New Book The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity Released From Franklin Covey Co. and Simon & Schuster

Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC):

“FranklinCovey has spent decades helping people become more effective in achieving their goals and dreams. The authors of THE 5 CHOICES build upon the important work of FranklinCovey by giving the reader insightful principles and tools to stop reacting to the ‘urgent’ and start focusing on what is important. I recommend this book to anyone who feels that they work hard all day, but spend a large portion of their time reacting to demands and not on what they would choose to do.”

—Joel Peterson, Chairman, JetBlue

Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC), in partnership with Simon & Schuster, today announced the release of The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity (Simon & Schuster; December 30, 2014; hardcover, $28.00; www.franklincovey.com/books/the5choices).

In a six-year FranklinCovey study, 351,613 respondents indicated that more than 40 percent of their time was being spent on activities that were not important either to themselves or to their organization. This lack of productivity can be attributed to two primary factors:

• The second-by-second battle for our attention and the draining demands on our personal energy, resulting from the constant, streaming flow of decisions with which we are presented;
• The failure to consciously and proactively choose what is most important and use that as the primary filter for navigating through the never-ending demands for our attention.

The combination of these factors has a significant impact on how accomplished or how buried alive we feel on any day, not only at work, but at home and in our community. (See video: www.the5choices.com/buried_alive.)

To provide a solution, FranklinCovey productivity experts Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill, and Leena Rinne drew on the latest brain science, technology and performance psychology research to write The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity. The book is also based upon the content in FranklinCovey’s flagship productivity work session, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity®. Tens of thousands of FranklinCovey client participants have attended the work session, and have had practical experiences in applying the 5 Choices in numerous situations, and in organizations throughout the world.

The book provides us with a proven path to extraordinary productivity, a path which offers us the opportunity to feel highly accomplished at the end of every day.

“Ironically, technology has made it both easier and harder than ever to achieve extraordinary productivity,” write the authors. “It is easier, because technology enables learning, accessibility and connections in ways never before possible; and it is harder because it enables an unstoppable flow of information and demands that are irresistible to our brain. We will remain captive by this productivity paradox unless we take a fundamentally different approach to addressing the overwhelming flow of decisions and information—an approach rooted in five key choices.”

(See video: www.the5choices.com/overview.)

Our brain can become wired to react to what feels “urgent,” and it actually gives us a dopamine high when we respond to and immediately act on that which seems “important,” because it is “urgent.” We feel busy and productive in the moment, but then realize at the end of the day that we made decisions to spend time on activities that were not of high value. The latest brain science shows that we can overcome this “urgency addiction” by rewiring our brain to pause and consider what is actually important. With this strategy, which the authors call “Pause-Clarify-Decide,” we can pause our “Reactive Brain” long enough to use our “Thinking Brain” to clarify everything that is coming at us. Then we can make a conscious and intentional decision as to what is of high value and thus, worth our time and energy. The more we hone this skill, the more we will be able to accomplish the right things and get a better “ROM”—return on every moment in our day.

The secret to feeling and being highly accomplished is to rewire our brain to make intentional, high-value decisions, have very focused attention, and have the sustainable energy to make it all happen. The path to do this is through consciously making the 5 Choices.

The 5 Choices: The Path To Extraordinary Productivity (See video: www.the5choices.com/5_choices.)

Choice 1: Act on the Important, Don’t React to the Urgent. This choice helps us discern the important from the less and not important, as well as how to increase our ROM (Return on the Moment) in the midst of fierce distractions. In today’s world, we are drowning in email, overwhelmed with demands, and trying to do more with less. With Choice 1, we will filter the vitally important priorities from the less and not important so we can focus on what matters most.

Choice 2: Go for Extraordinary, Don’t Settle for Ordinary. This choice helps guide our decision making through a framework of what success looks like in our current, most important roles. We want to make a difference, but competing priorities often prevent us from achieving extraordinary results. With Choice 2, we will redefine our current roles in terms of extraordinary results to achieve high-priority goals.

Choice 3: Schedule the Big Rocks, Don’t Sort Gravel. This choice provides us with tips and tools to plan weekly and daily to execute with excellence on the most important things. The crushing increase in workday pressures can make us feel helpless and out of control. With Choice 3, we will regain control of our work and life through a cadence of planning and execution that produces extraordinary outcomes.

Choice 4: Rule Your Technology, Don’t Let It Rule You. This choice provides us with tips and tools to make technology work for us, not against us. Turn technology into a productivity engine. An electronic avalanche of email, texts, and social-media alerts seriously threaten productivity as never before. With Choice 4, we will leverage our technology and fend off distractions by optimizing platforms like Microsoft® Outlook®, Google®, and IBM® Notes® to boost productivity.

Choice 5: Fuel Your Fire, Don’t Burn Out. This choice provides simple, yet critical ways to increase energy so we can think clearly, make good decisions, and feel more accomplished at the end of every day. Today’s exhausting, high-pressure work environment can cause burnout. By applying the 5 Energy Drivers™ in Choice 5, we will benefit from the latest in brain science to consistently recharge our mental and physical energy.

These 5 Choices, when consistently made, help us feel more accomplished at the end of the day, personally and professionally.

As we improve at organizing our day by using the framework of The 5 Choices, we won’t try to “get it all done,” which can be frustrating, tiring, and overwhelming. Instead, we will intentionally make decisions on how to handle incoming opportunities, stay focused on what is really important, and know-how to sustain the energy to get the right things done—personally and professionally. Then, we will complete the things that make a difference in terms of accomplishments and results, at work and in our personal lives—and that will be extraordinary.

In The 5 Choices book, we will learn:

• The three challenges to our productivity, brought on by new trends.
• Why it’s a myth that some people do their best work “under pressure.”
• How to evaluate the price we pay for how we are spending our time on one thing vs. another.
• How to make technology our servant, not our master.
  • How to give our inbox a detox.
  • The top 25 email protocols.
  • How to choose apps that will accomplish our goals, instead of distract us from them.
• How to generate the energy to discern the important and execute with excellence.

The practical wisdom in The 5 Choices will ensure that our decisions are not driven by the unrelenting “urgent.” And, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, we will no longer feel discontent, but instead we will feel highly accomplished.

The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity® Work Session - Availability

FranklinCovey offers The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity® work session, which measurably increases the productivity of individuals, teams and organizations. The 5 Choices is the process by which participants acquire the skills of decision, attention, and energy management to make high value choices amidst 21^st century distractions and demands.

The work session is available to the general public, facilitated in live, two-day open enrollment work sessions or one-day online sessions through the American Management Association. Additionally, one- and two-day client in-house work sessions are available through FranklinCovey. Call 1-888-868-1776 for more information.

For more information about The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity book and press kit, please visit:

www.FranklinCovey.com/books/the5choices.

For more information about The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity® work session, visit:

www.the5choices.com.

For press interviews with the authors, please see press contacts below.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Kory Kogon is FranklinCovey’s Global Practice Leader for Productivity, focusing her research and content development around time management, project management, and communication skills. She is one of the authors of the following FranklinCovey work sessions: The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity®, Project Management Essentials for the Unofficial Project Manager™, and Presentation Advantage®. Kory brings more than 25 years of business expertise, from frontline positions to an executive team member. In 2005, Utah Business Magazine honored Kory as one of the Business Women to Watch in Utah. In 2012, Kory earned a Certificate of NeuroLeadership Foundations from the NeuroLeadership Institute, of which she is an ongoing member. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Adam Merrill is FranklinCovey’s Vice President of Innovation. Adam has been developing content in the area of time management and productivity for more than 25 years. In 1994, he was involved in the research that produced the New York Times bestselling book First Things First, by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, and Rebecca R. Merrill. He lives in American Fork, Utah.

Leena Rinne is a FranklinCovey Senior Consultant. Leena has more than 15 years of experience in international business and high-level client relationship management. She is currently in her 10^th year with FranklinCovey and she lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

TITLE: The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity
AUTHORS: Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill and Leena Rinne
PUBLICATION DATE: December 30, 2014
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PRICE: $28
ISBN: 978-1476711713

About Franklin Covey Co.

Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) is a global company specializing in performance improvement. Franklin Covey partners with organizations to help them achieve results that require a change in human behavior. The company’s expertise is in seven areas: leadership, execution, productivity, trust, sales performance, customer loyalty and education. Franklin Covey clients have included 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Franklin Covey has more than 100 offices providing professional services in over 150 countries. For more information, visit www.franklincovey.com.

About Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

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