94 Ways Of Controlling The Clock

Here are 94 positive action steps for you to choose from to help you regain control of your time. We suggest you select eight or 10 of these steps and include at least one in your Daily Planner List, a copy of which accompanies this Special Action Report. We’ve also included A Daily Time Log sheet for you to photocopy and use diligently to help you further in planning better use of your valuable time.

PREOCCUPATION ... ALERTNESS ... ENERGISING

1 . Cultivate observation

2 . Perform tasks faster

3 . Think with pencil in hand

4 . Periodically remind yourself to “Think Alertly”

5 . Do the job right the first time

6 . Reduce preoccupation time

7 . Locate energy losses

8 . Unblock natural drive by doing what you enjoy

9 . Establish a balanced exercise program

10 . Be highly selective in what you read

11 . Set up a systematic program for reading

12 . Double your speed of reading

13 . Read a book like a newspaper

14 . Do one thing at a time

15 . Always have a high priority job with you for

when you have unexpected free time

16 . Keep a writing pad accessible. Draw

pictures/diagrams as you explain a point to

visitors

17 . Replace writing letters longhand with a

dictating machine

18 . Dictate letters into a machine instead of

directly to a secretary

19 . If possible, move your home closer to work, or

work closer to home, to reduce commuting

time.

20 . Instead of bringing two or three individuals in

from different parts of the country for a brief

meeting, set up a “conference call”

21 . When explaining an unfamiliar point, make

comparisons

22 . Be aware of when you are tapering off from

peak levels of performance. At that point, shift

to another vital priority be on time to meetings,

appointments and scheduled events

23 . Reduce the overlong visitor stay

24 . Reduce the overlong telephone call

25 . Accumulate telephone calls and handle them

at a time when the chance of getting through

is most likely

26 . If you have a secretary, use him/her to screen

incoming telephone calls and drop-in visitors

27 . When a visitor stay is too long, have a co-

worker or secretary interrupt you

28 . Establish an appropriate balance between

vocational work and management work

29 . Retire early and rise early

30 . Get the necessary sleep each night, but no

more than is necessary

31 . Be sensitive to the vital priorities of others

around you

COMMUNICATION AND ATTITUDE

32 . Take 100% responsibility when sending or

receiving messages to see that

communication is secured

33 . Ask others, “What can I do to help you make

better use of your time?”

34 . Consistently use sincere positive reinforcers on

others

35 . Use positive reinforcers on yourself

36 . Reduce using negative reinforcers on other

people

37 . Reduce using negative reinforcers on yourself

DELEGATION ... BOSS/SUBORDINATE

RELATIONSHIP

38 . Earn the support of your boss

39 . Enlarge your discretionary time by reducing

the time that is imposed by subordinates and

others

40 . Instead of subordinates bringing you problems,

have them bring you the answers

41 . Analyse yourself with the following questions :

42 . What am I doing now that doesn’t need to be

done by me or anyone else?

43 . What am I doing that others can do?

MEETINGS

44 . Hold meetings standing up to make them

shorter

45 . Double preparation time for meetings and cut

meeting time in half

46 . Have only those people in the meeting who

need to be there

47 . Maintain a strict contract agreement as to

when a meeting will start and end. End the

meeting on or before the agreed time.

48 . Avoid holding a regularly-scheduled meeting

and see if it makes a difference

49 . Use a carefully-prepared agenda at all

meetings

50 . When in a meeting where your time is being

wasted, ask the leader, “Is there any other

contribution I can make to this meeting?”

51 . Discuss with meeting leader in advance where

you will be on the agenda, and get yourself

moved up, if possible.

PHYSICAL WORK AREA, ORGANISING

52 . Hold meetings standing up to make them

shorter

53 . Double preparation time for meetings and cut

meeting time in half

54 . Have only those people in the meeting who

need to be there

55 . Maintain a strict contract agreement as to

when a meeting will start and end. End the

meeting on or before the agreed time.

56 . Avoid holding a regularly-scheduled meeting

and see if it makes a difference

PLANNING, DAILY

57 . Take more time for the systematic planning of

each day

58 . Prioritise an action list each day

59 . Make complete use of your planner by

planning, recording, cross-referencing

60 . Keep long-range, prioritised, written goals in

your planner and refer to them each time a

daily action list or unassigned action list is

prepared (The three types are 1. Time

Management, 2. Personal goals with the

company, and 3. Personal life goals)

61 . Make a list of the "comfort zone" ideas,

people, physical locations, reading, actions,

and food, etc. to which you gravitate that are

inappropriate

62 . Do at least three things daily to leave your

comfort zone

PLANNING, LONG RANGE

63 . By a given date, write, refine and prioritise your

unifying principles. Evaluate your personal

performance with these principles

64 . Review the mission and goals of the company

and department at designated times

65 . Write, refine and prioritise personal goals with

the company by a given date

66 . Refine your goals using a standard of excellent

performance

67 . Refine all written goals, making them, so far as

possible, specific and measurable

68 . Plan long-range goals as far into the future as

you can anticipate

69 . Write personal goals with a balanced

perspective so that they include the areas of

professional, financial, physical/recreational,

social, intellectual/cultural and spiritual. Refine

and priorities these goals

70 . Write sub-goals to the life goals by raising the

question, “How can I cause each of these

goals to happen?”

71 . Build continuity in goal planning by preparing

monthly and weekly goals from long-range

goals, and the daily action list from all of these

72 . Share your goals with others and have them

encourage you

73 . Occasionally ask “What is the greatest threat

to my survival professionally, socially, spiritually,

financially, intellectually and physically?”

HOW TO AVOID PROCRASTINATION

74 . Set a deadline for each task

75 . Prioritise an action list every day, seven days a

week, in your planner

76 . Chain yourself to the desk until the

overwhelming vital priority is finished

77 . Plan interruptions away from your vital priority

time

78 . Do the most vital tasks now

79 . Use your secretary or others to reinforce your

vital priorities

80 . Turn the difficult task into a game

81 . Select the best time of the day for the type of

work required

82 . Allow some open space for flexibility

83 . When you bog down, leave the project until

your energies are renewed

84 . Do the most difficult task that is vital first

85 . Stay with the vital task until it is done

86 . Don’t sit on projects

87 . Institute a personal quiet hour

RESULTS… ACHIEVING WITH GOALS

88 . Accept what you cannot change as a fact of

life

89 . Reward yourself when a goal is completed or

achieved

90 . Always ensure that a goal can be achieved

REDUCING…TIME WASTERS AND TRIVIALITY

88 . Say “NO” when a request is not vital

89 . Note and determine what routines might be

changed to advantage

90 . Reduce socialising time

91 . Limit TV viewing to the “vital few”

For More Help

Go to www.profitune.com for a library of

money making and money saving business

ideas.

DAILY PLANNER

Daily Plan for ___________________________________ the _____ / _____ / _____

Item

Today’s Tasks

Time Required

Priority

Code

Planning the Day

6:00 1:00

:30 :30

7:00 2:00

:30 :30

8:00 3:00

:30 :30

9:00 4:00

:30 :30

10:00 5:00

:30 :30

11:00 6:00

:30 :30

12:00 7:00

:30 :30

Notes:

Priority

U = Urgent A = Must Do

B = Should Do C = Could Do

Code

= Completed = Moved

O = Delegated X = Deleted

“You can substantially increase your profits in less time and with more enjoyment if you plan for the future, implement the plan

and monitor the results.”

TIME LOG

Starting Time

Finishing Time

Function Performed

Time (Mins)

P or U

W or S

Comments

Daily Summary % % Comments ____________________________ Worked on planned job function _____________________________________

Worked on unplanned diversions _____________________________________

Worked on related functions _____________________________________

Social or leisure functions Record _______________________________

100% 100%

Record every function during the day. The amount of time in minutes. Tick the respective boxes.

LEGEND: P = Planned Function U = Unplanned Diversion W = Work Related Function S = Social, Leisure or Personal Function

www.profitune.com

Tried Them All & Want More? If you’ve tried all of the above tips and you’re looking

for more, you’re probably in the top 5% of business

people. And they’re the ones we love to work with!

Maybe you’re one of them.

Maybe you just know that you would benefit

enormously if only you could get into the habits listed

above, but maybe you also just know that you’ll be

overwhelmed tomorrow and won’t do this either (I say

“either” because there are probably a lot of other

things that you’d like to do that you just don’t have the

time for).

Like to increase your chances of success, and

experience a truly great result?

Then please, give us a call and we’ll explain how we

can Coach

you to a better result - in no time at all!