CHANNEL YOUR INNER NINJA.

Ninjas were highly trained guerrilla warriors in feudal Japan who used stealth and cunning to overcome frightful odds. Much like entrepreneurs, in other words.

The secret to beating bigger, stronger opponents always lies with planning. So entrepreneurs should benefit from Graham Allcott’s advice in his recent book, How to be a Productivity Ninja. As the British time-management consultant notes, “A ninja is ruthless in what they choose to do and takes an unorthodox approach to find the quickest, easiest and most efficient ways to do their work.”

For the impatient and time-pressed, there’s detailed instructions on how to manage your attention (your most precious resource), reduce email overload to zero, organize everything on your agenda, then get stuff done and even, possibly, think ahead.

Just as ninjas trained for months to master a single skill such as seeing in the dark, or controlling their breath, Allcott offers powerful self-improvement processes. For instance, there is a whole chapter on effective checklists. And his “Businesses Ninja Dashboard” includes five inputs you have to manage: a master actions list, calendar, projects list, a waiting for list, and a good ideas park.

Here is his summary of some ninja characteristics required to take control of your time and achieve more every day. Zen-like calm “Great decision-making comes from the ability to create the time and space to think rationally and intelligently about the issue at hand,” Allcott writes. “Decisions made during periods of panic are likely to be the ones we want to forget about.” If you’re suffering from to-do-list overload, calm down. Trust your systems. Lower your expectations. Be prepared and organized, for when times get rough. Ruthlessness time-management Ninjas must make sharper, snappier decisions about how much information to process, when to tell the forest from the trees, and how to protect their time. Recognize that just 20 per cent of the things you do probably determine 80 per cent of your impact. “Saying no to others is tricky,” Allcott says. “It requires steely resolve, a ruthless streak and some great tactics so that you come out smelling of roses … Make it your mission to perfect the art of saying no to yourself and to others.” Weapon-savvy Ninjas are skilful on their own, but they know when to use the right tools to become even more effective. Allcott recommends you master thinking tools, such as strategic planning processes and SWOT analyses, organizing tools (to turn piles of paper and emails into agendas for action), and decisionmaking models. He also recommends turning to your business network, or even Twitter and Facebook when you have tricky questions to answer.

Stealth and camouflage Ninjas are masters of stealth, staying low-profile until it’s time to act. “One of the worst things you can do is always make yourself available,” Allcott writes. “It’s an invitation to some of your biggest enemies: distraction and interruption … Be a little bit elusive, a bit mysterious and even aloof. Protect your attention to ensure it’s spent on what you decide to spend it on, not what others hijack it for.” For instance: “Screen your calls and don’t answer your phone unless you decide the call is likely to be more important than what you’re currently working on.” Unorthodoxy Don’t be afraid to try innovative solutions to routine problems. Model fresh thinking from your peers in other companies or industries. Try new frames of reference: If you want to communicate more creatively, you might ask, “How would Nelson Mandela tackle this?” Constantly look for people travelling the same road as you. Shunning orthodoxy means never being afraid or embarrassed to ask for advice. Agility “A ninja needs to be light on their feet, able to respond with deftness to new opportunities or threats.” The best way to be agile is to keep yourself organized, under-commit your time (avoid meetings that can go ahead without you), and free up your attention to spot opportunities and threats. Preparedness Toge ther, these characteristics work toward a state of constant preparedness. “Zen-like calm in the heat of the battle is only possible if you’re well-prepared,” Allcott says. “Agility is only possible if you’re prepared and ready to react immediately, producing the right response.”