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The Fourth Shift: A Guide to
Personal Time Management
Ralph M. DeFrangesco
May 2005
ISBN: 0-9580238-8-3
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Welcome to the Fourth Shift
I am a firm believer in the phrase,
“Necessity is the mother of invention” (Plato). I decided to write about
time management because I found myself involved in quite a few
activities, but could never complete anything that I started. One day I
decided to borrow a time-management book from a friend. Two things
immediately became apparent. First, it was not for me. It seemed geared
more towards managing projects at work rather then in my personal life.
Second, the book was way too long. I figured if I couldn’t find the time
to complete a project, then how could I find the time to read a book 250
pages long?
This book is geared solely towards
personal time management. It is concise and written from a practical
point of view. This book will allow you to: develop the tools necessary
to create and execute a time-management plan, learn how to effectively
handle multiple projects, and learn to manage your time and take back
your life.
Chapter 1 explains personal time
management, the need for time management and the need for the fourth
shift methodology. Chapter 2 introduces the Fourth Shift, keeping a
journal, and planning your Fourth Shift. Chapter 3 discusses how to
create a plan, describes the relationships between activities and
introduces an example plan. Chapter 4 discusses To-do Lists and saving
your plans. Chapter 5 identifies two major issues that may affect your
activities, such as sleep loss and stimulants. Finally Chapter 6 reviews
the themes discussed throughout the book, reviews a time wasters list,
recommends reading materials, cites links to organize yourself better,
and references a glossary that defines the terms used throughout this
book.
What is the Fourth Shift?
So what is the Fourth Shift? I describe
the Fourth Shift as that time which is not spent working, time not spent
with the family (including going to your children’s events), time not
spent doing those necessary activities such as house work, paying bills,
working on your car, or personal grooming. This basically leaves sleep
time, eating time (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and travel time, and
whatever leisure time you may have, or as I like to refer to it, your
copious free time. My Fourth Shift runs daily from when after my
children go to sleep until when I get up for work, or they get up, plus
the above-mentioned times. For me, this timeline runs from about 10:00
p.m. until 6:00 a.m. plus the time that I travel and eat.
What is the Role of the Fourth Shift
Methodology?
The role of the methodology is to provide
a foundation through examples and templates so you can begin to execute
effective time management. Reading about time management is a great
start, but you must be willing to give it a try. The simple examples in
this book are easy to follow and provide a great reference. The
templates, which are located in the appendices at the end of the book,
offer the reader an easy-to-follow canned approach to personal time
management. The following is a high-level view of the methodology:
• Start by filling out a weekly journal
to let you know how you currently spend your time.
• Fill in your Fourth Shift Chart to
show you what time(s) you have available to accomplish your goals.
• Create a list of three-to five goals
you want to complete and prioritize the list.
• Next, create a plan (in Chapter 3, we
call this a CTSA Plan) for each goal that you want to accomplish.
• If applicable, fill in a To-do List.
This will allow you to divide your activities into manageable tasks.
• Finally, save all complete CTSA plans
and use them for future planning.
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Bookshop.
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Welcome to the Fourth Shift
I am a firm believer in the phrase,
“Necessity is the mother of invention” (Plato). I decided to write about
time management because I found myself involved in quite a few
activities, but could never complete anything that I started. One day I
decided to borrow a time-management book from a friend. Two things
immediately became apparent. First, it was not for me. It seemed geared
more towards managing projects at work rather then in my personal life.
Second, the book was way too long. I figured if I couldn’t find the time
to complete a project, then how could I find the time to read a book 250
pages long?
This book is geared solely towards
personal time management. It is concise and written from a practical
point of view. This book will allow you to: develop the tools necessary
to create and execute a time-management plan, learn how to effectively
handle multiple projects, and learn to manage your time and take back
your life.
Chapter 1 explains personal time
management, the need for time management and the need for the fourth
shift methodology. Chapter 2 introduces the Fourth Shift, keeping a
journal, and planning your Fourth Shift. Chapter 3 discusses how to
create a plan, describes the relationships between activities and
introduces an example plan. Chapter 4 discusses To-do Lists and saving
your plans. Chapter 5 identifies two major issues that may affect your
activities, such as sleep loss and stimulants. Finally Chapter 6 reviews
the themes discussed throughout the book, reviews a time wasters list,
recommends reading materials, cites links to organize yourself better,
and references a glossary that defines the terms used throughout this
book.
What is the Fourth Shift?
So what is the Fourth Shift? I describe
the Fourth Shift as that time which is not spent working, time not spent
with the family (including going to your children’s events), time not
spent doing those necessary activities such as house work, paying bills,
working on your car, or personal grooming. This basically leaves sleep
time, eating time (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and travel time, and
whatever leisure time you may have, or as I like to refer to it, your
copious free time. My Fourth Shift runs daily from when after my
children go to sleep until when I get up for work, or they get up, plus
the above-mentioned times. For me, this timeline runs from about 10:00
p.m. until 6:00 a.m. plus the time that I travel and eat.
What is the Role of the Fourth Shift
Methodology?
The role of the methodology is to provide
a foundation through examples and templates so you can begin to execute
effective time management. Reading about time management is a great
start, but you must be willing to give it a try. The simple examples in
this book are easy to follow and provide a great reference. The
templates, which are located in the appendices at the end of the book,
offer the reader an easy-to-follow canned approach to personal time
management. The following is a high-level view of the methodology:
• Start by filling out a weekly journal
to let you know how you currently spend your time.
• Fill in your Fourth Shift Chart to
show you what time(s) you have available to accomplish your goals.
• Create a list of three-to five goals
you want to complete and prioritize the list.
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