| by Dr. Jeffrey Lant We all know the importance of "to do" lists, that is lists where you write down what you need to do and when you need to do it. You DO have such lists, don't you? They are essential for maximum efficiency and focus. Well, this is a recommendation to start drawing up and living by items on your "never do" list, a list that becomes absolutely necessary as you see your opportunities and tasks expanding exponentially and your time remaining inflexible and limited. Time is infuriatingly limited Face it. Since you were born, no one has been able to figure out how to get more than 24 hours in a day. Generations of trained, often brilliant, scientists have come and gone... yet we have the same amount of time as the Caesars with no change in sight. Bummer. Thus instead of wishing we had more time, the challenge becomes making better use of the time we have. Inspired allocation of time becomes the goal... and this includes the all-important "never do" list. The residual pull of "do it yourself". If your upbringing was anything like mine, you were constantly admonished: "if you want it done right, do it yourself." Without detracting from the wisdom of this remark, I must tell you this in all seriousness: quite simply you cannot do it all yourself... and to achieve increasing success you must make the determination and live by it... that that which can be done by others, must be done by others; this is the only way you can perfect your ability to make money and mastermind the growth and expansion of your empire. Start today. What task(s) can you stop doing at once? Review what you did yesterday, everything you did. Write it down. It is time to see where you currently invest your time... and to stop doing at least 1 of the items currently being done by you. Now, when I say write down EVERYTHING you did....I do mean EVERYTHING. The goal is freeing up time... which means a total review of what you now do for yourself. Looking at what you do This list will include items like these * household tasks like laundry, food shopping and preparation, taking care of pets * time you spend with children and elderly parents * running errands (list every one you must do) * driving and upkeep of your vehicles. Be thorough, be exhaustive, be honest! Selecting the first item to be done by others Remember, the amount of time is rigidly fixed. What you personally do... and what you delegate to others to do is not. Now is the time to start this crucial delegation. Household help Busy people, important people, people with lots of things to do... and the desire to advance... almost all have household help and so must you. Hire your help (recommendations from friends help). Then train them to meet your exacting standards and to create the lifestyle of ease and efficiency that you require as a necessary condition for your own success. Now, I'm not saying it's not possible to live without household help. What I am saying is that if you want the maximum amount of free time that you can devote to getting on and getting richer, then you MUST have household help. That help is a crucial factor in your success. Training such people in what you require is essential. You'll need a "to do" list for them, and you'll need to monitor carefully what they do and how they do it. Allowing them to get on with the job of helping and serving you will yield a huge dividend in time and a general feeling of contentment and satisfaction. A driver If you're like most people you spend a spectacular amount of time in and around your vehicles. This is time better spent in advancing your economic well- being and comfort. In short, you require a driver. Drivers can be used for a myriad of purposes, from running errands to making an evening out comfortable and efficient. If you've never had such help before, you can hardly imagine how liberating it is to acquire and use it... and how promptly you become accustomed to its many advantages. And the cherry on the cake, of course, is that it frees up a huge volume of time, time you can better use for other purposes. A word of recognition My own driver is Aime Joseph, a man of efficiency and concern, who with his charming wife Mercedes, take care of me and mine. Indeed, so popular is Mr. Joseph, that when my relatives visit they always ask whether he will be picking them up at the air port. An affirmative answer cheers them immensely. I am glad to attest to his virtues... and to the essential services he delivers, services which have given me both leisure and the time required for enhanced business profits and a better, more serene existence. A word of advice: slow and steady wins the race The first problem to overcome will be accepting the need for help to free up time. Then there is the matter of cost. You'll say that you don't have the money to delegate life's essential tasks to others. That's rubbish. You simply need to be sure that you can generate the necessary money from your business and that this money is greater than the cost of the assistance you are acquiring. If it is, no problem. But don't go mad... before you add additional help to your expense ledger, always make sure you can generate the income to pay for it. Once you are sure, proceed. This means moving ahead with all due deliberation. Help is great, help is essential, help gives you the better life... but you must be able to pay for it. Now begin. You are about to stop doing one essential task after another, tasks you may have done for a lifetime but which you cannot afford to do yourself any more. Why? Because you truly know and intend to live by the fundamental truth that is Benjamin Franklin's famous line: "time is money." Indeed it is... and now, with all your new and vital help, you are about to liberate a great deal of that time and reap the very substantial benefits that come when you do! |
