by Brian Tracy

MCMLXXXVIII
Nightingale-Conant Corporation
www.nightingale.com
1-800-525-9000
752pg
1
THE INSTITUTE FOR EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT
EXECUTIVE TIME
MANAGEMENT
Twenty-one ideas you can use immediately to gain
two or more productive hours each day.
THE EFFECTIVE MANAGER SEMINAR SERIES
This fast-paced series of 14 management seminars on DVD, with CD and workbook
accompaniment, has been designed to convey the greatest amount of usable information in the
shortest possible amount of time. The material in each program is based on management
seminars that have been developed for and presented to leading corporations for several years.
Each program is a condensation of 21 valuable ideas, methods, and techniques drawn from years
of practical experience. More than 100 hours of reading, research, and planning have gone into
each mini-seminar, giving you just the essential material that you need to be more effective
immediately.
Since people learn in three ways visually, auditorially, and kinesthetically these mini-seminars
are offered in DVD, CD, and workbook format to assure maximum learning and retention.
The learning process is flexible. You can take these seminars alone in your office or at home, on
DVD and then on CD, to review and reinforce the key ideas. You can follow along with the
workbook and use it as a planning tool for internalization and implementation.
As a busy executive, your most valuable resource is your time. With these DVD-based mini-
seminars, you can learn in one hour what might take you two or three days in a seminar or
workshop and save the cost of time off, travel, and other expenses.
Because these programs have been developed as presentations for live audiences, they are fast-
moving, entertaining, informative, and enjoyable to watch. Brian Tracy is a master of the video
medium; thousands of people in several countries attend his DVD seminars every month.
The idea behind this series was the discovery that 80 percent of the value of the information on
any subject is contained in less than 20 percent of the material available. In this series, you get
only the top 20 percent of ideas the techniques you can begin applying today to be more
effective and achieve better results.
You save time, you save money, and you get high-quality, low-cost professional instruction in the
key management areas where you must be knowledgeable if you want to fulfill your potential in
your organization.
The Effective Manager Seminar Series is a production of the Institute for Executive Development
and Nightingale-Conant Corporation.
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HOW TO BENEFIT MOST FROM THIS PROGRAM
The Creative Manager has been designed to save you time in learning the things you need to know
to be more effective.
Research in accelerated learning suggests several ways to learn faster and remember more. This
program is based on advanced learning techniques that can help make you a mini-expert in the
principles of effective leadership in a very short period of time.
You remember only about five percent of what you hear. You remember 20 percent of what you
see. You remember 40 percent to 50 percent of what you see and hear. You remember up to 80
percent of what you see, hear, write, and review. After six exposures to the material, spread
over a period of time, you can achieve almost total recall.
You also learn and remember more if you have a clear purpose for learning, a purpose that
affects you personally. If you set goals for applying what you learn, you will remember more.
You also learn faster if you discuss what you are learning and how it can be applied to your
personal situation.
Finally, you reinforce and expand upon what youve learned when you teach others.
Some Ideas for Learning and Retention
1. Review the workbook before viewing the DVD, to gain a quick overview.
2. As you view the DVD, follow along with the workbook, and jot notes in the appropriate
sections.
3. Stop and replay parts of the CD that are particularly relevant to you.
4. If watching with others, stop the DVD when appropriate, and discuss how the material could
be applied.
5. Review your workbook and notes some time after viewing the program think about your
answers to the questions.
6. Listen to the CD version in your car, for review.
7. Explain and teach to others the ideas you feel are most important. Encourage others to learn
this material also.
8. Continually think about how you can use these ideas to be more effective.
I hear and I think. I see and I remember. I do and I know.
Confucius
3
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Twenty-one Ideas You Can Use
1. The Psychology of Time Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
2. Determining Your Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
3. The Key Questions in Time Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
4. Thinking It Through . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
5. Program Evaluation and Review Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
6. Making Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
7. Thinking on Paper Your To-Do List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
8. Setting Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
9. Staying on Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
10. Key Result Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
11. Single-Minded Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
12. Overcoming Procrastination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
13. Creating Blocks of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
14. Controlling Interruptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
15. Telephone Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
16. Effective Meeting Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
17. Batching Your Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
18. Reading Faster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
19. Personal Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
20. Organizing Your Work Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
21. Delegating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
4
INTRODUCTION
Your ability to manage your time, as much as any other practice in your career as an executive,
will determine you success or failure. Time is the one indispensable and irreplaceable resource of
accomplishment. It cannot be saved, nor can it be recovered once lost. Everything you have to do
requires time; and the better you use your time, the more you will accomplish, and the greater
will be your rewards.
Time management is essential to maximum health and personal effectiveness. How much you feel
in control of your time and your life is a major determinant of your level of inner peace,
harmony, and mental well-being. A feeling of being out of control of your time is the major
source of stress, anxiety, and unhappiness. The better you can organize and control the critical
events of your life, the better you will feel, moment to moment, the more energy you will have,
the better you will sleep, and the more you will get done.
It is possible for you to gain two productive hours each working day, or even double your output
and your productivity, by using the ideas and methods taught in this program. These techniques
have proved successful for many thousands of executives in every field of endeavor, and they will
prove successful for you as long as you have what we call the four Ds.
The first D is desire; you must have an intense, burning desire to get your time under control and
to achieve maximum effectiveness. The second D is decision; you must make a clear decision that
you are going to practice good time-management techniques until they become a habit. The third
D is discipline; you must discipline yourself to make time management a lifelong practice. The
final D is determination; you must be willing to persist in the face of all temptations to the
contrary until you have become an effective time manager.
Time management is really life management. The payoff for becoming an excellent time manager
is high. It is the outwardly identifiable quality of a winner versus a loser. All winners in life use
their time well. All losers in life use their time poorly. One of the most important rules for success
is simply to form good habits and make them your masters.
5
1. The Psychology of Time Management
Your self-esteem goes up when you are working efficiently, and your self-esteem goes
down when you are not.
A. Visualize yourself as an excellent time manager organized, efficient, in control of your
life. How does it look?
B. Act as if you were already a good time manager; think of yourself as being well organized. If
you already were excellent in time management, what would you be doing differently from
the way you do it now?
C. Affirm over and over, I am an excellent time manager; I am superbly organized. Repeat
this affirmation until it is accepted by your subconscious mind.
D. Who do you know who is extremely well organized? What could you do to be more like him
or her?
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TWENTY-ONE IDEAS YOU CAN USE
2. Determining Your Values
Time management begins with an examination or your values.
A. Why are you doing what you are doing?
B. What do you value most in life?
C. What changes could you make to bring your time usage and your life priorities more into
alignment?
3. The Key Questions in Time Management
A. What are you trying to accomplish?
B. How are you trying to accomplish it?
C. What outcomes do you desire?
7
D. What would your ideal outcome look like?
E. Mentally project forward one, two, three years. What does it look like? What would you have
to do to achieve it?
4. Thinking It Through
Take 30 minutes each day to review your goals, your plans, your progress to think,
plan, dream, create.
A. The first hour of the morning is the best.
B. True greatness begins with solitude and reflection.
C. One good idea can save months, even years, of hard work.
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5. Program Evaluation and Review Techniques
Determine the goals and objectives you must achieve to enjoy the outcomes you desire.
A. Start with determining your goals, then work backward to the present moment.
B. Write them down clearly; specifically in terms of outcomes, results desired.
C. Set specific deadlines when is it to be accomplished?
D. Assign clear responsibility who is to do it?
E. Draw a chart with each of your objectives or goals plotted backward from the required date
of completion. Lay it out on paper so that you can see when you have to accomplish each
part of the task in order to have the entire job completed on schedule.
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6. Making Plans
Make detailed plans to accomplish each goal or objective.
Detailed plans consist of the following:
A. List every activity that must be engaged in and every minor task that must be accomplished
to achieve the main goal.
B. Organize the activities in terms of time and priority. Which must be done first, and which is
most important?
C. Review your plans over and over; revise them regularly with new information.
Action without planning is the cause of every failure.
7. Thinking on Paper Your To-Do List
All top time managers think on paper and make a list.
A. Any time-management system is better than no time-management system at all.
B. Time planning pays off four to one in time savings.
10
C. Keep a time log record your time usage, and relate your actual time usage to your
priorities.
8. Setting Priorities
Use the 80-20 rule that is, 80 percent of the value of what you do comes from 20
percent of your activities. What are the top 20 percent of your activities?
A, B, C, D, E your tasks organize them in order of priority.
A = Essential tasks; must be done
B = Should be done, if enough time
C = Low-priority task
D = Delegate
E = Eliminate
Put a letter next to each of the tasks on your to-do list. Then take your A tasks and organize
them by priority A-1, A-2, A-3, etc.
Begin on your A-1, and refuse to work on any other task until it is completed.
9. Staying on Track
The most important question in time management is: What is the most valuable use of
my time right now?
A. Ask this question over and over until it becomes a subconscious guide to your actions.
B. Your top-priority tasks will always be both vital and urgent. What are your most vital and
urgent tasks right now?
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C. Learn to say no to any demand on your time that takes you away from your most vital and
urgent tasks.
10. Key Result Areas
Knowing your key result areas is a key to executive effectiveness.
A. Why are you on the payroll? What key results have you been hired to accomplish?
B. What can you and only you do well to make a real difference to your organization?
C. Every person at every level of the organization should know what his or her key result areas
are. Is everyone who reports to you clear about the most valuable contribution he or she can
make to your organization?
11. Single-Minded Concentration
This is an essential requirement of all great achievement.
A. Do first things first and second things not at all.
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B. Do things one at a time, and stay with them until they are completed.
C. When you complete an important task, you gain energy, enthusiasm, and self-esteem. What
is the most important task you have facing you today?
D. Your ability to concentrate and persevere without diversion or distraction is essential to
your success. Where could the development of this habit make a real difference in your
performance?
12. Overcoming Procrastination
This requires the replacement of a bad habit with a good habit.
A. Break the task down into bite-sized pieces.
B. Salami-slice that is, to get started, do one small part of the task.
C. Reward yourself for completing part of the task.
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D. Repeat, Do it now; do it now; do it now, over and over.
E. Develop a sense of urgency one of the rarest of all human qualities.
Fast tempo is essential to success.
13. Creating Blocks of Time
You require unbroken blocks of time for maximum accomplishment.
A. Creative time your internal prime time.
B. Operational time your external prime time.
C. Creative work and administrative work must be done separately.
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D. Possible blocks of time:
1. Early morning
2. Lunchtime
3. Close office door in the morning, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
4. Close office door in the afternoon, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
5. Get to work one hour early, before others arrive
6. Stay one hour later, after others depart
7. Air travel one uninterrupted hour is worth three normal office hours
What steps can you take immediately to begin creating blocks of time?
14. Controlling Interruptions
Interruptions are the main time waster.
A. Hang a Do not disturb sign on your door.
B. Stand up and move to leave when an unwelcome visitor comes into your office.
C. Meet unexpected visitors outside your office; set a time limit at the beginning of the
discussion (say, for example, I can speak with you for eight minutes).
15
15. Telephone Techniques
Control telephone interruptions, and use the telephone more effectively.
A. Use the telephone as a business tool; get on and off quickly.
B. Have your calls held. Call back all at once.
C. Avoid telephone tag. Give and get a specific callback time.
D. Have all calls screened by a secretary.
E. Refuse to be a slave to a ringing phone.
16
16. Effective Meeting Strategies
Twenty-five to 50 percent of management time is spent in meetings. Meetings are
unavoidable; they are also a key management tool and must be used effectively.
A. Avoid meetings whenever possible if you dont have to attend, dont.
B. Have a good reason for calling any meeting. Look upon each meeting as an investment of
money with an expected return.
1. Does this meeting have to be held?
2. What is the purpose of this meeting?
C. Always follow an agenda.
D. Start and stop on time. Assume that the latecomer is not coming at all.
E. Summarize the results of the meeting, the actions agreed upon, who is responsible, and
when action is to be completed.
17
F. Hold stand-up meetings whenever possible.
G. Deal with important items first on the agenda.
17. Batching Your Tasks
Use the learning curve.
A. Answer all correspondence at one time.
B. Make all telephone calls at once.
C. Hold a series of interviews all at once.
D. Perform any other group or similar tasks all together.
18
18. Reading Faster
Keep current with your reading requirements.
A. Learn to speed-read; take a course in which you can learn how to read faster and more
efficiently.
B. Skim newspapers; read only what is relevant to you.
C. Read magazines selectively; review the table of contents, and go straight to the article.
1. Have the article torn out and assembled in a file to read later.
2. Read articles during transition time traveling, waiting.
D. Review books carefully before deciding to read them at all.
1. Go straight to the most relevant chapter.
2. Discontinue or discard a book if it is no longer of interest to you or no longer necessary.
3. Subscribe to book-review periodicals.
19
19. Personal Development
This must be an ongoing, continuous part of your time usage every day.
A. Work on developing and improving yourself every day.
B. Listen to educational audiocassettes while youre commuting (the average person spends 12
to 25 40-hour weeks each year in his or her car).
C. Attend seminars and workshops given by people with practical experience in their fields.
D. What one step could you take toward self-improvement that could make a difference in your
career?
20. Organizing Your Work Space
A. Clear your desk; have only one item in front of you whenever possible.
20
B. Assemble all necessary materials before beginning work (pen, calculator, stapler, files, other
materials).
C. Use a dictating machine whenever possible (become a dictator). Save 80 percent of your
time on correspondence.
21. Delegating
Delegate everything you possibly can to others.
A. Delegate tasks, duties, responsibilities.
B. Delegate problem solving and decision making.
C. Delegate information gathering and research.
21
D. Delegation expands your output from what you can do to what you can control; resolve to
learn to be excellent at delegation.
Summary
If you practice the methods, ideas, and techniques in this workbook, you will become a
master time manager. However, there is more to life than simply increasing its speed.
Remember to keep your life in balance. The main purpose of learning and practicing time
management is to enhance and increase the overall quality of your life, the amount of
pleasure and happiness you experience.
Take good care of your health. It should be your most valued treasure. Eat the right foods,
get regular exercise, and be sure to get plenty of rest. Sometimes the best way to use your
time is simply to go to bed early and get a good nights sleep.
Finally, guard your relationships carefully. The quality and the quantity of your relationships
are, or should be, the single most important thing in your life. Take time each day to
communicate with the people who mean the most to you.
A wise, old doctor once observed, I never spoke to a businessman on his deathbed who said
that he wished he had spent more time at the office.
22
The Psychology of Achievement
Capitalize on skills and talents you never knew you possessed, after hearing
this outstanding program, showcasing Brian Tracy at his very best. It
makes for fascinating listening, and youll marvel at the revelations.
Through refined, easy-to-use mental-programming techniques, you will
enjoy even greater success, prosperity, happiness, and peace of mind.
Six CDs with Progress Guide 5031CD
The Psychology of Success
You always expect more from Brian Tracy, and he always delivers more! In
addition to 10 proven principles for winning, Brian shares with you: two
things to do right away for greater happiness, success, and wealth; nine
basic steps for problem solving and decision making; seven strategies for
getting help; three ways to achieve excellence in your chosen fieldplus
more!
Six CDs 1911CD
The Psychology of Selling
Selling is both an art and a science, as youll quickly learn from this best-
selling, everything-youll-ever-have-to-know-about-selling program! Put
yourself in line for top awards, greater commissions, and happier
customers who always come back for more. Learn the secrets of qualifying
and motivating your prospects and closing more sales.
Six CDs with Progress Guide 1651CD
How to Start and Succeed in Your Own
Business
In your own business, the rewards can be simply sensational freedom,
success, status and, yet, fun! Learn all there is to know about going it
alone from Brian Tracy, a masterful and highly successful entrepreneur.
Avoid pitfalls and start-up spurts and sputters. Place yourself on a steady
upward curve toward success and happiness.
Six CDs 451CD
23
SUGGESTED LISTENING FOR FURTHER HELPFUL
INSIGHTS BY BRIAN TRACY
Call toll-free 1-800-525-9000 to place an order or to receive further
information on any of these programs.
10 Keys to a More Powerful Personality
64 Minutes Viewing Time
Enjoy Brian Tracys dynamic and forceful personality on video as
he shares a lifetime success system with you. Its the 10 Cs of
success: clarity, competence, concentration, common sense,
creativity, consideration, consistency, commitment, courage, and
confidence. Learn to put them to work in your life, and
accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
One Videocassette (or DVD when available) 5711V
24 Techniques for Closing the Sale
65 Minutes Viewing Time
Ever the consummate salesperson, Brian closes you with 24
super-effective closing techniques. If youre not in sales, dont
dismiss the thought of ordering this video for yourself. Its
dynamite when youre seeking a new job, asking for a raise,
buying a car or home, or even negotiating a loan.
One Videocassette (or DVD when available) 5681V
24
SUGGESTED VIEWING FOR FURTHER HELPFUL
INSIGHTS BY BRIAN TRACY
Call toll-free 1-800-525-9000 to place an order or to receive further
information on any of these programs.
25
Setting Business Strategy
Now you can think strategy, plan strategy, implement
strategy, and live strategy, secure in the knowledge that
youve touched all the bases, covered all eventualities . 744
Leadership: The Critical Difference
Brian Tracy captures the very essence of leadership no
small task and presents it for all to see and understand.
You learn the seven steps to becoming a truly effective
leader, plus much more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 745
The Excellent Manager
What to do... how to do it... when and where to do it... its
all here! Discover the 21 steps to becoming an excellent
manager. Concentrate your powers, and master the seven
vital functions of a manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 746
How to Hire; How to Fire
At last, someone has taken the mystery out of hiring.
Heres how to greatly improve your odds of getting and
keeping the top people you need. And how to vastly
improve the situation for both the other person and
yourself when you fire an employee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 747
Delegating and Supervising
I t s not what you know about these vital areas that gets you
in trouble its what you dont know. Never get swamped,
backlogged, or overworked again, as you learn and practice
a l l the ins and out of these two crucial skills . . . . . . . . . 7 4 8
Motivating People Toward Peak
Performance
Learn the one overriding key factor in getting the most
from people. Become a whiz at multiplying your
effectiveness, and watch your career soar. Feel free to
commit your people to big assignments, knowing theyll
come through. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749
Managing Meetings That Get Results
Conducting great meetings is like giving great parties
everybody leaves satisfied. Get the most from your
meetings by giving the most. Learn the key to results-
oriented, effective meetings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750
Negotiating Strategies and Tactics
Why argue when you can agree? Learn the four secrets
discovered in the Harvard Negotiation Project, plus much
more. Never again dread bargaining, and learn how you
can want more and win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 751
Executive Time Management
Deep in your heart, you know whether or not youre a
good time manager. Most of us arent. And we all could
improve. With this video as your guide, prove to yourself
you can manage your time much more effectively and
reap BIG rewards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 752
Marketing Strategy for Fast Growth
Heres a program that could make, or save, you thousands
of dollars. Put your product or service through the paces
Brian suggests. Then, and only then, decide if you want to
enter it in the big race (read marketplace). . . . . . . . . . . . 753
How to Sell Well
Is your company realizing virtually all possible sales? Or
are you somehow missing out? Youll never know until you
compare your approaches with these proven methods for
selling more, faster, and enhancing your bottom line. . 754
The Creative Manager
Dont back off and claim youre not creative and never will
be until you give this program a try. Then exercise
restraint in the bragging department. You can be highly
creative, and Brian Tracy shows you how. . . . . . . . . . . . 755
Superior Sales Management
Learn the skills of being a friend, a counselor, a confidant,
a stern taskmaster, a cheerleader, and a business-oriented
exec. Anyone, from a sales manager to an accountant,
benefits from this people-oriented analysis. . . . . . . . . . 756
Pathways to Personal Progress
Learn to develop the key requirements for success while
ridding yourself of habits and deficiencies that could be
holding you back. Travel down the right path for you,
and do it at an accelerated pace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 757
Choose One...
Several... or All
of Brian Tracys Exciting,
Pragmatic, Multimedia Seminars
Call toll-free 1-800-525-9000 to place an order or to
receive further information on any of these programs.