated Franklin as well,but Panella has combined the best of personal growth with timecontrol to offer what he has called "Success Centered TimeManagement."Although Panella does cover critical topics typical to timemanagement such as standard issue and admittedly important -* Winning the War Against Procrastination* The Power and Purpose of Goals* Reducing DistractionsThose key points are presented in ways that kept my interest,a surprising accomplishment in itself. But Panella has somemore compelling thoughts on some new approaches he has refinedover his nearly 20 years of presenting this material. Notableare several concepts that resonate strongly with humanity.* Gain 2 More Hours a Day Through the Power of Sleep As one with sleep apnea disorder, I require more sleep thanmost, but Panella boldly proclaims that, "Lack of adequatesleep is the reason for 90 percent of the problems many ofus experience in gaining more control of our time."He makes a strong case for a society that values sleep farmore than does ours. He goes so far as to cite a Gallup pollthat showed "Twenty-Five percent of adults believe they cannot be successful AND get enou