Do you ever find yourself saying, “Where did the day go?” (Or the week and even the month). You find yourself with so much more to do but feel like you have little or no time to get it done. Often I hear people say, “I just don’t have time to do it.” This time management challenge is an age-old one and over the years many time-saving techniques have been suggested to maximize productivity and to help organize our lives.
At the beginning of my sales career, as part of my training, one of the best ever time management ideas was introduced to me. The founder of the company shared her practice of using a daily 6 Most Important Things to Do List. It was a simple but highly effective method for organizing your time.
All you had to do each night was to think about what you wanted to accomplish the next day and make a list of only 6 things. Then look at the list and prioritize them in order of importance. That became your to do list for the next day ….. starting with focusing on getting the first item on your list done before you moved on to the next one. The idea is to work your way down the list throughout the day and if anything is left undone then that is added to list for the following day. Like I stated, the idea is simple but impactful!
This genius idea was created in 1918. Charles Schwab, one of the richest men in the world wanted to increase the efficiency of his team and find better ways to get things done so he had a meeting with a highly respected Productivity Consultant, Ivy Lee.
Lee requested that he have 15 minutes with each Executive to explain his time management plan. When Schwab asked how much this would cost, Lee said, “Nothing, unless it works. After 3 months you can send me a check for what you think it is worth to you.”
IVY LEE METHOD During his 15 minutes with each Executive, Lee explained his simple method for achieving peak productivity.
- At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Only six tasks.
- Prioritize the six tasks in order of their importance.
- Tomorrow only concentrate on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving to the second task.
- Continue on the list in the same fashion. At the end of the day move any unfinished items to a new list for the following day.
- Repeat this process each working day.
The strategy sounded simple, but Schwab and his executive team at Bethlehem Steel gave it a try. After three months, Schwab was so pleased with the progress his company had made that he called Lee into his office and wrote him a check for $25,000 (today the equivalent of about $400,000.)
WHAT MAKES THIS IDEA SO IMPACTFUL:
- It gets you STARTED!
- The plan is SIMPLE.
- DIRECTS YOUR FOCUS on doing one thing at a time. Multi tasking has been proven to cause us to be less productive, scattered and exhausted.
- Following the plan gives you a SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT each day.
- Trains you to SAY NO to distractions.
- Turns key tasks into HABITS.
This is a great idea that even gets better…. Recently I heard someone explaining this idea but he referred to it as the 6/2 rule of time management. Make a daily list of 6 things to do and prioritize them in order of the most important. Then when you start your day focus on accomplishing the first 2 things by noon (the first 2 things listed should be the most difficult on your list). It is the same method as created by Lee but with a little twist to make it even more efficient. 15 minutes a day equals 1 work-day a month.
How might you use this time to help you achieve your goal?
