Editor's
Foreword
In 1967 mankind had not yet reached the moon, the office computer revolution was still in its infancy, and management executives were grasping for methods to make the most productive use of their time.
It was in this milieu that Ted W. Engstrom and R. Alec Mackenzie published their ground-breaking work Managing Your Time, a practical study in time management for Christians in their workplace.
In the twenty years since the first copies of Managing Your Time appeared on bookstore shelves, technology has leapt forward, surrounding managers with computer terminals and the hardware and software to communicate with customers, contributors, and competitors around the world. Women have moved in and become comfortable in the executive suite, companies have embraced flex time work policies, and management training programs have established themselves across the country.
And still, all around us, we find managers grasping for ways to make the most productive use of their time.
On the 20th anniversary of the publication of Managing Your Time, Zondervan is pleased to publish an updated edition of the book that has continued to meet people's needs since its first printing. This, the 31st edition, is a testimony to the endurance of the book's philosophy and core concepts, as well as to the quality of the authors' work.
Foreword to the First Edition (1967) — Herbert J. Taylor
You cannot proceed very far in the reading of this book until you realize that it not only tells you how to manage your time more efficiently but it also covers in a very thorough manner the principles of overall management in the fields of business, education and in the Lord's work.
I have known the authors of this book for many years by character, talent and experience in both the field of business and in numerous successful Christian projects. The authors are particularly well qualified to prepare this most helpful book in the field of management.
The book covers various fields of endeavor and contains excellent Bible quotations as well as quotations from a number of past and present national and international leaders such as Robert Burns, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Senator Mark Hatfield. One of the best pieces of advice given in this book is that we are trustees of our time and should look to God, the Holy Spirit, and the Bible for guidance as to how we should use our time and talents.
We all realize the importance of objectives in our lives. If you know what a person's objective is or what is causing that person to move in a certain direction, then you are better qualified to advise or to influence him or her. This book places the proper emphasis on the importance of giving time and thought to arriving at short term and long-range objectives for one's self as well as for an organization.
Another very important subject dealt with in this book is the question of priorities with respect to the use of our
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time, talents and money. Throughout the book, emphasis is also given to quality in one's life and in one's work. Today there is great lack of excellence in performance not only in business but in the Lord's work. This book would certainly lead one to aim towards higher excellence of performance in all the phases of one's life. I believe it was Dwight Moody who said: "Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, and for as long as you can." I believe the reading of this book and the applying of some of the sound suggestions contained therein would help anyone to do a better job of reaching the high objective in the above statement.
HERBERT J. TAYLOR
Former President, Club Aluminum Products
