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