How to Save Time
People occasionally tell you, “do that in your free time”, but in fact there’s no such thing as “free” time. Even when you’re lying by the pool, that’s leisure time-----but it isn’t free time.
The most successful people are those who’ve mastered the time-saving tactics described here.
Stay focused
All top performers established priorities. Helen Gurley Brown, editor-in-chief of Cosmoplitan, always keeps an issue of the magazine on her desk. Whenever she’s tempted to fritter away time, doing something that doesn’t contribute to the magazine‘s success, she glances at that issue and it gets her back on track.
One way to order priorities is to create a “to do” list. Every evening, jot down the top 20 tasks to be done the next day, and review the list several times throughout the day. The best way to accomplish what’s on the list is to give each task a specific time slot.
Pattern of success
Most people who want to get ahead spend useful time writing personal notes of gratitude, sympathy and congratulations. But when it comes to routine memos, letters, fact sheets and forms, they save a lot of time by relying on previously written material.
Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence, has created some 40 form letters for everything from article rejections to reply to requests for donations. Stored on her computer, the letters can be called up, copied and customized by changing a few key words. Taylor then often adds a handwritten greeting at the bottom as a personal touch.
Telephone tips
Financier J.B Fuqua has made a fortune putting deals together over the telephone. His most important strategy is to make notes before he places a call.
To avoid playing telephone tag, return phone calls right away, because you’re likely to catch the caller and your messages won’t pile up. If the person is busy, many time-tacticians make an appointment to call back. Leaving a detailed message on someone’s voice mail prevents you from getting tied up in long conversations and will get you an answer more quickly.
Do it now
As a renowned color consultant, the late Suzanne Caygill designed the homes and wardrobes of celebrities. To deal with all the demands of her schedule, she followed a rule learned from her seam-stress grandmother. If she had a job to do she did it immediately. Too many people waste time “commencing to proceed to get started ”, Caygill would say.
If you just dive in, though, you’ll be surprised at how fast you get things done. Remember, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
Freeze the design
Perfectionists can waste as much time as procrastinators. Thomas R. Williams, former chairman of Wachovia Corporation, discovered that many young people in banking don’t know when to stop researching a project and start wrapping it up. Those trainees could have learned something from engineers, who are taught to produce the best possible solution by a certain date. Even if a design is not perfect, they’ve done the best they could under deadline.
Therefore, if you want to make your life more meaningful and successful, then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made off.
how to save time
版主: 黎錦麟
Re: how to save time
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