Every day I run across the “I don’t have time!!” objection to getting things done (sometimes it is me saying it). As you’re working to finish this year strong and planning for 2011, here is a quick excerpt from The Connectors that I always find grounding. Often it is the simple advice that makes the most sense!
Unless public relations is your specialty, the name Ivy Ledbetter Lee probably won’t mean anything. In 1904, Lee and a partner launched a practice in the brand new field of public relations. In fact, Lee is considered by many as the father of modern public relations.
His clients included some of the best-known business titans of the day — John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Charles M. Schwab, for example. In 1903, after serving as president of Carnegie Steel Company and then U.S. Steel Corporation, Schwab took the reins at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the nation’s then-second largest steel producer. On one occasion, Schwab spoke to Lee, who was serving as a PR consultant to the company, about how his managers might make more effective use of their time.
Almost immediately, Lee scribbled out a simple plan, suggested that Schwab put it into practice for a time, and then pay him for whatever the steel executive thought the advice was worth. The plan proved to be so effective that Schwab sent Lee a check in the amount of $25,000 — the equivalent of perhaps a quarter of a million dollars today.
What sort of a plan was worth that much money? It consisted of four simple steps:
1) Make a list of the most important things you have to do tomorrow
2) Arrange them in the order of their importance (prioritize them)
3) Next day, work on the most important task until it’s completed:
4) Tackle the other tasks in priority order.
Yes, it is ultra simplistic. But do we really need our time management being complex like just about everything else in our lives?
Maribeth Kuzmeski
Maribeth Kuzmeski, MBA is the founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, which consults to Fortune 500 firms on strategic marketing planning and business growth. She is the author of 4 books, has frequently appeared on TV and radio, and has written articles on marketing strategies for hundreds of publications including Business Week and Entrepreneur. She regularly speaks to audiences on topics relating to business development, marketing, and sales strategies. Maribeth is author of The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley, September 2009).
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Maribeth,
Great reminder. To-do lists are the best things ever invented! While I’m no Ivy Ledbetter Lee, I’d also suggest you review your list to make sure that you’ve not prioritized ‘urgent’ over ‘important’. It is an easy mistake, that can be costly.