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 To-Do List Formula
How to Increase your Productivity and
Time Management

By Nils Damon
 Introduction
Congratulations on downloading To-Do List Formula: How to Increase
your Productivity and Time Management and thank you for doing so.

The following chapters will discuss what life is like when utilizing the
best time management practices. It also teaches how to break bad habits
and ways to become more efficient with daily tasks. This book is meant to
be an informative guide that is written lightheartedly. You will find useful
information contained within this book and will find the reading joyful as
well as informative.

There are plenty of books on this subject on the market, thanks again for
choosing this one! Every effort was made to ensure it is full of as much
useful information as possible. Please enjoy!
 Table of Contents
Introduction
Preface
Chapter 1: What Is Time Management and Why Is It
Necessary for Success
Chapter 2: Different Thinking and Ways of Seeing
Time Management
Chapter 3: Correlation of Time Management Skills
and Success
Chapter 4: Habits That Hinder Successful Time
Management
Chapter 5: Scheduling and Priorities
Chapter 6: Additional Suggestions and Ideas
Chapter 7: When Everything Is Put Together and
Works
Chapter 8: The 30-Day Plan Guide
Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusion
Conclusion

Preface
So, you want to become more time-efficient? Or, are you just
curious about how successful people can handle everything on their
plates? It’s possible that you just came across this book while searching
for some bathroom reading material. Whatever your reason for reading
this book, you will probably want to make sure that you take the time to
finish it. I can assure you that you are going to have a hard time putting it
down. Whatever your reason, for the purpose of this portion of the book,
I’m going to assume that you are slow and horrible at time management.

I, on the other hand, am great at time management, and the thought

of wasting time makes my skin crawl. I can’t stand it! Why someone
would want to waste their God-given-time is beyond me. I see it as a form
of self-mutilation, psychologically. It’s more than a metaphor though
because you can really cause mental problems when dealing with how to
handle everything you must each day. You must have some kind of ability
to control your time, or you wouldn’t be reading this book.

In this reading, you will learn some key points to use when creating
plans and schedules. There will be some examples of how these can be
formatted and different methods in creating them. There will be
suggestions as to what points to remember when constructing your plans.
This information should be helpful, not just for productive time, time
spent in the workplace, but with non-productive time as well. Non-
productive time simply means the time that is not set aside for work. This
includes family time. However, don’t let semantics fool you. Many people
hold more value with the time spent with their families rather than work.
This also will be discussed in this book. Personally, this is where my
values lie.

We are going to look at some bad habits that can include themselves
in your time management if you are not careful. Additionally, we will look
at some ways in which we can get rid ourselves of ourselves. We will
briefly look at other topics dealing with time management. Things such as
multitasking and taking shortcuts will also be discussed.

After reading these chapters, you will find that you have more
information with time management and that you are better prepared to
begin to create efficient and beneficial plans and schedules which should
allow you to better manage your time. That is if such a thing actually
existed in the first place. We can’t manage something that isn’t
changeable. This will also be discussed here later.

You will read many times in this book that the first thing with time
management is your personal beliefs and goals. It will be mentioned
various times because of its importance. If you retain any information
from this reading, please let it be this key point. Your time management,
as well as every other aspect of your goal setting, begins with what you
want, desire, and hold to be most valuable. Using this key point, keep in
mind that your planning should be just that. It is yours and shouldn’t be
copied from anyone else. Just like you shouldn’t ever try to imagine
yourself in another’s shoes, you should not ever try to use what they have
as their own time management plans. Yes, you can utilize other people’s
strategies. That is particularly important if he or she has proven
successful. However, let the similarities end there.

Before going on with time management, I feel it necessary to give

some information on why I find time management to be of such
importance that I made the decision to write about it. Like most people, I
didn’t even think about how managing my time would have such a
profound impact on my life. I was fine just coasting through life without
worrying about where my time was going. At the day’s end, I seemed to
get done what needed to be done. I thought of myself as successful, and I
wanted little more than what I already had.

Beginning about the time my youngest child was born, I read some
information on time management which enlightened me and made me
realize just how much my usage of time wasn’t efficient and how much
time was wasted. Because of my career choice, this wasn’t necessarily in
the workplace but more with my personal time. I began to realize just how
many things I was doing were simply wasting time. I began to see the
negative impacts on my life that were caused by poor time management.
These things had eluded me for years. I simply didn’t know what to look
for. I was blind when it came to proper time utilization.

After this slap of realization to the face, I began to research good

time management. I became interested immediately and began to absorb
as much information on the topic as I could. Once I got to the point where
I believed myself to have the knowledge needed to begin to properly plan
my time, I jumped in with both feet. I began to plan everything. As insane
as it may sound, I planned every single day. This was with both work and
personal time. Throughout this book, we will refer to personal time as
“non-productive,” but I assure you that this is just a choice of words. Time
spent with family is in no way non-productive. In all actuality, it’s the
most rewarding and productive time that I can personally imagine.

Once I became successful at planning and scheduling my time, I

immediately noticed the positive results. I didn’t simply create plans that
allowed me to complete more tasks. Yes, that happened, but it was much
more than that. I was able to greatly increase the quality of time that I
spent doing things. This was especially true with family. Where there were
times when I may have been physically present, those times were also
when I wasn’t there mentally at all. My kids could tell this, and that would
provide a dark cloud over what should have been sunshine. In other words,
there were times when my children were hurt because I wasn’t mentally
there with them when I should have been. Looking back on this, I want to
do what I can to help others so that they will never have to come to the
same realization that I had to.

While you read this book, try to think of what things are really
important to you personally. Don’t forget these things and always allow
yourself and your planning sufficient time with that which you feel is most
important. After all, we only live once, right? In a nutshell, I’m writing
this book with the hope that you, the reader, will take this information,
heed this warning, and run with it. Take off and get to planning, but doing
it the correct, and efficient, way from the start.
So, here we stand as of now. You are slow and want to be efficient. I
am fast and can barely tolerate those who are slow. I’ve written this book,
and now you are reading it. Once again, we see how the universe works!
Since we are both doing what we have intended to do and you are in a
place where you can absorb some information, let’s not lollygag or beat
around the bush! Time to get started and let the information and ideas run
as the wind blows!
 Chapter 1: What Is Time Management and Why
Is It Necessary for Success
It is probably a good idea to make sure that we are clear on the
definition of time management. We need to also be on the same page in
defining everything else in this book. If we are going to understand
everything, we should understand first what we are discussing. For some
readers, this information may seem a bit boring, but it’s a necessary evil.
In this chapter, we will be discussing the topics in this book and will see
examples of each. A lot of great and interesting things are written here, so
don’t worry. It will all fit together nicely at the end. I promise.

What is time management? First, let’s break this term down. The
definition of “management” is the act or manner of managing, handling,
direction, or control. There we have it! If simply taken by definition, the
term time management is just a fallacy; it does not exist. It means we
can’t control time. It is there and is limited to a certain amount, and there
is absolutely nothing we can do about it. In one day, there are 24 hours,
and in a week, there are 168 hours. Each hour consists of 60 minutes. We
have 24 hours in every day, and that number is not going to ever change.

Let’s take a common-sense look at time. When we say that we are

adding or subtracting something that we have on our schedule, we are
lying to ourselves. We don’t add or subtract anything when it comes to
time. All we do is borrow from one to give to the other. That’s all-time
management is—borrowing from one activity to give to another. There are
different types of philosophies when it comes to time management but, in
a nutshell, it all adds up to giving and borrowing to and from activities.
So, is there really a time when you are doing nothing? Let’s think about
this for a second. Even when you are sleeping, a lot of things are
happening in your body, especially your brain. How about when you are
sitting in a chair and relaxing? Even then, you are doing things. In this
scenario, you are probably mostly thinking. Thinking about things is
certainly doing something. So, the answer to this question is simple. No.
There are no times in which you are actually doing nothing. It’s not
possible. Even if it were, what a waste that would be, don’t you think?
 This reminds me of a book that I have read somewhere back during
the 3 or 4th grade. I don’t remember the title and the author, but I can still
rd

remember the synopsis. The book was about what to do if you wanted to
become a perfect person. The story was of a boy who was reading a guide
telling him step-by-step how to become perfect. By the end of the story, he
was in a dark room, rocking in a chair, and sipping “weak tea.” There were
no electronics or anything to do in the room. All he could do was drink tea
and rock in the chair. Then, the book tells the reader, “This is the only way
for a person to reach perfection.” Voltaire, a French writer, said something
about perfection. He claimed it was “the enemy of good.” We will look at
this quote further in Chapter 4. Just remember this about perfection:
reaching it is not possible. Remember that when someone speaks of
changing the time or actually “managing” time. It isn’t possible.
Most of us are aware that the study of time management is actually
a big deal. There are so many different studies and sources of information
of the time, one could read, watch, and listen to media only on time
management, and it would take a long time to get through it all. When did
we begin to pay so much attention to this and why? To answer this
question, let’s discuss a little history. There are some who believe that
attention to managing time came to the forefront of studies on
productivity during the industrial revolution. Employers were trying to
find better ways of maximizing production, and this was the beginning.
This was also during a shift in the workforce that would become a part of
the very foundation of today’s capitalistic method of commerce. We
shifted from the small, sole-proprietor, working from home to the large
employer with many employees model that we have now.

Although it is true that more emphasis began to be shown toward

time management during the industrial revolution, the truth is that time
management has always been something observed in business. As far back
as 4000 B.C., with the invention of cuneiform writing, it also came
attention to time and how to best utilize it. The Egyptians further
developed methods for keeping track of time by developing tall obelisks
that tracked the position of the sun by its shadows and, therefore, enabling
the creation of two parts of the time of day. This was the birth of the “AM”
and “PM” halves of the clock. This is unless you choose to utilize
“military time.” This time is in a 24-hour format rather than the common
12-hour. Where most call 6 PM just that, with military time it is referred
to as 1800 hours. The way to calculate this is to take 12 PM and then add
the remaining 6 hours. Thus, you have a total of 18 or 1800 hours. These
devices were finally given the name “rudimentary sundials.”

We know that as far back as 1754 B.C., pay has been given to
workers which corresponded to the time that work was in production. This
is first seen with the “Code of Hammurabi.” This specified the amount of
pay given to the different types of workers that were based on the type of
labor and of time that person worked during a given period. This was by
the day, in the beginning, but would later be broken down into smaller
blocks of time.

It’s also important to note that, even though technology had

provided the means of tracking time until the Industrial Revolution, there
hadn’t been a great need for such devices. This is because the majority of
workers depended on something other than time itself. This was the
weather. Before large-scale industry, the majority of workers were farmers,
anglers, artisans, and others with trades that were dependent on time as
only a means of keeping track of daylight and of tracking the different
seasons. Time was only important for this because most people were
simple and led one-dimensional lives.

There were a few professions that didn’t take part in this

development and were relatively unchanged until what is known as the
“billable hour” came to be. Professions that became linked to these
include lawyers, physicians, accountants, and other professions that
provided services to the customer rather than providing goods. The
downside to this system is the openness for fraud and inaccuracies.
Further, its common practice to keep the billable hour at just that and not
further subdivide it into minutes.
The written system of keeping time, although sufficient for the day,
left much room for errors and dishonesty. This all changed late in the 19th
century. In 1888, Willard Bundy, along with a few other inventors,
developed several devices that mechanically recorded time and were able
to track hours worked by employees. This proved to be substantially more
efficient for businesses, was more relied upon by employees, and was the
first step toward how time is tracked in today’s workplace. If you have
ever heard of a timeclock being referred to as Bundy Clock, this is how
that name came to be. This was also when time tracking systems and
implementing such systems into the workplace for improved efficiency
began to take shape.

One major example of an attempt to make changes in time

management for more efficiency and for better use of our natural
resources was the enactment of Daylight Savings Time (DST). The process
of the law, as it stands now, was long and somewhat difficult. The law
would find itself to be enacted and then rescinded, not just once, but a few
times. We now have a standard time that is uniformly changed in the
Spring and Fall of each year and is one hour. However, before finding the
law as it is today, it would be in place in some areas and not in others, and
the amount of time varied from state to state. Here is when it actually
started and when the last changes were made.

In 1918, The United States enacted “An Act to preserve daylight and
provide standard time for the United States.” This is also known as
“daylight savings time.” Contrary to what many believe, this was
extremely unpopular then. It was so unpopular that only a year later,
Congress repealed the law. However, that repeal was vetoed by President
Wilson, and Congress was able to override his veto, thus ending daylight
savings time. It was brought back to life and reenacted by President
Roosevelt during World War II, but this time was year-round and not
seasonal. It was called “War Time” and lasted from February 1942 until
September 1945. From then until 1966, there was no Federal Law dealing
with daylight savings time but whether to have it or not was left up to
local and state governments.

As one can imagine, due to the observation of daylight savings time

is a local issue, there was a lot of confusion as a result. Services ranging
from the postal service to transportation services providing train and plane
services had to find a way to alter schedules in order to accommodate the
different schedules. This confusion, along with broadcasting agencies and
all of their political clout, eventually led President Nixon to sign into law
the “Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act of 1973”,
finally leading to the stop of multiple time zones and the confusion they
caused.
 Today, there have been major advances in methods of time tracking
and reporting. This includes at home as well as in the workplace. With the
development of the personal computer, time tracking was made possible at
home and is as common now as the grocery list. With the advancement in
computers and software, the art of time tracking is extremely efficient and
user-friendly. Whereat one time accountants would need to spend hours
tabulating different times and trying to use the documented time for
finding trends and statistics, proved cumbersome years ago, now all of that
can be done in seconds and with great ease. This, not only has added great
efficiency to time management in the workplace, but has also cut the need
to have a large number of employees dedicated to this down to only a few,
and the tasks can be done from the office, from home, and even in the car.

Many families now use today’s technological advances when

keeping track of various times and tasks by the use of their computers.
This, again, was revolutionized a few years ago with the introduction of
the personal digital assistant, also known as the PalmPilot. Although this
particular device was short-lived, it was the beginning of what we now see
done on our mobile phones. We can track time and perform tasks
associated with this using only our phones. The idea of what is to come,
with technology and development of time management tools, is exciting,
to say the least. The sky is certainly the only limit here if we go by history
up until now. One thing stands certain, if there is a way or if there is an
invention that can further streamline time management, it will absolutely
become a reality and practice quickly put into use in the workplace and,
more than likely, in the home too.

Through the years, time management hasn’t gone away or faded out
of significance. Time is and will always be a commodity and have real
importance to commerce and business so much so that it will continue to
be studied and tweaked in attempts to improve it. However, time
management hasn’t seen interest only in business and the workplace but
also in personal lives and families. More people are consciously trying to
utilize their time in a more efficient fashion than ever before. Remember
that with time management, the outcome, as in things accomplished, is not
the only important thing. There is definitely a quality versus quantity
aspect included in time management, and all of it depends on that person’s
personal priorities and beliefs. We will be looking at it in detail later in
this book.

We have looked at time management and, although we will discuss

this further later in this book, have looked at how time management
became present in the workplace and how it has shaped our society as it is
today. Now, let’s look at some other terms that we need to define prior to
moving on to the next chapters. First, we need to look at ways in which we
can cause career damage to time management. We will further examine
these things, but for the purposes of an introduction, they are briefly
mentioned here. I want you, the reader, to get ready for my ranting. So,
how can we use the time to screw up our day? Humans are notoriously
capable of ruining anything and everything possible, so time management
shouldn’t be any different.

Some individual effects linked to poor time management are lack of

focus and prioritization. There are usually missed deadlines and
appointments. In addition, there is commonly poor quality and
performance in work and a lot of wasted time. When it comes to poor time
management and its effecting teamwork environments, there is more often
than not strain put on the work relationships, a lack of professionalism,
and wasted time. Financial penalties resulting from poor time
management are also possible.

As for personal symptoms commonly resulting from poor time

management, there can be the following: poor punctuality, impatience,
poorly defined goals, and performance, indecisiveness, and for someone to
have the feeling of needing to do everything themselves due to the others
having poor time management. These are only a few, and we will discuss
this in greater detail in the chapters to come.

Now that we have put some definitions together, briefly touched on

the birth of modern timekeeping, and a few possible negative
consequences for poor time management, it is time to move on and learn
some things about time management and how to use it to our advantage in
successes of both everyday life and in the workplace.

To-Do Lists
 Many of us keep a running tally of tasks in our heads, but so many
of those are forgotten by the end of the day. Writing them down will
ensure they are remembered and improve the chances of their
accomplishment.

A good to-do list lists its tasks to do in a specific manner. This is a

great way to apply those in a lighter, more casual manner. Keep your to-do
list realistic for whatever day it’s assigned to, and make sure your goals
are specific. In a few ways, daily to-do lists actually make the specifics of
goal-setting easier. Because you can’t set your daily goal to be “lose
weight” or “declutter the house,” daily goals force you to specify little
individual steps towards your goals: “45 minutes of cardio”, “organize
magazine collection, throw out 9/10th of the pile”. This increases your
productivity greatly.

Many successful people swear by the to-do list. Going back to

Benjamin Franklin, he is sometimes described as the “godfather of the to-
do list.” His lists were organized by the hour, blocked into separate
activities. He set aside eight hours for sleep, and planned out his work and
breaks meticulously in the remaining 16 hours.

You may not need or even want to stick to as strict a plan as Mr.
Franklin did. To-do lists don’t have to follow that format, either. Many
people simply list their tasks without a specific timeframe or deadline.

Here are some tips for keeping a journal specifically for to-do lists:

1. Keep tasks simple and purposeful. When you add too many tasks to
your daily plan, you run the risk of not completing them all, which can
lead to feelings of discouragement, abandonment of plans, or high-stress
levels. Maintain a forward-facing mindset when scheduling the next day’s
tasks, keeping your goals oriented toward your major plans.

2. Know when your workload is too full and ask for assistance if
needed. Writing down your tasks can be a very efficient way to determine
what is doable and what might need to be passed on to a colleague.
Remember that there’s no shame in asking for help when you need it!
3. Keep several lists. Daily to-do lists are great for all the little tasks
that add up to the bigger goals on your monthly and yearly lists. Dividing
projects by size and priority like this will help you effectively plan their
execution.

4. Keep your own abilities in mind. Don’t schedule something difficult

to be done at the last minute if you’re not 100% sure you’ll be able to get
it accomplished. And while it might seem obvious, be sure you’re not
double-booking yourself. It’s easier to do this than you might realize.
Properly scheduling your tasks in your journal will help you avoid this
mistake.

5. Try formatting your tasks as an if-then (or when) statement. For

example, “If it’s payday, I’ll deposit money into my savings account,” or,
“When it’s 5 PM, I will stop working on my paper and do the dishes”. It
has been suggested that this type of statement makes you more likely to
complete the tasks on your list. It will also condition you to be more
naturally productive by generating healthy habits.

6. Don’t stress out. If you can’t finish all the tasks you assigned
yourself, move to tomorrow what you can afford to wait on, and write it
off as a learning experience. In the future, you’ll use this mistake as a
reminder to set yourself fewer tasks. Spreading your activities out across a
whole week, evenly dispersed and organized by priority and deadline, is
much better than attempting to knock everything out in one or two days.
Don’t burn yourself out.

Here’s an example of a poorly-structured to-do list:

MONDAY:
- Declutter entire house
- Install new fencing in the backyard
- Stacy’s doctor appointment (3???)
- The store
- Fix the thing
- Write 15,000 words
- Rewire lighting in kitchen
- Meal prep
- Donate Stacy’s old clothes
- Restring piano
TUESDAY:
- Five pounds down
- Buy milk

Unless the person this list belongs to is consuming copious

amounts of illegal substances, this list does not feel very realistic. What
do you recognize as a fault on this to-do list?

To start, Monday is extremely overbooked. There are ten items on

the list for just one day! There isn’t a limit of how many items you can put
on your list, but it is still unwise to select multiple big-ticket activities.
How is the journal-keeper in our example proposing to accomplish all
these things in one day? Not only would decluttering the house, installing
a fence, rewiring the lighting in the kitchen, writing 15,000 words, and
restringing a piano take a person of normal capabilities multiple days, or
maybe even a couple of weeks, that doesn’t even take into account the
normal activities of the day that aren’t listed here. Monday is
unrealistically crowded with activities. We could venture to guess that
most of these will not be successfully crossed off the to-do list within a
single day.

On top of Monday being overbooked, Tuesday is severely

underbooked. All those activities and tasks the day prior, and the only
things set up for Tuesday are “buy milk” and “five pounds down”? This
seems like a poor use of time and resources. Spreading out your tasks is
vital to avoiding burnout.

While we are on the topic of Tuesday, let’s discuss how 50% of the
day’s assigned errands are simply “five pounds down.” While a slim
chance exists that this may mean something significant to the list’s author,
it is most likely not a task. Is the person in question assuming their
projected weight by Tuesday? They should also invest in some lottery
tickets then because knowing you’ll lose five whole pounds within the
span of a couple of days demonstrates a very firm grasp on some
clairvoyant skills .
 The list is also vague. What is “the store”? Will the list’s author
remember what they’re getting at the store? They were unable to
remember the time of Stacy’s doctor appointment, so this may be unlikely.
Will they remember what “the thing” they need to “fix” is as well? Part of
the secret to keeping a successful to-do list is keeping the details handy.
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we can write half of an idea
down, assuming we will remember the other half when the time comes to
execute the task. Avoid the frustration of forgetting what you’re supposed
to do by being thorough and specific with as many tasks on your list as
you can.

Finally, it appears this person may have a lot on their plate. This
might be a good opportunity for them to ask for help. Delegating some of
these tasks to someone else would ensure the work gets done in a timely
manner. This may not be an option for everyone, due to financial
limitations, but there comes a point where you have to ask yourself: what
is the cost of my sanity? If it’s within your budget, assigning time-
sensitive tasks on your list to a professional or even a good friend may
save you stress later on.

Here’s an example of a better version of this list:

MONDAY:
- Declutter bedroom for no longer than one hour
- Call electrician about kitchen lights not turning off
- Check to price for fencing materials from at least three retailers
- Stacy’s GI appointment (Dr. Brown @ Mayo Clinic, 2:30 PM)
- Buy chicken, broccoli, garlic, milk, and bread
- Write 4,500 words before be d
TUESDAY:
- Declutter living room for no longer than one hour
- Price check local piano tuners (call at least three of them) for the
piano used for lessons
- Bring donations to Goodwill (Stacy’s clothes & decluttered stuff)
- Prepare lunch for the next five days
- Write 4,500 words before bed
WEDNESDAY:
- Electrician appointment (between 8 AM and 11 AM, Bob’s Electric,
$200)
- Go to the hardware store (table leg and fence supplies)
- Repair broken table leg
- Place new poles in the ground for fence
- Write 4,500 words before bed
THURSDAY:
- Declutter bathroom for no longer than one hour
- Install fence in backyard with Stacy and Jean
- Spend time with Stacy and Jean after the job is done
FRIDAY:
- Declutter garage for no more than two hours
- Check weight loss progress and log info in food/fitness journal
- Piano string appointment (2 PM, Phil’s Music mobile technician,
$500)
- Let students know the piano has been repaired
- Write 1,500 words before bed
- Edit the week’s writing (15,000 words)
This list is better because it expands the tasks out in a realistic way.
The goals on this list are far more likely to be crossed off as completed
than the ones in the original example were. 4,500 words written per day is
far more accessible for someone whose schedule is as full as theirs is;
hiring professionals for two of the large tasks saved time and energy,
allowing the writer of the list to avoid becoming too stressed.

Keeping the list specific helped too. It added clarification for the
writer, which will make it easier to look back at the list later and know
exactly what tasks were completed, and when. This makes it far more
useful as a journal as well.

Maintaining to-do lists will help you be more productive, reduce

stress, and achieve a level of order and organization in your life that will
be profitable for you for as long as you practice the skill .
Chapter 2: Different Thinking and Ways of Seeing
Time Management
The consensus among those who study time management is that you
need to show concern for what you choose not to do and not for what you
do. Again, this will depend on the person and that person’s belief system
and way of life. This may be better understandable after this example. This
is a true story of something that happened to me at work several years ago.
Well, “something that happened” isn’t quite the right choice of words;
rather, it was a decision that I made and the consequences of that decision.
I left a particular job, but that was totally at my own doing. Here is what
happened.

I had taken a general manager position with a semi-large retail and

rent-to-own chain about a year prior to this happening. In that year, my
boss, who’s the regional manager, had changed, and the new regional
manager and I didn’t see eye-to-eye. I’m not going to pass judgment and
say who was right between me and my boss, but I will say that we saw
things differently. Here is what I mean by that.

I am a family man. I love my children, and I made a vow to never

take them for granted and always place family before work, no matter
what. I believe that if I keep my priorities, this priority in order, things
will always work out in the end. My boss was a workaholic; he worked all
the time. I would hear him complain about him not being able to see his
family because of work. When hearing him say that, I always thought to
myself that he had the power to change his situation, and it was up to him
whether to do it or not. I would not even need to take a second thought if
work was seriously interfering with the relationships between me and my
children. At least work hadn’t until then.

My boss called my store one evening and told me that I needed to

stay after closing. He said that we were going to go over some inventory
and that he would be there in a short amount of time. I reminded him that
my son had a play that evening, which I had told him about prior to that
night. I told him that he shouldn’t drive all that distance to my store
because I wouldn’t be there. I would be at my son’s play. His reply to me
was, “you need to get your priorities in order.” His statement didn’t
surprise me because that is a common idea among today’s workers, but
that just isn’t me. So, I did what I thought was best, having the beliefs that
I do, and I told him that my keys would be on my desk, and I quit.

I’m writing this because of the difference that he and I saw with
time management. There were two different routes that I could have taken
with my time that night. One was to go to my son’s play and do what I
always promised I would, and the other would have been to disappoint
myself and do something that I promised to my children and myself that I
wouldn’t ever do. As I already knew, everything worked out in the end.
What I did is a form of time management called the step-down approach. I
know that everyone has heard the cliché “time is money,” which is
believed to be said first by Benjamin Franklin. As for me, time is
irreplaceable, so if that time is money, make sure that it’s worth it. Time
spent on one thing is time unable to be spent on another.

Again, it’s impossible to place too much emphasis on the fact of

personality and personal choices being the cornerstone of time
management. Always remember that time spent on one thing isn’t
refundable. You can’t get in a time machine and redo life. You can’t
CTRL+ALT+DEL [CTRL+Z] mistakes. So, it’s best to avoid them
altogether. This is true with time management just as it is with everything
else. My position is clear. However, there are some who see this attitude as
silly or lazy. To each his own. So, do you know where you stand with this
part of time management? Great! Let’s move on now that’s out of the way.

We are going to discuss two different areas of time management and

how to think of it. First, there is general time, such as family or personal
time, and then there is time spent on productivity. Another way to look at
this is relaxation time versus work. For now, we are going to group
everything into these two different categories. Everything done for a
specific purpose, like work and school, are combined and put into one part.
Everything else, such as things you do for fun, to relax, or just because, are
put in the other. Remember that time cannot be shared. Time spent on one
thing is taking away from available time for another, so spend it wisely.
 Also, when looking at these two kinds of time, remember that there
are two different kinds of people: human beings and human doings. You
don’t want to wake up one day years from now and realize you have been
the human doing. This is someone who invests the majority, if not all, of
his or her time into productivity. There is no time left to just be. Yes, that
person may have millions in the bank, a boat in each ocean, several
houses, etc., but for what? That person doesn’t have the time to enjoy
those things and, if there are family members, it is sure to be friction with
them. Surely, they aren’t happy and, if they are happy, there is some kind
of dysfunction within that family, to begin with, and the time apart may be
a blessing. We are sticking with normal examples of people and families
for now.

How do you decide how much time to spend in each category? This
is, of course, after answering any question about your personal opinions on
being versus doing. You have held into account family, friends,
dependents, and personal likes versus productivity. With this, the decision
should be based on things such as need, want, cost vs. reward, and all the
other life factors that will come up. We see daily the results of when
people choose too much productivity and not enough human being time.
We need to see the divorce rate, especially with young adult professionals,
in the United States. These days are not the same as the “Leave it to
Beaver” times long ago. There has been a shift in priorities, and we can
clearly see the consequences. The question is, is it worth it? Some will say
yes and others no.

Let’s look at time management in the workplace. We will discuss

several different areas of time at work in the upcoming chapters. Right
now, we will just skim over some of the information. There are different
time management needs at work, and this should begin with your personal
time management in which you have set for your particular job and your
desires. Examples of this time management are the job that you have now,
and the amount of time you are willing to put into it. This has a really
wide range. You could be an employee that works part-time and doesn’t
even consider working more than a few hours per week. You make a
certain amount per hour and have no intention of seeing that amount
increase. You simply go through the motions at work and you are fine with
it this way.
 Opposite of that, there is the person hungry for success and is
willing to work him or herself silly in order to advance. This person has
his or her eyes on the prize of more money and better titles and is willing
to put in the needed extra time. This person has already accepted the fact
that life, at least for now, will be dictated by what happens at work. There
will never be problems with calling a loved one to cancel a date because
you are needed at work. Had I been this person, I would have not gone to
my son’s play years ago and stayed at work instead. Usually, these people
are young and unmarried. Let’s hope that’s the case anyway. It’s sad to see
children without parents because the parents have given themselves to
their jobs and not their families.

Regardless of which we have, both are going to be at their boss’s

mercy when at work, or they should be if they aren’t. This is another area
of time management. So, first we have the individual’s time, and now we
are looking at company time. The employee may have little to no control
of this time and, therefore, need not worry about managing it. This falls on
management and that term can differ from one business to another. This is
dependent on whether or not there is a form of micromanagement or not.
Micromanagement is another issue with time management that we will
discuss later on.

There is a set time that management has to work with, where you
have 24 hours per day as an individual, and at work, your boss has
whatever time is agreed upon between workers and management, usually
operational hours give an additional hour before and after. What is done
during this time is up to management, but after that time, you are not
obligated to invest any additional time. So, a good manager will keep that
in mind, while using time management, and set the schedule accordingly.
There are millions of examples that I could use here, but I am sure you get
the point I’m trying to make. Workplace time can be further divided into
group or department time all the way to individual employee time.

If your employer subdivides employees into groups or teams, this

creates more time management needs and opportunities. This time is
usually set up by the individual groups themselves, when not victims of
micromanagement, and the end results are the responsibility of the
different groups. This has been shown to greatly enhance productivity
within the workplace as well as shown to increase the morale and
longevity of the employees. This is my management style. I believe it’s
best to allow employees to do their jobs and stay out of the way. I believe
managers are more of support for their subordinates than leaders. This
style is known as the inverted pyramid management. However, that’s a
whole different topic.

Wow! We made it through that! Wake up! Are you still here on
Earth or has your mind traveled over the rainbow to a faraway place?
Daydreaming can cut into time management by the way. Let’s put this
book or tablet, down for a few and get the blood back circulating. Do some
exercises, and then we will continue. Don’t cheat yourself and not do the
exercises. Seriously, do them and come back. This book will be here when
you are done.

Now, let’s look at time management as it applies to your personal

life and activities. Just because during this time you aren't productive
doesn’t mean that you need not manage this time. You still need to keep a
schedule and prioritize your time or your life would be nothing less than a
chaotic mess. Unlike with work, with this time, the buck stops with
yourself. Keep in mind that this chapter is just an overview and
introduction. We will get into things a bit more as we continue through the
chapters.

Here is a suggestion and how I view my time. I even think this way
with what I do in the mornings to get ready for the day. I have 24 hours in
a day. There are 60 minutes in 1 hour. So, take my morning routine for
instance. It takes me 3 minutes to brush my teeth. While I’m doing that,
all I usually do is just look at myself in the mirror and think of how much
older I look now. What happens if I need to use the restroom, you know
what I’m talking about? If I brush my teeth and then use the restroom, that
is about 6 to 8 minutes. However, if I do both together, use the restroom
and brush my teeth, that will save me about 3 minutes of time that
morning. This adds up quickly. If I use the restroom every other morning,
that is 6 to 9 minutes saved a week. After the span of a year, I will have
saved between 312 and 468 minutes. This translates to 5.2 to 7.8 hours!
All this time saved simply by brushing my teeth while on the toilet and not
standing in front of the mirror.
 Here is another suggestion, which is especially true when figuring
time management with family: it is fine to utilize good time management,
but don’t be vocal about it. What I mean is to keep what you are doing to
yourself. Don’t tell your wife that if you think about tomorrow’s tasks
while being intimate with her, it will save whatever number of minutes.
Don’t do that. Keep it to yourself. You probably wouldn’t save much time
doing that anyway. Really? How much time do you need for that? About
the same amount of time, it takes to brush your teeth, and that’s being
generous I’m guessing.

Okay. So, we now know what the two time management areas we
are mostly dealing with. It shouldn’t be too hard to keep the two separate.
They are nothing alike and should be treated differently. If, on the other
hand, you see many similarities between the two, you may need to read
another book on priorities and then come back to this one. It will be here
or will be available for you to get again. Moving onward.
 Chapter 3: Correlation of Time Management
Skills and Success
As we begin this chapter, let me caution you. I’m sure that we have
all heard the different clichés about putting ourselves in other’s shoes.
This is a time when that shouldn’t be done. Don’t look at someone who
appears successful and says that you want to be that person. You don’t
know what that person sacrificed in order to have such success. That
person may look at you and say how he wishes that he had a family. So, are
we clear? Only look at yourself and what you wish to have based on your
priorities and wants. Remember what we went over in the last chapter.

What is a success anyway? The definition of success depends on

who you are asking. My idea of success deals mainly with family and life
in general. Other’s idea of success is dependent on a career, and that’s it.
So, let’s look at the real definition and see what it says. The true definition
is “the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, the
accomplishment of one’s goals; the attainment of wealth, position, honors,
or the like.” There we have it. Keeping this definition in mind, those who
view success as a family and life thing, like myself, and those who view it
as a career thing, are both correct. It all depends on your priorities and
values.

Now, for argument’s sake, we are going to assume that your success
is dealing with your career. You are concerned only with work and you
want to be as successful with your career as possible. You want to know
how best to use time management in obtaining this goal. Okay, let’s look at
a few ways to do this. Remember, this is focusing on “human-doing” time
management only.

First, let me say this. Always, remember to work smart, not hard.
Working harder in no way means that you are more productive. You can
work your caboose off and get nothing done. This happens all the time.
Those who are in this category can easily become entrapped in this cycle
of hard non-productive slavery. So, work smart, and this includes good
time management choices. Also, keep this in mind: time is the one thing
that is the same for everyone and, no matter how much money you have,
you can’t buy more. It’s the same length for everyone and has the same
beginning and ending for all of us. Those who are successful never forget
these two points. They work smart and stay mindful of time being
nonrefundable.

Dale Beaumont, the founder of Business Blueprint, has a few

seminars on time management available online. In one of his videos, he
talks about time management and gives an example. When I heard him
speak, it reminded me of my time-saving method of brushing teeth while
doing other things, but he was related to business. He said to use the time
driving in the car as a time for planning. He also mentioned Parkinson’s
law, defined as the notion that work expands to fill the time available for
its completion. If there is anyone needing further explaining of this, it’s
suggesting that your tasks at work will find a way to last as long as you
allow them to. This has both positive and negative points and is dependent
on how you choose to use it.

The first suggestion of using time management in building a

successful career is to always plan your day and never begin that day until
the planning is done. Preferably, the planning should be the day or night
before–possibly while spending time with the Mrs., but that needs to be
incognito. Plan your day in advance. Plan your week in advance. Plan your
year in advance. The more planning, the better. Now, let’s assume that your
day has been planned. It’s time now to go to work. Let’s go and see what
we can do to improve our successes.

Ideally, your career choice itself was based in part on your skills and
abilities. Normally, people don’t choose a job that is the most difficult for
them, and if they do choose that, usually it doesn’t last long. So, you have
an awareness of what you are good at and what you may not be so good at.
That doesn’t stop at the very beginning of your career but needs to be
factored into all of your decisions that have relevance. Here again, another
work smart example. What should you do here? It’s simple. Whenever
possible, delegate out work that is more difficult or time consuming for
you to someone else who can get it done faster and more easily. Here, you
need to weigh out the cost/benefit scale. Make sure that the extra costs are
warranted and prove to be more beneficial to the overall picture or task.
 Another tip for success related to working smart is looking into
hiring an expert in certain areas who can either assist you when needed or
teach you how to improve in that given area. If paying for an instructor
will make you more efficient in the long run, that extra cost is probably
worth it, and it helps you with another part of time management. You
spend less time on one thing allowing that time to be given to another. One
example of what I’m talking about is an accountant hiring a tax preparer
for the months of February through April for doing simple tax returns for
those customers allowing the accountant time to work on the more
difficult cases. This not only saves the accountant’s time but also money
because tax preparers can be paid less than accountants, which means that
overhead for each billable hour is less. Productivity is increased while the
cost is decreased. This is a win-win scenario for any business that I’m
aware of.

Delegation of duties, giving responsibilities and duties to someone

else, along with permanent and temporary sub-contracting, can be crucial
to the success and improvement of any business. This is more than just
time management; this is common sense. If it isn’t common sense, it
certainly should be. If you were to view the itinerary of many successful
CEOs, I’m sure that you would be surprised at the actual number of
specific duties he or she has. Successful people are marked by their ability
to delegate and do it appropriately and in the most beneficial manner
possible.

Another tip for success is to use what are known as forced deadlines.
Let me add here that this is one area where it’s easy to mess things up. We
will get to that later, but I’m talking about one of the ugliest curse words
known in business: procrastination. It’s so easy to put something off if you
aren’t careful and you are not business savvy. The best way to combat
procrastination is by using deadlines because they keep our brains in a
state of urgency. It allows us to think of finish lines where we need to be at
the front of the race, and those lines not only being at the very end of the
task or the day but scattered throughout.

Deadlines will lead you to do or view things a little more efficiently.

You will waste less time, will move forward more easily and efficiently,
and will have your confidence strengthened. You can also challenge
yourself to perform at a better level. What’s the difference between a
forced deadline and a regular deadline? I have no idea. You can find that in
another book. Of course, it’s just a joke and wanted to make sure that you
are still paying attention. Truthfully, it’s like the difference between a big
apple and a really big apple. With a forced deadline, the ending or
deadline is set with the purpose of speeding up or increasing the efficiency
of that particular task. You intend on changing the current trajectory of the
task and make it faster or better.

Okay. We’ve looked at using non-productive time, outsourcing,

delegating tasks, sub-contracting, training, application of deadlines, and
other tips for successful time management. Now, let’s examine a few other
ideas and suggestions given by those who have been there and have proven
their ideas successful. I want to remind you again that the first step and the
absolute most important part of time management is what you want to
accomplish with your time and the remembrance that time is irreplaceable
and nonrefundable. It can be used only once so do what you think is best
for you during that time. This is one area in life where you need to be
selfish and choose based on what you want and not what others may want
from you. At the end of your life, it is you who will regret it if you don’t
do this.

At this point in the chapter, I’m going to use another experience of

mine as an example of time management. Earlier, I told about my
priorities lie with my family overwork and how that belief led me to leave
a general manager position of a retail and rent-to-own chain. Here is
another example from my history with the same company and in the same
position where I learned a few things while I was there. Smart and time-
savvy businessmen know the importance of staffing; they hire those who
are able and will do all duties required of them and those things delegated
to them regardless of whether or not those tasks are common or within the
scope of their position’s job description. If you are instructed by
management to do a task, you need to do it or consider finding another job.
Management needs to know that once given tasks or additional
responsibilities, you will do your job with its additions and will do so
correctly, efficiently, and completely. They want you to do this without
having to be led the entire way and without the need to be monitored. If
you can’t be counted on by management, you probably have a short future
with that company.

The store where I was employed as a franchise. However, corporate

had a clear and precise staffing model and had a guideline based on the
number of customers that particular store had. The more customers the
store had, the more staffing. I, as the general manager, had the ability to
hire as well as terminate any employee at will. So, if I didn’t think that an
employee was up to standards, I needed to deal with it. I could not blame
anyone else for an employee that was bad for business other than me
because I had the ability to correct that issue. The problem with that was it
was a cumbersome process when it came to hiring and training someone,
and it often seemed like it was easier to just forgive an employee for being
terrible in efficiency and productivity.

Now, my employer consisted of several different stores. My

franchise had around 40 different stores. Anything that happened in my
store fell on me, and I was responsible. I got rewarded whenever the store
performed well. If there was a problem in my store or a downward slope in
business, I had to answer for that. As a matter of fact, that was what
determined the length of my employment. There was a weekly comparison
of all stores in all areas. If your store remained at the top of the list, you
could rest assured that your job was safe for the time being. My store
remained at the top, and I intended on it staying that way. Even though my
first priority was and is always my family, I gave all that I could to
perform well at work. This all came to a point a few months into my
career there.

I believed that it was more trouble to hire someone new than it was
to just overlook issues with certain employees. I knew that, whether good
or bad, I was responsible and had to answer for everything dealing with
my store. Not only that, but my income was directly related to the
profitability of the store. So, I had no choice but to make sure my store
was as efficient and profitable as possible and, at the day’s end, the bottom
line was all my management would see. All the other details I preferred to
keep in the house. This included staffing and each employee’s
productivity.
 I had one employee who was rather intelligent, but he utilized that
intelligence in ways that were not the best. First, he knew that whether he
did a lot of work or the very minimal work needed to keep his job, his pay
will still be the same. He knew that I didn’t usually terminate employees
because of the difficulty of hiring and training someone new. Lastly, he
knew that I did not have the time to watch him make sure that he was
actually working. The result of these things was that he did not work much
at all–literally and is not blown out of proportion. He was really a terrible
employee, but I did the worst thing that I could have and blew my time
management away. I started to do his job, along with my own, for him.
This was a terrible mistake, and I quickly got locked into the cycle of
working hard and producing little. Eventually, he was terminated and
someone else was brought on to take his place. Things got much better at
that point, and I vowed to never allow myself to get to that point again.
The thought that I am trying to point out here is that do not put things off
or choose not to do them because of the difficulty. If it is more efficient
for the business, then it is best to do it. Most every managerial decision
like this one is dealing, in some part, with time management.

We can find many areas in time management to discuss and many

examples that can be used, however, I don’t want to waste your time, nor
do I want to waste my own time rambling. This chapter is about doing
things with time management that can better your business and
productivity. I believe that we have sufficiently covered this. Here is a
recap of what we have discussed.

First, the most important thing to remember is those things you see
as your priorities. Make your time management coincide with your beliefs
and priorities. Once done, you can move on to the next step. Begin to plan
your day in advance and never begin your day until after its planning is
done. Look at the areas of your non-productive time and see where you can
add things, such as planning, to better utilize that time. When planning
work activities, choose to delegate or contract out when it is best. You can
also outsource whenever it will increase productivity and save you time.
Choose staff wisely and never put off doing something because it may be a
difficult or time-consuming task. Better to get it done and over with. Set
goals and prioritize. Allow yourself to learn from others who may be
better or smarter in certain areas. Reread this chapter and this book as
many times as necessary for you to remember most of what you learn
while reading it.

The final point that will be noted in this chapter is the common link
between successful people and their personalities. As with every other part
of a successful business, there needs to be an element of assertiveness.
Assertive people tend to be more successful in business, among other
things. They are diligent and strong in their convictions. They can
commonly say no; they are not easily swayed or distracted from their
chosen path. Those who are more assertive are more likely to become
leaders rather than followers. This is just as true with time management as
it is with the other parts of the business. In planning, you need to set clear
and concise goals, be unwavering in what it is that you seek, and be
willing to work for it. These characteristics are the key to success and
successful planning. Assertiveness can be learned or acquired. So, if you
aren’t assertive now, work on becoming that way. It will prove extremely
beneficial with time management.
 Chapter 4: Habits That Hinder Successful Time
Management
Now that we have looked at some suggestions of how to better your
productivity with time management, let’s take a look at a few common
ways where we often mess up with it. Like with all the other parts of time
management that we have discussed, this will also be dependent on your
personal views and beliefs. We are going to look at both bad habits and a
few symptoms of someone making bad habits. That way you will know
what to look for in yourself that can clue you in to take a close look at
your time management practices. If I were to write about my personal
experiences here, it would fill several books. So, we will avoid going there
in this chapter.

As with the other chapters, you first need to decide what your goals
and priorities are. This will give you a form of measurement for you to
measure your success or lack thereof. Keep in mind what we have already
discussed about time, which is not replaceable. One of my favorite rock
bands has a video that symbolizes this well. In the video, there is a person
who can see digital clocks at the top of everyone’s head. This clock is
counting down, and the time left is how much longer that person is going
to live. This is a perfect metaphor for what I am talking about. If we were
able to see our time left, would we do anything differently? Personally, I
would not want to know how much time I have at all.

Two of the big problems with time management that cause failure
are procrastination and failure to properly set goals. By no means, are the
only bad habits, but this is where we will start. Remember, what we do in a
certain time period is pushing some other activity out and to another time
slot further down the road. This gives us two reasons not to procrastinate.
First, we are failing at our given task at hand. Second, we are creating
whatever we took that time from the beginning. Not many things get my
blood boiling as much as procrastination.

Poor goal setting is the other big one. I am not only referring to the
end goal but also all of the other “waypoint” goals in between start and
finish that should be set. It is not impossible to be successful without
proper goal setting, but it is difficult and should be avoided. If we lack
goals, we lose that sense of urgency and importance, and we are leaving
the door open for procrastination. Each goal is of equal importance and
should be set individually depending on the task and outcome sought.

Other habits include multitasking, being unable to say no, failure to

prioritize, and forgetting to write things down. Now, I have a question for
you. Have you ever eaten frog legs? Yes, I just asked that random question.
I, personally, haven’t ever had that amount of courage, but I have seen
them on the dinner table. I ask you this question because I am going to
introduce a term: failure to eat the frog. I know what you are thinking.
What in the world is he talking about? This is from a self-help book
written by Brian Tracy. The book is titled Eat That Frog: 21 Ways to Stop
Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time . The “eat the frog”
comment is taken from Mark Twain. Twain has a quote that says, “Eat a
live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you
the rest of the day.” After witnessing the sight of cooked frog legs on a
plate, I have to agree with Twain. Nothing worse would be possible after
eating such a horrific and raw cuisine.

I wouldn’t recommend that you do something first thing in the

morning that is such a travesty that you can’t do worse during the day. I
only use the frog as another metaphor. I suggest that you do the one thing
that best combats the bad habits of time management, and that is to always
prepare and make sure your preparations are adequate. When preparing
and planning for the next day, you should set your goals in a way that will
be the most beneficial and productive possible without burning yourself
out or giving any bad habits opportunity. Every day and each task are
different, so treat them as such. Otherwise, you could start to generalize
everything and, while turning into a robot, your efficiency could take a
sharp nosedive.

Let us look at a particular day, where there is one task that needs to
be done. You divide that one task into several parts, and this allows for
several goals. The number of goals is equal to the number of parts that you
have subdivided the overall task into. Looking at the individual parts,
determine which are hard, easy, and are in the middle. Take one that is
easy, to begin with, but does not save the most difficult for last. Many
times, doing this will lead to procrastination and poor performance.
Rather, start with an easy task, and then work on some of the harder ones.
The last parts should be easy. Make sure that this is in the planning of that
day and not a change in your plan after the day has already started.

Now, let us know what it means to have the ability to say no and
how not having this ability can cause problems in your time management.
What do I mean by not being able to say no? Everyone can do it. I heard
my parents say that the darn word millions of times as I was growing up. It
seemed to always pop up at the worst times, and that word became the
answer to some of my most important questions. Mom, can I do this?
“No.” Mom, can I do that? “No.” Mom, can I have this? “No.” You get
what I’m talking about, I hope. If you are a parent, I’m pretty sure you
have an idea of what I’m saying. If you are a parent, and you don’t have
the need to say no often, you should write a book and tell your secrets.

Let’s return to the day we were discussing in the last paragraph. If

you are an efficient employee, your day was planned well. Your plan
allowed for your work to be done without burning yourself out. However,
your plan was set so that no time was wasted with idle time. Each hour
was set so that it was just enough time for you to comfortably get your
work done. If this was how your day was planned, what happens if your
boss comes in and asks you to do something else, in addition to what you
have already planned to do for the day? Remembering how time works,
finding time for one thing absolutely takes time away from another. If you
tell him or her yes, when asked if you can do something, you have
sabotaged your time allowance for multiple things.

Doing this can result in several things. First, the quality of your
work is going to suffer unless your schedule was incorrectly set. For this
discussion, let us assume it was set correctly. Adding one thing means that
you need to work faster on the other. Many times, doing things faster can
suffer the quality of your work. You are cheating on the original task as
well as the new one. You have to do two things at once. This is going to
increase your workload and thus your stress level. This can cause burnout.
At the day’s end, your work is lacking quality, you are stressed and close to
burning out, and this will look bad to management and customers or
clients alike. Then, when your boss notices that your product or service is
not up to standards, what is he going to think? Do you think that he will
hold into consideration that he asked you to do extra work causing
everything to go wrong? No, he isn’t going to do that. He is going to look
at the final outcome and hold you accountable for it.

The best thing to do in those situations is to say that you can’t at the
beginning and not leave yourself open to the negative possibilities. You
will avoid looking like a substandard employee when you do this. It may
irritate your boss for you to say no, but it will be better for you in the long
run. So, practice saying no. If you need help, you can talk to my mom. I’m
sure that she can tell you all about saying no and saying it without
hesitation. This is as true with life outside of the workplace as it is while
at work.

Let us look at multitasking. At the beginning of this book, I

suggested learning the art of multitasking, and now I’m saying that it is a
bad habit because there are times when it is appropriate, and there are
times it is not. This is where common sense will carry you a long way. So,
stay with me and allow me to explain. First, it is not easy to multitask
when it comes to things harder than brushing your teeth. Business Insider
did a scientific study on multitasking and, in this report, it is reported that
only 2% of the population can multitask at all. What most people are
doing is just rapidly switching from one activity to the other.

For the vast majority of those who are not actually multitasking but
rapidly switching activities, there are consequences. To begin with, it
slows you down and causes you to make mistakes you would otherwise
avoid. I am using the term “you” loosely and not intending to say that the
reader, you, is unable to multitask. You may be in the 2% of those who
can. It can also dry up creativity. Forbes Magazine reported that it could
cause up to a 40% decrease in overall productivity. The moral of the story
here is simple. Unless you are sure that you are in the 2% of those who can
really multitask and not just switch activities really quickly, it is best to
avoid trying. This is intended to be a suggestion to follow when at work or
while doing significant things. Brushing your teeth while using the
restroom is safe from these statistics. So poop and brush away!
 One habit or more like a personality flaw that can decimate any
attempt at true-time management is trying to be a perfectionist. This is a
horrible personality trait and a total fallacy. It is not possible, and it can
have numerous negative outcomes. First, it will probably make you very
unlikable, and someone others would rather avoid. Beyond that, it can be
bad for time management. Here is why: to be perfect is not possible by any
stretch. No matter how hard you try, how many hours you practice, or how
much money you throw at it, you will never ever succeed at perfection. If
you wait for perfection, you will keep on waiting. This can really mess up
goals and completion dates. Rather, you should strive for good; that is
possible.

Voltaire, a French writer, wrote, “A wise Italian says that the best is
the enemy of the good.” We can assume that Americans, along with
everyone else, can be included in that phrase. Voltaire wrote a lot of really
intelligent thoughts and ideas, and I often quote him. That would be
another topic for another time. However, I highly suggest reading some of
his works if time allows. This goes along with what we have discussed
about perfection. Because it is not going to happen, it is the enemy of
good. Let us strive for good, even really good, but stay clear of “perfect,”
unless you are ready to spend your life sitting in a dark room and do
nothing but sip weak tea for the rest of your life.

Another bad habit that can cause problems for you in managing your
time is the failure to write things down, which is simply recording events.
So, if you use an audio recording device, that’s great. You may also use
some other electronic devices with a stylus. The old-fashioned paper and
pen won’t go wrong either. Whatever you choose, you need to make sure
that you adequately record daily events. If you are anything like me, your
memory seems to leave you at times and become more frequent as you
age. That is why it is always a good idea to have some kind of recording
system. That way you can have something to review when planning for
another day. You can’t remember anything too well, but you can forget it.

Lastly, do not announce your goals to others. If you must do this,

only tell those who need to know. This may sound arbitrary, but there are
reasons for this. Scientific studies have proven that when we announce
goals, it causes a psychological shift. We make our brains begin to
perceive the goal as actually being done already. This reduces the urgency
and drives for completion. A good example of this is to announce or brag
about some achievements that you plan to accomplish. You tell your
family about your goal, and then your brain begins to think that it is
already done. This diminishes motivation and makes you actually
achieving that particular goal less likely. This may sound like a simple
brain game but, game or not, it’s a bad thing to do altogether.

Now that we have discussed some of the bad habits that come about
with time management, let us have a look at a few signs that you may be
having an issue and, therefore, need to examine what you are doing and
what should be changed in time management. Remember my earlier story
of when I was a general manager? I found myself working much harder
than necessary, and that I could handle because I had begun to tolerate
another employee who was lazy and not doing his job. When I began to
examine my situation, I found that I was displaying several of the
symptoms of poor time management.

What signs did I see in myself and what was I doing? I’m glad you
asked. It was clear that I was doing everything myself, and I began to lack
energy. I could see I was close to burning out, and my store’s productivity
had begun to suffer. There are four signs that were painfully obvious the
second I began to look. The longer the bad habit is allowed to continue, the
worse things will become and the more signs will start to appear. Here are
a few more signs to look out for.

If you begin to feel the need to rush or to show poor punctuality,

these are probably due to bad time management. Remember what was
discussed: If you properly plan your day, you will give each task adequate
time for completion, and you will not have a need to rush. If you find
yourself rushing, you need to find out why there was not sufficient time
allotted for that task. Also, again, there needs to be a mention of
performance. This is a big sign that things are not right. Productivity is the
last sign though. You should see the problems before then.

The lack of energy and the possibility of burning out will lead to
procrastination, and this should obviously be avoided. Not only it can lead
to procrastination, but it also leads to indecisiveness. This is the inability
to make decisions. It is very hard to make decisions when, no matter what
you decide, the ending is going to suck. Therefore, it becomes easier to
just put it all off for another time.

The main symptom or sign of bad time management habits is

something that should be obvious. It goes beyond what has been
mentioned and even past the point of poor productivity; it also trumps
poor efficiency. If bad habits in time management are allowed to continue,
there will become a point when they will all lead to you becoming
unhappy with your current position. You will become unhappy and
dissatisfied with your job, and it can spread from there. Always remember
just how important job satisfaction is in life. It is at the top of the list. If
you are in a place or occupation where you are truly unhappy, whether
caused by yourself or not, it will negatively affect the rest of your life, and
none of us want that. So, use time management wisely. Avoid those bad
habits, and avoid the unhappiness altogether.
 Chapter 5: Scheduling and Priorities
In this chapter, we will further examine ways that are best at setting
up schedules and the best means of prioritizing. Again, this will depend on
the personal goals of who is setting up the schedule. Also, keep in mind
that schedules or plans can be as simple or as complex as you would like,
but you can’t begin the day or the task until the planning is done. Here, we
will look at a few different philosophies and ideas with scheduling and
brief histories of each. Some of this chapter will be a review of what we
have previously discussed. This chapter is dealing with both work or
productive time, and idle or non-productive time.

Just in case there is a reader who has not been paying much
attention, to this point, we will do a slight review. Let us see why it is
important to accurately schedule your day and activities, and why correct
planning is a must for success. The reasons are numerous, but there are a
few main points that we will take a look at. First, with good planning and
scheduling, you are better prepared at actually accomplishing your short-
term and long-term goals. You work toward them steadily each day.
Second, it allows you to truly or realistically see and understand what
must be accomplished. Third, it allows you to figure in time for things
which come up unexpectedly during the day and will better prepare you
for times when you must say no. Lastly, it allows you to properly
categorize things in importance to those which are not and will help you
ensure that you complete what is most important to you and your goals.

There are many ways in which you can plan and schedule. Before
you actually start planning, you must first choose how you will be doing
this. You can start by writing down your plans either using the tried and
true method of pen and paper or other more efficient ways for those who
like utilizing technology, such as using the computer software and apps,
via tablets, phones, and personal data assistants. There are also tools
online which you can find to use for scheduling. Templates and online
guides are available. Once you find what works best for you, then you need
to identify the key points.

When scheduling, there will be areas where you will apply your
individual needs and wants, and areas that will be planned based on what
has proven to work best for you. It is best to group some activities together
so that your plan will be as efficient as possible; that’s why meetings are
important. Rather than just allowing time for meetings, break them down
according to category or subject and length of time which is needed. An
example of this is differentiating meetings with staff from meetings with
others in business or those in which you just need to catch up. In most
cases, staff meetings should be allowed for the greatest amount of time.
Then, group into time categories. Meetings that will probably last between
15 and 30 minutes should be put in one block, while those lasting longer in
another.

Now, let us discuss the Time Management Matrix. This was born
from an idea that Dwight Eisenhower came up with. President Eisenhower
believed that we should prioritize when scheduling and create our plan
based on what is most important. Stephen Covey wrote a book titled The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People . In his book, he refers to what
Eisenhower came up with and the ways in which it needs to be applied to
scheduling. This matrix is divided into two axes and four quadrants.

The two axes are the X-axis and Y-axis. The X symbolizes things
which are considered urgent. The Y is for things classified as non-urgent.
Let us examine the difference between urgent and non-urgent. Things
classified as urgent require immediate attention. Although the urgent
things should be placed at the top of your list, you should not allow
yourself to be overwhelmed by only this category and allow it to choke out
the other tasks you may have. This is another area where common sense
should be utilized. The Y-axis includes everything else. These things have
a vast range since it is inclusive of everything that is not labeled as
Urgent.

This is why the axes are further divided into four quadrants. They
are labeled quadrants one through four. The first quadrant includes all that
is labeled urgent and important. The second one includes things classified
as important but not those labeled as urgent. The third and fourth
quadrants are where things that really don’t matter at the end of the day
are located, whether they be urgent or not. Those who are experts at
planning and scheduling have this down to a science. They will tell you to
spend most of your time handling things in the second quadrant. They do
their best to minimize their time spent in the first quadrant and worry little
about the third and fourth quadrants. This will take some practice but will
prove to be well worth your efforts once you get it down to where you can
easily use this matrix in your planning. This matrix is included in the final
chapter of this book.

Another additional point is the multiplier. We talked about the fact

that time can’t be increased or decreased and that we simply take and give
time to and from other needs or activities.

Previously, we looked at why it’s a bad idea to never say no when

asked to do something and the probable outcomes when you take on too
many additional tasks. There is a way of dealing with scheduling to a
certain extent that will be helpful to you at the end of your day or at the
completion of your tasks. Bestselling author, Rory Vanden, wrote about
this in his book Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your
Time . He says that you must ask yourself, “What are the things that I
could do today that would free up more time tomorrow?” In doing this,
you lessen the pressure on yourself when it comes to focusing on urgent
tasks that are paramount today or in the near future, and this will lead you
to start thinking about what you can do now that will best serve you in the
longer term. In other words, it adds to the overall planning picture the idea
that long term vision is a necessity when planning.

Those who are considered to be great time multipliers recommend a

few things. First, they stress the importance of delegation, which means
passing on tasks to others that will provide better efficiency. This will only
prove beneficial if done correctly. When delegating, choose those best
suited for the task, and make sure that they are not already working with a
full plate. Experts and others such as myself recommend never
procrastinating. They also are big into things such as teamwork. As the
saying goes, two heads are better than one. This was briefly mentioned
earlier in this book. Also, it is highly recommended that you get rid of any
waste that may have found its way onto your schedule.

Returning phone calls and emails can be such a waste of time. Get
the knife out and trim away. When you walk into your office, and then
presented with a huge stack of pink phone call memos, get ready to trash a
few of them, if not most. Unless your schedule truly permits, oust the call
returns of a personal nature and those which appear to be outside of the
norm. Here is another great area for delegation. It is totally acceptable to
have a secretary make a few return calls for you and screen their
importance. This is also true with emails. First, you can block time in your
schedule for sending and receiving emails. Beyond this, it is a good idea to
prioritize those emails just as you do the phone calls. You can block time
for the phone as with emails, but in today’s business world, emails take
more time both because of the number and the length.

The other two things experts suggest are to always create activity
logs and to work when you are most productive. Keeping logs will enable
you to begin to tweak future planning according to the accuracy of past
planning. You will see if there is an area where you need to allow more or
less time for certain activities. As for the best time to be most productive
at work, this is another common sense thing. Your time length for this will
increase if you take care of yourself both mentally and physically. Here, a
good diet and regular exercise are recommended. Remember to allow time
for this in your schedule.

Here are important factors that should always be kept in mind when
setting up schedules. We are probably well familiarized with the fact that
this should be personalized based on your individual wants and needs, so
no need to discuss this again. We shouldn’t forget that your plan and
schedule needs to be tweaked to fit your particular job and the activities
that need be done. Even though you can now say no, you should create a
plan that will allow for some fluctuation–plan B, as they say, it. There will
always be changes within the day, so schedule accordingly. There may also
be the need to schedule some non-productive or personal time during the
day. Only you can know whether or not this is necessary.

Remember that multitasking is not a good idea. If you believe that

you are capable of doing this, make sure that you minimize it. Remember
that only 2% of the population actually has the ability to truly multitask;
the rest are just juggling activities. Remember to focus on what is of high
value, but don’t allow your schedule to be overwhelmed by those things.
Begin to look at things long term and find things that can be done now
which will best serve the future and those things which can be delayed.
However, do not procrastinate! There is a difference between allowing
something to be planned on a later date and procrastinating. Make sure
that you are aware of the difference between the two.

Planning and scheduling, although we call complete, is actually

fluid. It can be changed or altered at any time throughout the day in order
to better your planning and efficiency. Also, keep in mind your intentions
for the end results. Remember which is more important to you. Is it speed,
quantity, or quality? How much of the actual work will be done by you and
how much will be delegated to others? What is the total time allowed for a
productive time? How much will you allow for non-productive time?

After you have decided everything that you need to do, and you have
chosen the method to do your scheduling, you can get to it. As you work
on your plan, remember all of the information contained here. Keep in
mind that you can change your schedule based on what works well and
what doesn’t. Your schedule needs to be completed prior to
implementation or beginning your day, but that does not bar you from
being able to tweak it when the need arises. It is still best to allow yourself
to change your schedule according to your needs as they arise rather than
try to deal with it as is and worry about any changes after that day. It is
fluid and can be changed; do it when necessary.

Finally, after it’s all done, and you are in full swing with your day,
remember that you can and you should continuously review your schedule.
Review it during the day and certainly after that day is complete. You need
to do this for you to measure accuracy and to identify areas where changes
are needed. This will increase your efficiency while keeping your
workload manageable. In the last chapter, we will revisit some of this
information while setting up a schedule and plan for us to follow as we
learn how to best plan our activities.

Put the right things in your to-do lis t

When you use to-do lists you can keep better track of your
intentions.
Before we discuss how to journal about your goals, let’s discuss how to set
a goal, to begin with. First of all, always remember to keep your goals
SMART:

- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound

SPECIFIC: Is your goal set up in a way that anybody who read it

when written down would know exactly what you want?

For example, “Lose weight,” is extremely vague. How do you stick

to a goal like that? When do you stop losing weight? When does the
weight need to be lost ?

On the other hand, “Lose 15 pounds by June,” is a little better, as it

specifies a timeframe for the weight loss and an amount of weight to lose.
This goal will be easier to reach. The person setting this goal will be far
more likely to lose the weight they want to than the person in the first
example.

Even better, though, is to get ultra-specific. “Lose 15 pounds by

June to fit in the bridesmaid dress for Jean’s wedding, through dieting and
exercise,” is a wonderfully detailed goal. This person is going places, and
if they set up a good plan around this goal, they will most certainly be
ready for the wedding on time.

THINGS TO ASK YOURSELF: Who, what, when, where, why/how

questions are best here. What are you accomplishing? Why are you doing
it? When do you need it done by? For whom or what is it being done? How
will you accomplish it ?

MEASURABLE: In the same vein as listing the specifics of a goal,

you need to make it measurable. Can your goal be broken down into raw
data?

For example, “Fix finances,” is such a loaded request. How on

earth are you supposed to move forward with a goal that broad? How will
you get yourself out of debt? How will you generate income? When do you
need to get this finished by? How much do you need? How big or small do
your steps need to be?

A better way to word this goal might be something along the lines
of, “Find job by May, reduce debt by half by September.” Regardless of the
level of achievability in this example, it’s still more measurable than the
first example. However, it still isn’t perfect.

For financial issues, this step becomes tricky. That’s exactly why
it’s the perfect scenario to use for an example. The best way to make “fix
finances” a measurable goal involves a whole lot of numbers. The
budgeting section of many journals is filled with strikethroughs and
scribbles. This is a good thing; it means growth and thought are occurring.

Perhaps our journal-keeper in this example is $20,000 in debt, and

it’s mid-April at the time of writing. Let’s say for this example that the
most gainful employment they can find would pay them a monthly salary
of $4500, and their bills at their bare minimum total $2500 per month.
This means they have about four months to pay off $10,000 in debt. That
equals $2500 put towards debt each month, which is, even on the tightest
budget they can realistically keep, $500 too high each month. At that
point, our goal-setter should either resolve to find a side hustle to generate
that extra $500 per month or pick a slightly more realistic number .

Therefore, our options would either look like this:

“Take job offer for $4500/mo., begin rideshare side job with a
monthly goal of $500 after taxes, pay down debt by $2500 each month.
Enter September with only $10,000 in debt.”

…or this:

“Take job offer for $4500/mo., pay down debt by $2000 each
month. Enter September with $12,000 in debt.”

This ultra-specific, measurable goal ensures that, as long as everything

goes well with the job search of our friend in the example, the goal will be
easily met, the debt will be reduced, and things will start to get back to
normal for them.
 THINGS TO ASK YOURSELF: What are the units of measurement
involved in this goal? How will I measure the variables involved? How
will I know when my task is complete?

ACHIEVABLE: Sometimes we set unrealistic expectations for

ourselves. This is a completely normal, human response to extreme stress
or chaos. We might see someone significantly more successful than we
are, and assume that we can model our own lives after theirs in a matter of
months. This is not only gravely unhealthy, but it’s also pretty
unproductive.

“Get 500,000 YouTube subscribers in 4 months” is a very

unrealistic goal, most likely fed by the effects of influencer culture. While
it’s great to have a goal (and a specific one, to boot!), the best way to save
ourselves from feelings of defeat later is to make sure the goal is actually
achievable. We’ve all been guilty of assuming we are more capable than
we really are. Remember, the best way to feed your ego the healthy way is
to set up lots of bite-sized goals over time, and accomplish them as you go
along. It will be quite rewarding to look back at all the little victories that
led up to the big one.

Perhaps a better way to set this goal would be to either reduce the
number of YouTube subscribers or to increase the length of time. A more
achievable goal might be, “Get 500,000 YouTube subscribers in 4 years
through persistence and market-studying,” or even “Get 500 YouTube
subscribers in 4 months through aggressive advertising”. This way, you’ll
still be accomplishing something awesome, but you won’t be disappointed
or angry with yourself when you don’t reach an unrealistic goal.

Most people give up on their projects when they don’t see

immediate results. The key to avoiding that pitfall is to know that any and
all progress is welcome and important. Don’t worry about feeling average.
You have to be a little average before you can be great!

THINGS TO ASK YOURSELF: Is this a realistic goal? How will I

accomplish it? What factors might make this goal inaccessible to me right
now, and what can I modify to improve the likelihood of success?
 RELEVANT: When things are overwhelming, it can be very
difficult to keep priorities straight. Sometimes we may take on tasks that
are not in line with our ultimate goal. For example, let’s say you’re a
musician. You’ve set up other realistic goals for yourself, such as hiring a
new drummer within a month or recording an EP within six months.
Suddenly your life starts feeling hectic as your plans start coming together
and your band becomes a success, so you make a new goal: “Go to
culinary school.”

What on earth ?

For some people, this curveball is exactly what they need. A

change of pace or a change in career can be life-saving for some people.
However, the person in our example might not be choosing this goal for
any relevant reasons. Maybe they think they’ll be able to balance their
music career with their “back up career.” Whatever their motive may be, it
is simply not relevant or realistic to try to balance two major career shifts
at once. With the work from the band ramping up, there will be no time for
college until things slow down. And if things slow down, the momentum
the band has built up will be lost. Unless it’s time to call it quits, this
culinary school goal is not relevant, and might just mess up our goal-
setters entire plan.

A better way to approach this same concept might be to say,

“Monitor band progress while researching culinary schools,” to eventually
be followed up with, “Enroll in culinary school if after two years the band
stagnates or breaks apart.” This way, the goal is still relevant to the
original career choice, won’t cause too much turbulence, and will prove
itself valuable after all other options have been explored.

This is not to suggest that radical change is always irrelevant.

Sometimes it is exactly what needs to happen in order to keep people
happy and healthy. Maybe our example goal-setter is experiencing too
many negative side-effects of their chosen career; after all, the traveling,
prevalence of drugs and alcohol, low wages, and problems in interpersonal
relationships can be extremely taxing on those involved in the music
industry. Maybe, pursuing a different career in a relatively tangent
industry would benefit the goal-setters mental and physical health. If that
is the case, this goal is absolutely relevant and should be valued as such .

As such, it is useful to ask yourself a variety of questions starting

with does this goal benefit my current plans? Will this goal take up more
time than I have available, or will I have to give up other things that are
important to me? What purpose does this goal serve? Is this the best time
to be pursuing this goal? Do I have the resources necessary for it?

TIME-BOUND: This is a crucial element in goal setting: time.

What is the timeframe you need to accomplish the goal? How does that tie
in with the other parts of a SMART goal?

For example, “Repair sagging floor joists,” is a pretty important

goal for a homeowner. Depending on the severity and cause of the sag,
time might be of the absolute essence here. However, simply writing down
“repair sagging floor joists” will not generate results. The goal will keep
being put off, perhaps until significant structural damage occurs. At that
point, there will be much more to repair than just a couple of cross beams
or cinder blocks.

A better way to write this out would involve the time and budget
involved in the project. We will assume for this example that this is a DIY
project, to save our hypothetical homeowner tens of thousands of dollars
in contracting and permitting expenses. They could write out, “Repair
sagging floor joists under the bathroom floor before May 15. Approximate
cost: $200 per joist. Inspect this week to determine the length and cost of
the project.”

Looks like our homeowner is going to be okay. Their plan is set up

loosely through a properly written goal. The next step is to expand that
goal out into a detailed plan, and then execute that plan to cross the goal
off their list .

Meanwhile, the homeowner that wrote down the vague goal will be
reminded to tackle their project only when the wall begins to separate
from the floor in a way they are uncomfortable with, giving them extra
work to do later.
 Remember when Benjamin Franklin said, “A stitch in time saves
nine”? This is why planning your goals out with predetermined
timeframes is vital.

Ultimately, the thing to remember is that the more details there are
in a goal, the better. As long as you keep your goals SMART, you’ll be able
to accomplish anything you put your mind to! Journaling your goals this
way will ensure your success.

When starting a goal journal, it may be helpful to break it up into

sections. Refer to the section on bullet journaling for ideas; even if it isn’t
set up with literal bullet points, the concept of daily, monthly, and yearly
goal logs, with an index to add clarity, is still a great way to keep your
goals and intentions organized and easy to follow. You can keep your daily
goals small and simple, as the building blocks to the larger goals in the
weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.

Here’s an example of a few sections of goals, which would be

presented on different pages in different areas of the journal (ideally).

YEARLY GOALS:
- Enroll in college for the fall (State? Community? Trade?)
- Plant a garden in the summer (vegetables/herbs)
- Get involved in a local animal rescue program (foster? adopt??)
MONTHLY GOALS:
- FEBRUARY:
- Research good colleges for the programs I want
- Buy seeds
- Talk to friends who work with the Humane Society
WEEKLY GOALS:
- 4/1-4/7:
- Set up placement exams at local college
- Transplant seedlings to a larger area
- Finish adoption paperwork for a new puppy
DAILY GOALS:
- 4/20:
- Take the post-secondary placement test
- Prepare a larger area for carrots and squash
- Buy paper towels and new laptop charge r

As you can see, goals are cumulative. Big goals can be broken into
small tasks to make them manageable. Our example journal-keeper and
goal-setter wanted to enroll in postsecondary school, for example. They
determined what type of school would be best for them, and determined
that beginning at a community college would be the most beneficial and
cost-effective for them. They then moved on to schedule and take their
placement tests. I can imagine that the entries after August will be full of
study reminders… as well as reminders to maintain their new garden, and
to buy dog food for their new family member.

Goals are a fundamental part of adult life. Learning to write them

down will save you time, effort, and stress. How are you going to improve
your productivity with this skill?
 Chapter 6: Additional Suggestions and Ideas
Now, let’s look at some other ways in which we can better utilize
time management, set up plans and schedules, and increase our
productivity in the workplace. Those who were awake at the beginning of
this book will remember my sharing of how much I value time
management. I was not born that way, but I acquired this mindset through
my experiences. In this chapter, I am going to talk about two different
experiences I have had which shaped my appreciation for time
management and efficiency as a whole. This chapter is only about
productive time and the workplace.

I mentioned my time as a general manager for a retail and rent-to-

own chain. What I did not mention, because of its total lack of importance
then, was that I was hired with no experience either for that company or in
that field altogether. There was a simple reason for this, and here is where
we begin our lesson for this chapter. Hang in there and listen to my story
for it will make sense to you by the end. If you stop reading this chapter
before reaching the end, it may end up seeming like a Tarantino movie.

I mentioned how my company had a strict staffing guide. It was

actually more than a guide or suggestion, but it was a strict policy because
there are methods of doing things, which were born out of trial and errors
and have proven successful with whatever that given task happens to be.
There lies the reason for my sharing it now. The truth is, no matter how
great employees may seem to be, some bad habits, shortcuts, and personal
ways of doing things will find themselves in the workplace at some point.
This is almost inevitable. Although promoting staff within seems to make
a lot of sense, it may not be the best decision sometimes because of these
habits.

Even though I lacked experience in that field, I didn’t lack

managerial experience. What was most important was that I had proven
my ability to easily and quickly learn, and my ability to put what I just
learned into practice. Keep up with me as I am making a point here. Since
I can learn and adapt easily, it was determined that I would be the best
person for the manager opening. The business had a guidebook with
answers to almost anything that could arise in the store. They needed
someone who could learn this guide and implement it without any bad
habits or shortcuts, tainting the performance of their new store manager.

One thing that I learned early on from the guide was the reason for
its staffing. It had carefully taken into account all of the different aspects
of the store’s day-to-day operations, and there had been created a staffing
guide which was most efficient and customer-friendly. Some had tried to
challenge this guide, but no one had yet to be successful at proving that
guide wrong. This was one of those things born from trial and error and
had found itself to be true. One of the main parts of this staffing guide was
the time in which it took to do the different tasks associated with each
position. However, for it to work successfully, all of the participants had to
be on board with the program, and there could not be any slackers or
nonconformists. This was why having one employee that wasn’t doing his
job had quickly caused my workload to skyrocket. The staffing guide did
not leave any room for waste. All that fat had been trimmed long ago.

Here lies a part of our guide that I did not completely agree with. In
my opinion, our guide was spot on with the majority of its content.
However, there was a weakness, regarding time management that jumped
out at me; it was trimmed a little too much as far as time wasted. Do you
still remember from our reading that good time management and planning
should include a small amount of time available for change and other
issues that can arise at any given time? The guide that we followed did not
allow for any. If something were to arise, it was necessary to take time
from something else. Even if I were to try to dictate some tasks to another
employee, that employee’s work guide did not allow for it. So, I would
have caused the other employee to have to take time from something else.
Every task had importance. So, there wasn’t anything that could just go
undone. Yes, this may be a good idea in a perfect world, where nothing out
of the ordinary happens; but this is the real world where things happen all
of the time, and we need to be prepared for them. Allowing some extra
time gives us this ability.

Now, this guide was an overall picture of what was needed for the
most efficiency, but at the same time, that included great time
management. There were many areas that were broken down several times
which dealt with time it should take for individual tasks. There was a little
wiggle room for most things, but not a lot. It was written to be employee-
friendly, not creating a sweatshop, but while also encompassing the best
practices for efficiency. Here is why I am telling you this.

If your endeavor for a new look at time management has anything to

do with a business you may be responsible for, and there is more to it than
just your own habits, it may be a good idea for you to look and see if
hiring or promoting from outside the business would be best for the
company and those involved. You don’t necessarily always need to look
within. This is most definitely true when there is a rebuilding, or large-
scale tweaking, being done at work.

Earlier, we looked at benefits associated with outsourcing things

that would be better accomplished by someone who may be more of an
expert in that specific area. If you have a project planned, but you
personally lack the skills necessary to efficiently carry out the task, it may
be better to outsource that to someone who can take on the task and have it
done faster and better. This frees you up for some other task and makes for
the original task to be completed much more efficiently. This is a
suggestion that fits in this area previously mentioned. The person, to
whom the task is given, may not be an expert with years of experience.
However, this person, if properly selected, can be seen as a blank slate. He
or she has the ability to quickly master a new set of skills and needs only
be taught those skills once. In essence, you are building your expert for a
given task or set of tasks which will lead to better efficiency and time
management. Do not limit your possibilities for bettering your plans by
only thinking of an expert as someone who already has work experience.
Your possibilities will grow exponentially when adding another potential
resource or employee. When it comes to this approach to change, always
remember the importance of selection when it comes to a person you deem
qualified for such tasks. That person should be properly vetted and have a
thorough screening during the selection process. Decisions such as this
require much more attention to detail and thought that with other positions
in the workplace. This is primarily because of the large number of
responsibilities given based on little more than faith in that person.

The second thing I’m going to talk about is something that I learned
while in my sophomore year of college. What I am going to discuss are a
few points that I learned from a management class. The class was not on
generalized management practices but specific managerial practices when
dealing with public services such as municipal fire departments.

This form of management was separated from general managerial

groups because of the usual strict attention such services usually receive.
The reasons for this are mostly because of funding and where the money
for such services comes from. I am referring to tax revenue and how it is
applied to services that benefit the public. People like to know where their
hard-earned money goes when they pay taxes. When possible, it is a good
idea to always be able to provide those with the information which they
request. Therefore, there was an entire class dedicated to this form of
management. Time management was a very big part of the overall picture.
I dare say it is the most important part.

What I learned in that class; I’ve used in my day-to-day life too.

I’m hoping that by sharing this information with you will allow you to do
the same. The overall premise is where to draw the line between
efficiency, quality, and cost. This is a delicate mixture, especially with
time management, because it need be just right and, where that line may
fall, often is up to interpretation. I will explain this in some detail, and this
should allow this to make some sense.

Briefly, we are going to leave the “time management” book and

enter a book on “spending tax dollars.” Then, we will return to “time
management” having learned a few additional things which will enhance
our lives with managing time. So, here we go!

I am going to guess that most every reader of this book has, in one
way or another, contributed to paying taxes. I am going to go a bit further
and guess that no taxpayer wants to see his or her money wasted. This is
the very foundation for budgeting with local municipalities. We want the
most bang for our buck. Some want something for nothing, but most of us
are aware that we live in the real world and something for nothing is not
real. So, budgeting needs to be a reflection of this mindset, and one aspect
of this is with time.
 Let’s use this as an example. If you were to drive up to a local fire
department, for whatever reason and were to walk inside to find everyone
playing cards and sleeping, how would you feel? Actually, this is a
possible scenario, but those firefighters don’t do that often. Their daily
schedule is based on unit hour utilization because of the needed balance of
time that this was created. Forming the correct setup of UHU is based on
several key factors.

Remember what was written about job satisfaction, where

satisfaction is ranked higher than pay when it comes to longevity? This
plays a big part in figuring the best UHU. This is the same as making your
plan at work. You need to allow some extra time for the unknowns that
may arise without allowing too much extra time thus creating waste. It is
the same here. With firefighters, they need to be scheduled so that the
service they provide the public is efficient, but, at the same time, doesn’t
wear them out and cause work overload.

UHU becomes more important with bigger cities and other services.
Let’s look at paramedics and how it applies to them. When figuring the
UHU for paramedics, there is usually 12-hour blocks used. Then, the cost
of staffing an ambulance and running it is broken down into the different
blocks. Then, the average number of calls that they run are figured in, and
that revenue is factored into the total equation. Let’s say that there is an
ambulance that is staffed with two paramedics who work 12-hour shifts.
During those 12 hours, they are on actual calls for 11 hours. This would
certainly be a big hint that an additional ambulance is needed because the
UHU is almost 100%.

If I were to get into all the different factors and calculations, this
really would become a book on something other than time management.
So, we can leave this example and move on. What I want you to take from
this is the importance of breaking time down into sections and the
implementation of tasks. Regardless of this plan being with a retail store, a
CPA firm, or a municipal fire department, the end result is the same for
everyone. Efficiency, personal goals, tasks, and desired outcomes drive
proper scheduling and planning.
 Time management can and usually should be utilized for almost
everything you do, which holds any significance. Many of those who have
been successful know the values of time management. Most of them
regularly plan and schedule their activities. We know of those who have
proven themselves successful with business. With minimal research, we
can usually find where those successful have told their time management
practices, theories, and successes. Many successful individuals don’t
simply plan their most significant activities and goals but take planning to
another level altogether. Let’s look at a few of these people and the
interesting things in which they planned, or reserved the time for when
creating their personal plans. Some of this information may surprise you.
You may also get a few ideas from these people and the way in which they
chose to use their time.

Charles Dickens was a British writer who is known for A Christmas

Carol . In his planning, he included time to be spent with friends and
family. He even included “gap time” in his daily plans. For music
enthusiasts, there is Ludwig van Beethoven. He was a composer, and it
was known that he had lost 60% of his hearing during most of his life. He
eventually lost all of his hearing by 1816, which was 11 years prior to his
death. In his planning, he included daily trips to his local tavern to read a
newspaper and also blocked off time for dinner and wine. Also, in the
music world, there was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was also a well-
known composer. In his daily planning, he blocked off time for his wife.
He even labeled it “time with Constanze.” Along with time for his wife, or
girlfriend at that time, he also labeled time for getting dressed. Immanuel
Kant, a German philosopher, was another person well-versed in time
management. He blocked off time on his daily planning to simply visit
with family and friends.

For those in the field of science, there are many past scientists and
doctors who believed whole-heartedly in time management and planning.
For instance, there was Charles Darwin, who’s well-known for his theories
in evolution; he was also a time management guru. In his daily planning,
he set aside and labeled time for lying awake in bed and thinking of ways
to solve problems. This is what I was referring to when I suggested
thinking and driving. Another scientist is Sigmund Freud. Dr. Freud is
known for many things ranging from the use of cocaine, and what he
believed to be its benefits, to theories dealing with sex within a
relationship. He was also one of those who believed in the importance of
family and, on his daily planning, blocked off time to spend with his
daughter.

We have already seen where Charles Dickens was into time

management, but the list of writers and novelists is long and distinguished.
First, let’s look at a poet named W.H. Auden, who liked to have a daily
drink. In fact, he placed time in his daily plans, specifically for this
purpose. He planned time each day to drink what he called “strong” vodka
martinis. The French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, loved his mother. In fact,
so much that she had her own special time blocked off daily in his
planning. Another German novelist, Thomas Mann, also appears to have
been a family man. He set aside daily time with his family which was
included in his daily planning. A travel writer by the name of Victor Hugo
Green loved playing cards. In fact, he loved it so much he set aside time
for it in his daily plans. Now, you can see that the idea of having daily
plans and schedules are not only held by the strange. It is a proven fact
that those who are successful in whatever career they pursue usually are
efficient in some form of time management.

To summarize this chapter, it is intended for the reader to see a few

examples of time management that are not connected to what he or she
probably knows or sees as part of that time management. I believe that
sometimes thinking outside of the box can be very beneficial. I hope that
this was helpful, and if it wasn’t, this was a short chapter, so not much was
lost. Now, let’s move onward!
 Chapter 7: When Everything Is Put Together and
Works
The best way to see how important time management is with the
overall picture of success is to look at those who have come before us and
who have shown how their planning led to their success. When designing
your plan, there will be some trial and error, needs for changes, and most
likely significant tweaking along the way. This is a continuous process,
and you can make changes to your plans at any time. However, it is best to
never start the day or the plan until the planning process is as complete as
possible.

You must be constantly aware of the possible variables that can

enter your planning and when it is most common for this to occur. You
need to become good at knowing how much extra time needs to be inserted
into your plan and where. This is for the unknown you may have to deal
with. Of course, you will also need to be diligently watching for those
pesky bad habits that sometimes work themselves into planning.

There are several key factors that can make the difference between
success and failure. Obviously, time management is one of those factors.
With minimal effort, you can do some research and find those who are
willing to tell their personal stories of success and failure with time
management and the different outcomes which came as results.

Here is an important tidbit. Assuming that you had a reason for

picking up this book, there is something that I would like to suggest you
do. Do not approach changing your time management with the primary
goal being the successful addition of activities or the completion of more
tasks. Of course, things like these are factors as they should be, but they
are only factors and in no way should they ever be primary reasons or
should they even be included in the top 5. There are several reasons that
top just being able to do more in a day.

Things that can be accomplished by better time management are

numerous. First, it can improve the quality of the things you do.
Obviously, this is important with productive time. That is, time spent
working. Additionally, improvement can also be shown in family and
personal time. This will be mentioned again later in this chapter. Better
time management will make your life less stressful all around. This will
lead to you being happier and more satisfied and will more than likely rub
off on those around you.

Of course, time management is key to building a successful

business. Although this has been written several times throughout this
book, it should go unsaid. The thing that needs to be stressed is that this
goes well beyond business. This we have also discussed this in great
detail. In a nutshell, good time management is necessary for every aspect
of your life. Sure, you can live and work without having the best time
management practices, but why settle for that? If you are going to do
something, you may as well take it all the way. Just not to perfection
because that doesn’t exist.
 Before we look at other examples of people who have been
successful with time management practices, I am going to give examples
of my personal successes with the way I manage my time. As I have
already stated, my value hasn’t been with the money in my bank account
or with some corporate ladder. My values have always been with my
ability to have as much non-productive time as possible. Yes, this has
meant that my productive time management needed to be set up in a way
that allowed me as much time from work as possible, but I also used what
I know about time management to best divide my non-productive time.
Family and personal time are where I am going with this. I am not alone in
this, and you may be one of the same. If this is the case, you have been
reading the right book!

If you remember, at the beginning of this book, I suggested brushing

your teeth while doing other things in the bathroom. Yes, it was meant to
show a bit of humor, but it was also something true. What I mean is that
there are many hours in the day. There are even more in a week, and so on.
We discussed the number of hours earlier. If we take a look, we can find
where we waste more time than we could ever imagine. Yes, there may be
only minutes with one thing, but those minutes add up quickly.

At some point, I began to really think about time and where it was
all going. All parents seem to eventually have this awakening. Many will
begin to realize when their children begin to get older. We ask ourselves,
“where did all the time go?” One minute we are looking at a baby and the
next at a high-school graduate! Fortunately, there is a large age gap with
my children, and I was able to appreciate this when my youngest child was
born. I had already had the epiphany of time flying by the time my
youngest child was born. This enabled me to consciously remember how
precious time is, especially with family, and it allowed me to better utilize
the time that we did have as a family. One of the first things that I
discovered once I began to actually evaluate where my time was going was
how much time was wasted each day. I began to find a minute here and a
minute there. It all quickly added up. This may sound a bit insane, but it
paid off in the end.

The first thing that I did was I began to chart out each day. In doing
this, I began to apply what I had learned about unit hour utilization, and I
implemented a few things I had picked up through the years. There is
nothing better than real experience. I started listing everything that I
allowed my time. This included planning and thinking. These two things
took up an astonishing amount of time, and I had never even realized it! It
was here that my tooth brushing idea was born. The first step is to create a
list of everything. Remember this includes all time and not just productive
time.

I want to point out that I am not suggesting that you, the reader,
attempt to multitask. Remember what we discussed about that. Only about
2% of the population can do this, to begin with. So, to attempt it may be
setting yourself up for failure. Taking multiple activities and juggling them
really quickly is not very efficient, and it is not multitasking. What you
will most likely accomplish is driving yourself insane or burning yourself
out. Don’t do that, especially when it comes to family time. Just handle
one thing at a time when at all possible. Having said that, there were times
when I found the most time wasted. Again, I am not suggesting
multitasking. Now, I have given this disclosure more than once; I’m
referring to the time I was driving. Most of that time was spent driving to
and from work.

We all have seen the commercials about unsafe drivers.

Undoubtedly, we all have seen and almost shouted at the people who are
distracted while driving and almost run us over. Most of the time, when I
see someone driving like a crazy person, I will look and they are on the
phone or doing their hair! So, no, I am not going to even go there.
However, there are some things that you can get done while driving that is
safe and will not cause distractions. Think about it. When you are driving,
what is going on in the car? Hopefully, you are not text messaging or doing
your hair. Please do not read a book or watch a movie on the well-hidden
DVD player in the dash. I am pretty sure that you are not just driving down
the road quietly with your mind totally on the vehicle in front of you. If
you are, I tip my hat to you. The rest of us, more than likely, are listening
to the radio. Some of us may be singing along to the music or talking to
ourselves. I usually do it all when I am driving.

So, I took the time that it takes to drive from home to work and
multiplied it by 10. It was this much time being wasted in my eyes and
which I could utilize in some other fashion. Before you begin to look for
my location and then for the phone number of the highway patrol, let me
reveal the nature of what I believed could be added to this time period.
Thinking of time! That’s right. We usually never even realize it, but we
need and often use a lot of time just to think, contemplate, and plan things.
Is this not true for you? Our thoughts, ideas, and plans do not normally just
come to us in an instant. Almost everything that we do needs some amount
of pre-planning. It took you some amount of time just to decide whether
you were going to read this book or not, didn’t it? Before going on, let me
add one more thing about thinking. It is a proven fact that when it comes to
thinking, most people spend about 95% of their time thinking about
themselves. This is after thinking about any problems that have arisen. So,
most people, who do not have any pressing issues mostly think about
themselves. This is certainly an area where there can be an improvement.

Back to the topic on hand. Let’s discuss the “thinking” time for a
moment. Have you ever taken the time to see just how many of our daily
and life activities take some amount of forethought? Almost every single
thing that you do does. This ranges from big decisions to where you plan to
eat dinner. It includes when you will get ready for work and whether or not
you will be brushing your teeth on the toilet. Everything we do takes some
thinking time. So, when are we doing all of this thinking? Remember that
time really can’t be shared unless you are in the 2% of successful
multitaskers. If you are dedicating most of your thinking on what’s for
dinner, you are probably robbing whatever activity you are supposed to be
doing at that time.

You may be thinking right now about how crazy this sounds. That is
fine if you are, but you will eventually come around if you actually do
some pondering. When I realized how much time I had where I could
include my thinking time, I actually began to put together a plan for it! I
had to learn when it was exactly where I was doing my thinking and if I
was somehow taking away from those activities. What I found out was that
I was certainly robbing certain activities, and much of that time was when
I had planned family time. My children knew what I was doing well before
this realization. Have you ever been with someone who, by the look in
their eyes, wasn’t really there with you? They were somewhere else
entirely. Knowing how my family felt about this was just more reason for
the change.

Once I had figured out, as much as possible, just how many things I
thought about and what those things were, I began to look at those
available time slots. This took some effort and getting used to, but it
finally clicked. I started to reassign those times to more suitable time
slots, and the results were both surprising and instantaneous. Whether I
accomplished freeing up more time or not, I began to actually be there for
my family, and that was beneficial enough. So, laugh if you will about
thinking in the car and brushing on the commode, but there is a treasure
trove of time you can find once you open your mind up to look for it and in
the strangest places.

Another great time for thinking is when you are involved in an

activity such as exercising or gardening. I have always found that I can
best work things out in my head when I am working in my yard. The two
activities together actually create stimulation in your mind, which can help
you. So, start gathering all of the data for yourself. Find your open time
slots, and start reassigning these things. As small as this may sound now,
this should be your first step in whatever endeavor you are seeking .
Chapter 8: The 30-Day To-Do List Guide
You made it through the reading! It wasn’t too bad now, was it? I do
hope that the information which you have been provided will be found
beneficial. Always keep in mind that this should be set up to best suit the
individual or business. There are no blanket guides for planning and time
management which don’t hold into account the different aspects of each
individual business or personal need. In this chapter, we will review some
of the key points of interest mentioned throughout the book. Also, there
will be some sample plans or templates that can be used in your planning.
Remember, this can be for both productive and non-productive planning.

First, we need to recognize our particular goals in which to obtain

before beginning a plan. As mentioned earlier, the plan can’t go into action
until the planning stage is complete. However, there can always be changes
made to a plan at any given time based on current needs and situations.
Here is a key point to keep in mind: when planning, never try to use
someone else’s plan or success as a guide. Their definition of success may
differ from yours; this is totally dependent on you. Some view success by
the amount of money in the bank. Others see success as the ability to have
a large amount of non-productive family time possible and choose a career
that best suits them in that aspect.

Now, let us look at a simple guide intended to be used at home. This

is a chore chart. As simple as it may seem, having a chore chart is a form
of planning. If you have a large family, it will be a great idea to utilize
charts like this.

Notice the different columns separating the different tasks and

dates. This chart can be created using many different computer software
programs. One notably good program to use in planning is Excel. This is
by Microsoft and is part of the Office Software Package. This chart can be
tweaked to suit your personal needs and wants .
Another planning template below is intended for use with primary
responsibilities in the workplace. Just as with the other plans, it can be
changed and personalized in any way needed for you to set it up to your
personal specifications.

Take note of how the different employees are separated by rows.

The days of the week are separated by columns. This is also a template that
can be created using Excel. Due to the limited number of cells or options,
this guide is for primary responsibilities only. We will look at an example
of a plan which is broken down a bit next.
 As we can see with this plan, there are a larger number of tasks for
each employee, and this guide is for 3 days. The employees are on the left
and are separated by names. The tasks are labeled on the right side of the
guide and are numbered. Again, this can easily be created using computer
software programs of your choice.

Creating plans using software programs is not a difficult thing to do

as it seems to be. There are ways to create plans that will make changes or
future tweaks easier but requires practice and knowledge of the programs
which you use. For instance, Excel can perform mathematical calculations
which can be used to totally different selections. This will make your
planning much easier. You must learn how to use the program for this to
happen. Remember to take one step at a time.

Let’s look at some of those pesky bad habits that were mentioned.
Where would these fall into planning? Reviewing what we previously
discussed, some bad habits are as follows: procrastination, failure to keep
your eye on your goals, being unable to say no, allowing too much extra
time, taking on tasks that you are not qualified to do, failure to write things
down, trying to multitask, and several others that will pop up at times.
Some of these habits will begin to appear later and some immediately.

Let us begin with that nasty word—procrastination. I can’t stress

enough just how damaging this can and will be to your goals. Why do this
in the first place? We know that managing time is simply taking from one
and giving to another. Keeping this in mind, there shouldn’t be many
reasons for doing this. I can only think of one. That would be in the case of
a real emergency. Then, it would be okay to procrastinate. Otherwise, if
you feel the need to put something off, don’t plan to do it now. Move on to
something else for the time being. It will better serve you and everyone
working with you if you just wait to do something that you see yourself
procrastinating with. Remember that procrastination is the enemy of
productivity, just like perfection is the enemy of good.

When you first begin planning, you probably won’t see bad habits
such as losing your sight on the prize. You should be as focused on your
goals as ever when you first start. If not, again, you should wait. Never
forget that you can’t start whatever it is you are planning until the planning
is done. Yes, you can alter the plan after you have started, but the
foundation of that plan needs to be set. This is important. Think of
building a house. We know that houses are built on some kind of
foundation. My house is built on a concrete slab. Before the house could be
built, that concrete needed to be set. It had to be strong and completely set
or dry all the way through. To hastily build a house on a weak foundation
means there is always a risk of the whole thing crashing down. What a
waste of time and energy that would be! That is not holding into account
the extra cost. So, think of planning like that. Your plan is the foundation
for your day, week, year, and life. Your goals are dependent on this
foundation being strong.

Once your planning is well underway, there are other bad habits that
you can find. One habit that you need to watch for is complacency.
Procrastination is the ugliest word, but complacent is not far behind. It is
easy to allow yourself to become complacent. This rings especially true
when things are going well and there haven’t been any kinks in your
planning as of yet. That doesn’t mean that you get to relax and let your
guard down. You should be just as diligent during the process as you were
at the beginning. This does not change until you are done. Then you can sit
back and take a deep breath beginning your relaxation and reflection of
how great your planning process went. Until you are finished, be ready for
anything that may come your way. When something comes, take action
right then. Do not be complacent!

Another habit that seems to get us all from time to time is

attempting to multitask. As we have learned, usually this is not possible.
Keep in mind exactly what is meant by multitasking. This is attempting to
do multiple and significant things at once. This does not include things
that are minor in nature. For example, this is not thinking about something
while you are driving. Likewise, it is not mentally planning while working
in your garden, but it is when you try to do more than one thing that needs
your full attention simultaneously. If you are in the 98th percentile of the
population, you are destined for failure. You are simply juggling tasks.
Think of it like this; you are driving off-road. You hit the gas, go full-
throttle, and your wheels start spinning. Your engine is revved up giving
the appearance of going somewhere, but you have no traction. All you are
doing is spinning your wheels. Therefore, in actuality, you are not going
anywhere. Had you take your time and started out sensibly, you may have
appeared to be going slower, but you are moving faster than you were with
the engine at full-throttle. There are many metaphors and clichés one can
use for this description, but I believe this point has been made. Not a lot of
good can come from juggling your tasks, so don’t try it.

During the planning process, somewhere in the middle, another

habit can be forgetting your purpose and goals. This is not going to be an
issue, at least in theory, when planning short activities. An example is a
daily plan and even a weekly plan. With planning and scheduling, habits
such as forgetting your purposes or goals are common with long-term
planning. Long-term planning is something like a plan for how you are
going to climb your corporate ladder and become the CEO of your
company. If your plan is not long like this, you probably would not have
these habits creep up. There are always exceptions to every rule, so you
should always be prepared just in case.
 Now we have seen what the most common bad habits with planning
are and when they are most likely to show up. Starting habits such as
procrastination, failure to prioritize goals, and improper definitions are
possible. Obviously, there are more bad habits possible, but these are a few
of the more common. After you have begun your planning, loss of focus,
complacency, and multitasking are common. Now that we have discussed
and reviewed the bad habits, let’s look at some good practices in planning
and scheduling and where they are best implemented.

Although this should be simple common sense, remember to always

keep interruptions and distractions to a minimum. If possible, try to do
your planning where there will be no distractions at all. If this isn’t
possible, make sure they will be minimal. Again, allow me to disclose that
the remainder of this chapter will mainly be a review. This is great because
the information here is very important. Now we have found the time and
place which will allow for minimal interruptions, let’s see what the next
key points are for successful planning.

Always remember your primary goals, ideals, and purposes for your
planning. Whether you are in it to win it at work and this is part of that or
you want to be a better family guy and father, your intentions need to be
clear and concise with your planning. One way to keep your focus and not
lose mental traction is to write things down. This was one of the easiest
things for me. I had already been practicing that. At any given time, I have
post-it notes all over the place. They decorate space at home and work. I
even have them in the car at times. I am not that forgetful. I just like being
sure to remember things. It’s the same way with planning. Just write it
down. Write down goals, intentions, ideas, key points, and whatever else
floats your boat. This will help keep you on track, and it provides you with
a means of reviewing your thoughts and ideas throughout the planning
process.

Now, you have listed your goals and priorities. You are in a place
where there are no distractions. Here is when you want to check and make
sure that your goals or tasks are properly labeled. This means that you
have separated those things which are urgent from those which are
important. Remember this discussion? Time isn’t replaceable. We are only
taking from one and giving to another. Therefore, we need to prioritize
accordingly. For review, urgent things are those which require immediate
attention. Immediate attention means they need to be handled right now.
Important things, even though important, can wait for a while.

Remember to place tasks in your plan that will best suit your mental
capacity and overall outcome. By this, I mean list tasks in a way that will
assure their completion, without procrastination or burnout, but will get
done efficiently. When making your list, don’t put all of the really difficult
tasks together. Don’t wait until the end of the plan to include them. Make
your list where there is a mental break during the process. Previously, we
discussed the matrix which explains this. In Chapter 5, we discussed the
Time Management Matrix. This is key in the division of those things and
is a great way to set your priorities up when creating your plan.

My personal preference when developing plans is, to begin with,

something that I deem urgent and more difficult than others. Somewhere
in the middle where appropriate, I will place tasks that are a bit easier to
accomplish or that require less effort. Later, I will place in more of the
harder tasks. I never end my plans with hard tasks. Doing this opens the
door for procrastination. So, start slow, then allow it to get a bit harder.
Make sure to end slow and all should work out with your plan.

Now, when dealing with productive time, keep in mind that there are
times when doing something yourself may not be the best idea. This is
more common when creating plans as a manager or while in management.
Here is when you want to consider outsourcing a task or reassigning a task.
There is also the option of further educating yourself on a particular task.
If you deem it appropriate to outsource, and this will better the efficiency
of your plan, then go for it. Outsourcing or sub-contracting is done all the
time. Don’t be too proud to do it. Remember your goals and the reasons for
this particular plan and work accordingly. Planning is not a vacation or
personal journey. In those times, it is probably the journey more so the end
which holds the most significance. This isn’t the same. Your productive
time management planning should be tailored so that the ending is key and
everything leads to the best ending possible.

The last thing that we will discuss here is your deadlines. When
planning, the foundation is based on your personal wants and goals. You
need to be diligent in your pursuit of creating a proper and efficient plan.
Once your goals are set and your priorities are listed, you need to establish
a firm deadline. To fudge on your deadline opens that door again. The door
that I am referring to is the one that leads to procrastination. Don’t do it!
Remember, it is an acceptable practice to tweak a plan from time to time,
but your deadline should be non-negotiable. The content can change but
not the deadline. Keep this in mind when you create your plan and
remember that you can’t begin implementation of your plan until the
planning is complete .
Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusion
The amount of information available to those of us who choose to
better manage our time is abundant. As abundant the available
information, it all begins with us. In so many ways, time management is
about as personal as any task can get. Your own ideas and values are the
building blocks for great time management, but it certainly doesn’t stop
there. The process of planning and scheduling never ends. At least, it is
never-ending if you choose to do it properly. It is a fluid action and it can
be tweaked at any given time based on your own needs and wants.

Throughout this book, there were numerous examples of those

who have been successful at time management and ways in which this was
made possible. Some of those who have been proven successful in history
had different priorities than others. Some were all about success in
business; some were like me who placed their values on family and their
amount of non-productive time. This is a very personal area for me as I’m
sure others will find that true for them. Regardless of your priorities, all
success begins with planning, and time management is an integral part of
it.

Once you have completed defining your wants and identifying

your needs and values, you can begin to set up your plan. Remember that
this isn’t limited to the long term. Planning can range from an hour to a
lifetime and everywhere in between. As we saw in this book, there are
many people who were proven to be successful who created plans daily. In
those plans, there were all kinds of tasks and time set aside for numerous
different activities. The family was a big thing with those who were chosen
as examples. Of course, this was by design. Your individual plans should
perfectly mirror your life, or the life you are pursuing and your ideas. If
your priorities lie with your career, your planning should reflect that.

The ways we can create plans were discussed in areas within this
book and should be further explored upon completion of this book. A lot of
possibilities and selections when it comes to tools are needed for planning
and scheduling. With software alone, there are more choices available to
you that could be written about in a single book. With a very wide range of
options, my personal preference lies with spreadsheet creating software.
This isn’t some kind of sales pitch, and I’ve taken no money nor have I
taken endorsements from Microsoft, but I will vouch for Excel—I have
used this program for some time and have yet to establish one single
complaint. Excel is versatile, relatively easy to learn, and has all of the
bells and whistles you will ever need when creating your plans and
schedules.

For those who are not into technology, using a pen and paper is
always the tried and true method. This allows for fewer options than with
software, but it will ultimately get the job done. Here is one area where I
would recommend you try a few different ideas and approaches until you
find what best suits you. Just remember that regardless of the tools you
choose to create your plans, do so in a less distracting environment. Don’t
try to draw up a plan in the living room during the early evening where
there will most likely be several screaming children bouncing off the walls
or asking to sit on your lap. Use that time for family and allow them to sit
wherever their hearts desire.

If you can begin your plan verbally, I suggest that you record
your ideas into a device or remember what you tell yourself. A good time
to begin to plan is while driving or commuting home from work. I don’t
see this as multitasking, so in my personal opinion, I see this as acceptable
and safe. Never try to write anything while driving. If you must write
something, please find a safe place to pull over and stop first. In the car,
your distractions should be minimalized. There may be a horn blown from
time to time, but that should be about it. Some people can pull off the total
recall. Those people should do well with planning while driving. Others,
such as myself, use recording devices. Best case scenario, those devices
are voice-activated, allowing you to keep your hands on the steering wheel.

If you recall from our reading, the first thing you need for
planning is the plan itself, meaning you have already identified your
wants, your needs, and your goals. After you have come to know these
things, stick with them. Do not lose your desire to create a great plan and
do not lose your hunger for the prize or outcome. You need to be sure of
your end goals and stay diligent. Never allow yourself to become
complacent. If you feel this coming on, it is best to stop and rethink your
goals altogether. After all, if your ideas for the end are not set correctly,
your planning will just be a horrendous waste of time and effort.

Never ever procrastinate! Don’t even consider it for a moment.

Time is precious, indeed. This isn’t a cliché. It is also irreplaceable. You
can’t create time in any sense. Again, time management is taking time
from one activity and giving it to another. Do this wisely and with great
forethought. Just as you need to ensure that your planning is personal, you
need to make sure it is worth it. The juice must be worth the squeeze, as
they say. If, at some point, you find that your plan is leading you away
from your desired path, make whatever changes necessary to get that done.
An example is when someone is planning his or her career. After the
beginning, it quickly becomes obvious that the current plan is taking more
away from the family that had been anticipated. In this scenario, it may be
best to change career and to step down. There is no shame in doing this; it
is actually admirable. Remember, time management is all about you and
no one else.

On this same note, always be able and prepared to say no. This is
more often with planning done for you by others, such as management, but
anything is possible. If you are already taxed with your time, and your boss
comes to you asking you to add another task, just tell him no. You may
want to use different wording, but it is all the same. If your boss has made
you believe that the only way for your advancement is for you to take on
too much, causing you excess stress and burnout, you may want to look for
another employer. A good boss will appreciate your assertiveness and he or
she will understand the benefits of that. Overload will not lead to efficient
and productive time usage in any sense. It will lead to job dissatisfaction,
burnout, divorce, addiction, and countless other negative outcomes.

Remember to correctly categorize everything on your list when

drawing your plan. There is a big difference between urgent things and
those which are important. It is crucial that you can know the difference. If
you are like most of us, everything on your list is important. Otherwise, it
wouldn’t be listed. However, there are things with a higher priority than
others. These things are urgent. Tasks labeled urgent should be those which
you can’t prolong for any amount of time. They need to be done yesterday
.

Format your plans according to these labels. It is best to never

begin with difficult tasks or those that will require more effort in doing.
This is not included when those things are at the top of the urgent list. This
is only when you can correctly place other tasks before them. Start softly.
Do not take off spinning tires while gaining no traction. After you have
started, then put on some of the heavier tasks. As your plan progresses,
anticipate time needed to chill out a bit, and that is where some more of
the easier things should be listed. Never end your plan with difficult tasks
for it will lead you straight to procrastination, and you don’t want to go
there.

Always allow for extra time. This is extremely important. This is

one area where employers and management should really be careful. As
with my work experience, it can lead to job satisfaction or an employee
walking out of the door. There can always be things which pop up from out
of nowhere—be prepared for those things. Don’t get crazy with this time
though. Find the perfect spot in the middle of waste and slavery, and that is
where the time allotment should lie. This will need some trial and errors
and some tweaking. You will eventually find the right spot. This leads us
to the next point.

Remember that time management, planning, scheduling, and

everything in between is a continuing process. Yes, you need to have your
plan completed before implementation, but that doesn’t mean the plan is
carved in stone and unable to be changed when the need arises. To draw a
plan and never expect there to come a time or a need for change is absurd.
This has probably been done before, but you can be sure that it was not set
up by one of the smartest people on Earth. Intelligent people know there
will always be times when it is proper to reevaluate the current situation.

Although your own plan is personal to you, do not hesitate to

look to others for suggestions and ideas. The cliché “two heads are better
than one” fits well here. I have lived with this philosophy for years, and it
seems to have been beneficial for me. You can learn from others. Look at
their successes and mistakes, and use that information to your advantage.
On that same note, do not be afraid to outsource. This is with productive
time and management. If there is someone else or another source that can
perform a given task more efficiently or better than what you have
planned, use that source. Keep an eye on the end result with this. You can’t
accurately evaluate cost and benefits with the use of outsourcing if you do
not have the ability to see things in the long term. Another suggestion is to
look within for these options as well as outside. There may be someone in
your company who can do this and you don’t have to worry about the
hassles associated with outsourcing. Just make sure that in asking someone
else to do a task that you aren’t leading him or her to an overload situation.

Now that the plan is set and you are ready for action, remember
to keep track of everything. Take notes on what seems to work and what
may need some changing. Keep your eye on what it was that you were
seeking to accomplish in the beginning, and never lose sight of that.
Losing sight of the prize will make you vulnerable to all kinds of negative
consequences and habits.

So, now we know some things about planning and time management with
the workplace and with some non-productive time. What about planning
when it comes to living? We recently looked at a few people who did just
that during their lives. How common is it for people to actually plan each
day to where almost every hour is earmarked for a specific task, purpose,
or event? Regardless of its popularity, it is a great idea and I highly
recommend you do it.

Unlike planning productive time and scheduling major or

significant tasks, daily planning can be less formal and should require
much less effort to accomplish. When first implementing daily planning,
you will probably find it necessary to write everything down just as with
bigger plans, but this should quickly become routine and you will lose the
need to set up your plans properly.

As with beginning all other planning, the first step and the most
important is to recognize and understand your ultimate goals. What do you
want to accomplish in setting up daily plans? Is it more time with family?
Is it more time with work? Do you want to be able to sleep more?
Whatever your reasons are, identify them and don’t lose sight of what you
decide. When planning daily, break the day down into at least hours. You
can even go as far as 30-minute blocks. Find what best suits your needs
and stick with that.

In the beginning, you should include everything that you do in a

day. Include sleep, driving, eating, thinking or meditation time, family
time, bathroom time, exercise time, and so on. You can eventually remove
things if that’s best for you, but start with a thorough plan which can also
be continuous and can be changed at any time. Your activities need to
reflect your wants and values. Remember that time is selfish; it will not
share. If you take time from something for another, it can’t be repaid so
choose your time for activities wisely. This is just as important as planning
with your career. Some people, like me, believe it to be the utmost
important thing of all-time management. This primarily depends on the
person and where he or she is currently in their life. As we looked at
earlier, younger adults tend to be more career-oriented. For those who have
families, it is a good idea to include family in your planning. This rings
especially true with a significant other. Creating a daily plan without your
spouse having any input may be a bad idea. If you must do this, do not
advertise it. Keep it on the down-low.

That about wraps up our time management discussion. It is with

my sincere hope that you will put to practice the information contained in
this book and that it will better your life in many ways. Never forget your
reasons for time management in the first place. Never waiver on your
determination to achieve your goals, and keep your eyes on the prize at the
end. Stay open-minded and be willing to always learn from others. Stay
diligent in your quest and remember that it is okay to be selfish with this.
There isn’t any better way that it can be done.
 Final Thoughts
Thank you for making it through to the end of To-Do List Formula:
Discover How to Create To-Do Lists that Work for Increasing Your
Productivity . Let’s hope it was informative and able to provide you with
all of the tools you need to achieve your goals to be productive and to be
wise in managing your given time.

The next step is to practice what you have learned in this book and apply
these tips and concepts out in the real world. Time management is a
necessary tool for success in whatever goals you want to achieve in life; it
correlated to success. You are now fully aware of the bad habits that hinder
successful time management, such as procrastination, not setting the right
goal, as well as multitasking, so you can now avoid these habits to occur—
that is if you really focus on the goal and not be complacent. Also be
mindful of properly setting up your daily life schedule, which is a very
important step for you to have a guide. Time management and planning
requires us to record events in which, aside from using the old method of
pen and paper, we can now record and create a schedule using apps and
software on various devices because of today’s technological advancement.

Remember that time management is a continuous process, as well as

planning and scheduling. These things will help measure your routine in
life in order to boost your productivity in your workplace, at home, and
even in your personal life. I hope you learned a lot from my experiences .

Finally, if you found this book useful in any way, a review on Amazon is
always appreciated!

Nils Damo n