1-Step Time Management

A member in a recent Chief Executive Boards International meeting was lamenting his ability to get the "important things" done. He said, "I find myself at the end of a day realizing that the one thing I really needed to get done didn't get worked on at all." I had an easy time personally identifying with that. It's so easy to get distracted by phone calls, email and employees, that sometimes the big stuff (particularly big stuff that seems either hard or distasteful) doesn't get the attention it deserves - or any attention at all.

Another member said, "I use a variation on the Napoleon Hill goal card idea - the one he shared with Andrew Carnegie." What he does is carry 3"x5" cards in his shirt pocket. Before he goes to the office (or the night before) he writes one important thing he wants to get done on each of three cards. In the morning, he lays those three cards out on his desk, beside the phone, and works on only those three things. When all three are done, he works on other things. Or, he said, "I've found out that if I get those three things done, I may as well go home - my day is complete and I feel good about what I did."

Try this out. You'll find the 3"x5" format gives you places to put notes and ideas, and they also can become accumulators for another day's important things - things that don't need to get done right now, but you want them at the top of the list some day, along with some background thought you've put into them.

Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in the world at the time, reportedly sent Napoleon Hill a check for this idea.  If you have a particular time management strategy that works for you, click "Comments" below and share it with others.

To forward this to a friend, Click Here

Other CEBI Blog Articles... 

Terry Weaver

CEO

Chief Executive Boards International
http://www.chiefexecutiveboards.com/

TerryWeaver@ChiefExecutiveBoards.com