In the early nineteenth century, Charles M. Schwab, who transferred the Bethlehem Steel Company into the largest steel producer in the world, issued a challenge over a dinner table to a consultant named Ivy Lee.
“Show me a way to get more things done with my time and I’ll pay you any fee within reason”.
Lee handed him a pad of blank paper.
“Each evening write down the things you have to do tomorrow and number them in order of importance.
First thing in the morning start working on item one and continue with it until you have finished.
Then start with item two….then the same with three….then four.
Don’t be worried if you haven’t finished them all.
If you can’t do it by this method, you can’t do it by any other.
Use this system every day.”
Shortly afterwards Schwab sent Lee a cheque for $25,000.
He said later, it was the most profitable lesson he had ever learnt in his business career.
In my work with senior leaders across various industries, one of the main requests I get is, ‘help me get more done with my time’.
Many leaders are time efficient, they use ‘to do lists’, diaries and advanced technological tools to help them manage their time.
But are they time effective?
We tend to think we’ve accomplished something by making a list.
But a grocery list doesn’t feed the family unless we go shopping!
We all only have 24 hours in a day, it does not matter how effectively we manage this!
Time is not a RESOURCE, time is a PRIORITY
i.e. if we are spending time doing A then it means that we are not spending time doing B.
Your challenge: what are your top two priorities that if you do them, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
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