| If you are already a high achiever who
| |
| | distinctive ring for calls that you know
|
| still has time to do everything you need
| |
| | you'll want to accept, like those from
|
| and want to do, then stop reading right
| |
| | your spouse and children. That way, you
|
| now and send me YOUR time management
| |
| | don't need to keep checking the caller ID
|
| tips. If not, you can effortlessly and
| |
| | every time it rings.Ask your employees,
|
| automatically add several hours of
| |
| | coworkers and family to send high
|
| productive time to your week with the
| |
| | priority messages with 911 or some other
|
| following strategies.1. Limit
| |
| | special code at the beginning of the
|
| Television. There's a reason the TV
| |
| | subject line, to make sure you read those
|
| carries such disparaging nicknames as the
| |
| | first when you do scan your new mail.
|
| "idiot box" and "boob tube." For many
| |
| | Keep in mind that probably 90% of
|
| people, the television wastes incredible
| |
| | so-called emergencies can be handled by
|
| amounts of precious time. I'm not saying
| |
| | someone else. Whether you own the place
|
| all TV is evil; it's simply a matter of
| |
| | or just reside high enough up the food
|
| priorities. Many people who say they
| |
| | chain to warrant urgent calls for help,
|
| have no time to exercise always find time
| |
| | letting your staff learn how to make good
|
| to watch The Sopranos, American Idol, and
| |
| | decisions will save everyone time in the
|
| CSI. If you're going to watch something,
| |
| | long run. When you leave a phone message
|
| get a DVR, if you don't already have one.
| |
| | for someone else, leave a good callback
|
| At least you can record your must-see TV
| |
| | time to avoid the dreaded, time-consuming
|
| and fast foward through the commercials
| |
| | telephone tag. Example voice mail:
|
| when you watch it later. I can't stay up
| |
| | "Good afternoon, this is Joe Block, from
|
| late enough to watch Jay Leno, but since
| |
| | Block & Block, returning your phone call.
|
| we got the DVR a couple of years ago, I
| |
| | I can be reached at 401-555-1772
|
| watch his monologue every morning while
| |
| | between the hours of 2:00 to 3:00 this
|
| eating breakfast. I have never seen nor
| |
| | afternoon, or tomorrow morning between
|
| have any desire to watch most of today's
| |
| | 10:00 and noon. I look forward to your
|
| popular TV shows. Occasionally, I get
| |
| | call." If possible, change your voice
|
| around to the list of episodes of
| |
| | mail greeting each day to indicate the
|
| Mythbusters on our DVR, usually on a
| |
| | best times to reach you. Example
|
| morning when the previous night's Leno
| |
| | greeting: "Hello, this is Joe Block with
|
| was a rerun.There are almost always more
| |
| | Block & Block. I'm sorry I missed your
|
| important things to do in the evening
| |
| | call. Today is Friday, June 5th, and I
|
| than watch TV, like building my business
| |
| | will be in the office between 9:00 and
|
| or reading to my toddler. If you run
| |
| | 10:00 this morning, as well as from 3:00
|
| your own business, think of it in terms
| |
| | to 5:00 this afternoon. If you'd like to
|
| of your hourly rate. How much would a
| |
| | leave a message, please do so after the
|
| customer or client pay you, or how much
| |
| | tone."5. Put the Brakes on Waiting. You
|
| could you earn in other ways, during the
| |
| | can both minimize waiting and make the
|
| hour you spend watching that rerun of Law
| |
| | most of time that you must spend waiting.
|
| & Order? Of course, you can't put a
| |
| | While waiting on the telephone on hold,
|
| price on family time, and you can't give
| |
| | check and respond to email. While
|
| full attention to your spouse or
| |
| | driving to work or waiting in traffic,
|
| offspring with one eye on the tube. If
| |
| | listen to educational or motivational
|
| you have the space and funds to furnish a
| |
| | audiobooks. Use this time to learn a
|
| room with a television, DVD player and/or
| |
| | foreign language or perhaps pick up new
|
| DVR, and a treadmill, you can actually
| |
| | business strategies from one of the many
|
| make good use of your TV time. Add more
| |
| | tycoons who have written books.When
|
| exercise equipment for even better
| |
| | scheduling medical appointments, try to
|
| results. You can make time for your
| |
| | get the earliest available appointment.
|
| favorite programs while staying in
| |
| | Some of the
|
| shape.2. Banish Mindless Internet
| |
| | best medical providers get way behind as
|
| Surfing & Computer Games. The Internet
| |
| | the day progresses because they spend
|
| is a wonderful, miraculous piece of work,
| |
| | whatever time is necessary to answer all
|
| but can also quickly pull you into a
| |
| | of their patients' questions and attend
|
| nearly infinite galaxy of interesting but
| |
| | to their needs. The later your
|
| not-terribly-useful information. You
| |
| | appointment time, the longer you will
|
| can easily lose track of time while
| |
| | wait. Avoid Monday and Friday medical
|
| clicking one intriguing link after
| |
| | appointments for routine visits. Sick
|
| another. Many folks set timers for their
| |
| | people line up to be seen before the
|
| children to limit their computer time,
| |
| | weekend, or call first thing Monday after
|
| but think nothing of losing valuable
| |
| | feeling progressively worse all weekend.
|
| sleep time staring dazedly at the screen.
| |
| | Avoiding Mondays and Fridays means
|
| Computer games also can quickly suck the
| |
| | avoiding the most crowded waiting rooms
|
| life blood out of your work and family
| |
| | full of
|
| time. If you're not careful, you'll lose
| |
| | sick people and their germs.Since some
|
| track of time - time that could be spent
| |
| | amount of waiting is inevitable, always
|
| in more productive endeavors.3. Turn Away
| |
| | take along a newspaper, magazine or book
|
| From Office Gossip. Resist the
| |
| | to pass the time. Some medical offices
|
| temptation to spend 15 minutes here and
| |
| | rely on donations of old magazines from
|
| there in idle chit-chat with coworkers.
| |
| | employees to fill their racks. If a 1999
|
| Don't get me wrong - some degree of
| |
| | issue of Field & Stream doesn't interest
|
| relationship building at work is
| |
| | you, you'll be glad you brought along
|
| important, even critical to your
| |
| | today's newspaper. Alternately, you can
|
| professional happiness and success. But
| |
| | use the free service to download fresh
|
| you can easily turn 15 minutes here and
| |
| | content directly to your PDA before any
|
| 15 minutes there into a major disruption.
| |
| | appointment. It's a great way to carry
|
| The next thing you'll be discussing is
| |
| | around enough reading material for a long
|
| that you don't have nearly enough time to
| |
| | wait without needing a heavy backpack.6.
|
| do all of your work, and you don't know
| |
| | Don't Finish It Just Because You Started
|
| where the day has gone!4. Disconnect
| |
| | It. If the book doesn't live up to its
|
| From Constant Monitoring of Email & Phone
| |
| | ratings, or you bought into the hype of a
|
| Calls. Just because you can be
| |
| | very bad movie, you have already wasted
|
| constantly available doesn't mean that
| |
| | money. Don't waste your time as well. I
|
| you must be. If you have a secretary or
| |
| | have abandoned books after only a few
|
| assistant, this person can screen your
| |
| | chapters and walked out of the theater
|
| calls, visitors and emails. Set aside
| |
| | during terrible flicks. Studying reviews
|
| time on your calendar to return calls and
| |
| | may save you both the dollars and the
|
| answer emails. Many unannounced outside
| |
| | hours sometimes, but not always.Please
|
| visitors will be salespeople. They often
| |
| | note that I am not heaping criticism upon
|
| provide a valuable service by introducing
| |
| | those who watch hours of TV, spend a lot
|
| you to new or less expensive products and
| |
| | of time in conversation with coworkers,
|
| services, but out of consideration for
| |
| | check their Blackberries every 10
|
| your time, they should make an
| |
| | minutes, surf the Internet, play video
|
| appointment, if you have any interest in
| |
| | games or read boring books. I merely
|
| their wares. If you have no interest
| |
| | offer an outline for raising your
|
| whatsoever, don't waste their time or
| |
| | achievement level by breaking away from
|
| yours. When you're in a time crunch,
| |
| | common time traps. The rest is up to
|
| close your email program so that you are
| |
| | you.Beth McIntire is a marketing guru,
|
| not tempted to keep checking it. You can
| |
| | technical writer and computer geek.
|
| program your cell phone with a
| |
| |
|
