Time Management for System Administrators: Stop Working Late and Start Working Smart

I finally purchased and re-read this old favorite and, even though the book came out over a decade ago, it is still relevant and filled with good advice for the IT professional. While the basic strategies can be captured in one sentence - fully track your schedule in an organizer and document important procedures in a wiki - it is the subtle nuances, the feelings of shared pain, and the inspirational epilogue that make this book a must-read and potentially a life-changer for sysadmins and similar sufferers.That said, it is now 2017. I cannot in good conscience gift my colleagues a book that mentions Palm Pilots in every chapter. I would love to see the ubiquitous computing technologies that have emerged since this book was published examined by the author (even if, like him, I still prefer pen and paper). Mr. Limoncelli, I know YOU have the free time... write a second edition and I'll preorder it now!

I liked this book. The first few chapters are an excellent introduction to how to think about modern, tech-oriented office work. The middle part covers the author's personal time management system. This section is fine, but I found the author's system mostly interchangeable with other well-known time management systems. I skimmed this and wished I had skipped it.The end of the book has specific, technology-focused advice, including advice on automating work. This part shines. Limoncelli should expand the automation chapter into its own book. It changed how I do my job (software development) and how I think about labor-saving technologies. Really great stuff.There is a jarring off-color joke partway through the book that keeps me from recommending it to coworkers. I wish the editor had cut it and I hope O'Reilly excises it from future editions.

Have owned my copy of this book from Amazon for more than 6 years and I like to trot it out every couple of years for a reread (it's that useful!). After putting Limoncelli's ideas into practice I found that my effectiveness and appearance of competency at work increased. The book is a good investment for any entry or mid level computer scientist, not just systems administrators.Recommendation: Buy.Summary Notes from Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli (spoilers!):1. Keep all your time management stuff in one place - your work and personal appointments, to do list, calendar, goals, etc.2. Focus on the current task; use external storage to record/remember everything else.3. Develop routines for things so there are no oopsies or important items left undone or forgotten. A good routine is to start each day with our to do list, estimate duration to complete each task, prioritize the tasks, schedule them to be completed, and work the schedule.4. Pre-compile decisions by developing habits and mantras. Habits such as using the first quiet hour of the day to work projects, or to put gas in your car on the same day every week.5. Maintain focus during work tasks- do not allow distractions like email, internet surfing, IM, etc to derail you. Study in a quiet environment whenever possible.

I attended an eponymous presentation given by the author. Tom is a good presenter and a good writer and the sort of smart-but-easy-going guy you would want to work with. The whole idea of "time management" is especially important for systems administrators, who tend to juggle a lot of things at once while also handling user interruptions, and reporting to diffuse layers of management.Tom does an excellent job of describing the problems of getting things done and managing customer expectations effectively, and explains various processes that one can adopt to improve on that. He emphasizes that it is a long-term, bit-by-bit process where you give different self-management methodologies a shot, and then as you find things that work, you expand the domain of your self-time-management to be more effective not merely in the field of Systems Administration, but life-in-general.I myself am still experimenting with various daily regimens and have yet to find a system that works really well for me . . . but if Tom hadn't gotten into my head the importance of time management, I would still be spinning my wheels in ignorance as to how one might go about being more effective.I dug this book so much that I gave it as a "starting day" gift when we hired our second SysAdmin. Tom was gracious enough to sign that copy--thanks, Tom!-danny

This is pre smart phone so I feel the entire idea of distractions and interruptions is now at a whole other level and a revised version would be much welcomed. But it presents plenty of still relevant and solid strategies even for those of us no longer in systems administration or maybe even those who never were.

Interesting book, think I need to work on my attention span to finish it though.

Successfully read this book. Has some great points that could probably have been conveyed in 20 pages, rather than the full page count.Essentially, Write a list, plan your day, ignore your email till the afternoon. Then your golden.

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. :)

Quite simply if you are a systems administrator and you have not read this book then do so right away.