Donna McGeorge - The 1 Day Refund

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright First published in 2022 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064 Office also in Melbourne © John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2022 The moral rights of the author have been asserted ISBN: 978‐0‐730‐39820‐2 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. Cover design by Wiley Cover and part opener image: © Ankudi/Getty ImagesInternal illustrations by Donna McGeorge Disclaimer The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

4 About the author About the author Donna McGeorge makes work work . She is passionate about enhancing the time we spend in the workplace (too much, for many of us) to ensure it is effective and productive, and enjoyable. Donna has worked with managers and leaders throughout Australia and the Asia–Pacific for over 20 years. In 2020 she, like many of us, transitioned her work from live, in‐person to online. She delivers productivity programs, keynotes and webinars globally across a mix of industries. Her CV is as eclectic as her record collection (yes, classic vinyl). In addition to roles at Telstra, Qantas, Ernst & Young and Ansett, she has managed Theatre, Sports and Concert Tours for the UK‐based travel company Keith Prowse and been the Asia–Pacific Organisational Development Manager for the Ford Motor Company in Shanghai. Donna also shares her knowledge for good through appearances on The Today Show , radio interviews across Australia and writing articles for publications including The Age , Boss Magazine , Smart Company , B&T Magazine and HRM . The 1‐Day Refund is the third book in her ‘It's About Time' productivity series. The other two are The 25‐Minute Meeting and The First 2 Hours , published by John Wiley & Sons in 2018 and 2019 respectively. She runs her business from her home in Hope Island, South East Queensland, a region known for its world‐class beaches, but her most creative moments come while sipping tea on her balcony and gazing at the meandering waterways with her husband, Steve, and her dog, Prudence. Donna believes that while workplaces are complex, they are not hard. More often than not it's getting the simple things right, consistently, that has the greatest impact. She also knows that when we decide to be intentional, we can surprise ourselves with what we can achieve. www.donnamcgeorge.com

5 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements In 2018 I published my first ‘proper' book, The 25‐Minute Meeting . It was a super‐steep learning curve, and I couldn't have done it without the team who supported me. In 2019, just a year later, I published The First 2 Hours and, following the global pandemic, here I am in 2021, publishing my third book. Again, it has been a team effort. Lucy Raymond, Chris Shorten, Renee Aurish and the team at Wiley — thank you for offering me the opportunity to turn two books into a series and working hard with me to get the title and message right for this one. You have opened up my work to the world and I'm forever grateful. Kelly Irving — legend. We worked at a rocking pace for this one! I have come to rely heavily not only on your editing skill but on your intellect, your deep knowledge (no doubt from reading HEAPS of books) and your no‐nonsense approach to writing great business books. Blessed to have you in my world. Janine Garner — you loved my stuff so much you started sharing it far and wide before it was even fully developed in my head! Thank you for putting me in front of your valued inner circle and clients. Anne Marie — once again your honesty and humour in applying your exquisite knowledge of the Queen's English are appreciated and loved. It was during our regular morning walks, where I shared, mused and debriefed many of the concepts in this book. Thank you. Emma McGeorge — you continue to be the inspiration for much of my writing as I strive to create a better corporate working environment for everyone and, particularly, for you. I love you, my darling girl. And finally, there is nothing I could do in my professional or personal life without the loving support of my husband, Steve. Our location has changed since the last time I wrote acknowledgements for a book, but nothing else has. You are still of service. You still swap out empty cups of tea and bring me snacks without my noticing. I'm still blessed. Thank you, my love.

6 Introduction

7 How to use this book

8 PART I: WHY WE NEED TO TAKE BACK TIME CHAPTER 1: We're busy addicts Trading time for money Reframe laziness CHAPTER 2: We need the capacity to adapt Are you at max capacity? CHAPTER 3: We perform best with less Small things, consistently Give yourself a break

9 PART II: HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME WISELY CHAPTER 4: Thinking space Purple patches Decelerate Decompress Decide CHAPTER 5: Breathing space Disengage Disconnect Devote CHAPTER 6: Living space Design Declutter Decomplicate CHAPTER 7: Working space Define Defrag Delegate

10 Final chapter bonus!

11 Your savings plan

12 Where to now?

13 Work with me

14 SourcesIntroduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

15 Index

16 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 2Figure 2.1: the energy/time matrix

2 Chapter 4Figure 4.1: thinking spaceFigure 4.2: Kanban

3 Chapter 5Figure 5.1: breathing space

4 Chapter 6Figure 6.1: living space

5 Chapter 7Figure 7.1: working spaceFigure 7.2: defragging

6 Part 2Figure A: space framework

7 Final chapter bonus!Figure B: The First 2 Hours frameworkFigure C: The First 2 Hours template

8 Your savings planFigure D: The 1‐Day Refund Savings Plan

1 Cover Page

2 Table of Contents

3 Title Page

4 Copyright First published in 2022 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064 Office also in Melbourne © John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2022 The moral rights of the author have been asserted ISBN: 978‐0‐730‐39820‐2 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. Cover design by Wiley Cover and part opener image: © Ankudi/Getty ImagesInternal illustrations by Donna McGeorge Disclaimer The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.