Product Description

Time is a precious commodity, especially if you're a system administrator. No other job pulls people in so many directions at once. Users interrupt you constantly with requests, preventing you from getting anything done. Your managers want you to get long-term projects done but flood you with requests for quick-fixes that prevent you from ever getting to those long-term projects. But, the pressure is on you to produce and it only increases with time. What do you do? The answer is time management. And, not just any time management theory - you want "Time Management for System Administrators", to be exact. With keen insights into the challenges you face as a sys admin, bestselling author Thomas Limoncelli has put together a collection of tips and techniques that will help you cultivate the time management skills you need to flourish as a system administrator. "Time Management for System Administrators" understands that an Sys Admin often has competing goals: the concurrent responsibilities of working on large projects and taking care of a user's needs. That's why it focuses on strategies that help you work through daily tasks, yet still allow you to handle critical situations that inevitably arise. Among other skills, you'll learn how to: manage interruptions; eliminate timewasters; keep an effective calendar; develop routines for things that occur regularly; use your brain only for what you're currently working on; prioritize based on customer expectations; and document and automate processes for faster execution. What's more, the book doesn't confine itself to just the work environment, either. It also offers tips on how to apply these time management tools to your social life. It's the first step to a more productive, happier you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14116 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Review
"I liked this book, easy to read and contains good advice. I have fallen asleep reading other time management material, this one kept me awake." - Alain Williams, news@UK, June 2006

From the Publisher
This collection of time management tools addresses the very specific needs of embattled system administrators everywhere. Bestselling author Thomas Limoncelli shows you how to manage interruptions, eliminate timewasters, prioritize based on customer expectations, automate processes for faster execution, and much more. It's the first step to a more productive, happier you.

About the Author
Thomas Limoncelli is a world-famous author and speaker on many topics including system administration, networking, and security. A system administrator since 1988, he now speaks at conferences around the world on topics ranging from firewall security to time management. He has worked for Cibernet, Dean For America, Lumeta, Bell Labs / Lucent, AT&T and Mentor Graphics. Along with Christine Hogan he is co-author of the book "The Practice of System and Network Administration" from Addison-Wesley. He holds a B.A. in C.S. from Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, USA. He publishes a blog on www.EverythingSysadmin.com

Customer Reviews

not just for system administrators!
I loved this book, even though I'm not a system admin as such, but I do work in a busy IT department. I've tried various time management schemes recently, such as David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' amongst others, and found them all to be a little abstract. I can sort of see what they're getting at, but when it comes to putting them into practice, the systems kind of fall apart on me.

However, Thomas Limoncelli's book is different. It's *practical*. And he uses real-life examples, which actually work!

Written in a friendly, conversational style, the book covers the high-level concepts such as managing interruptions, checklists and the overall principles of time management. That done, he moves onto his Cycle system then how to prioritise tasks effectively, how to deal with stress and documenting your processes and workflows. The book finishes off with some system admin-specific tips on how to automate processes.

I can't recommend this book enough. I've been pushing it on my work colleagues, and can already see a difference in how I can manage mine and my team's workloads. Highly recommended.

I never have time...
When I noticed this book I was a bit reluctant since books that claim to teach me how to live my life never appealed to me.
The decision to pick it up was taken since I was curious about the somewhat unusual angle this book takes. The book provides time management techniques for system administrators.
System administrators (and I am guessing you are one or trying to understand one if you are reading this) have no time,ever.
They are either busy with problems at work (24 hours 7 days a week) or busy with learning some new technology or even worse-helping friends and family with absorbing technology.
So I was curious, is there a way for a system administrator to become less busy?

After reading the book I came to the conclusion that a system administrator may be able to better manage his time using the principles outlined in this book. The principles provided in the book are not vague and general; they can be quickly applied to real situations a system administrator may encounter.

When reading this book I had the feeling of Deja-Vu several times, I was using some of the techniques described in the book, before reading the book, yet the book managed to provide the final touches needed to perfect the techniques.

I have found this book to provide a great perspective on the system administrator’s ability to take control of a seemingly chaotic life.

I feel in good company
I found this book really good. I was already starting to apply some of the rules before reading it and reading it just confirmed me that I was on the right path and not a maniac. :)