JIM ROHN here's the key on this don't major in minor things if you take up major time
to do minor things I'm telling you you'll be behind the curve constantly
here's what we learned in sales training what's major time and what's minor time
here's minor time thinking about prospects here's minor time making list
of prospects here's minor time keeping books on
prospects here's minor time going to see the
prospect
here's minor time evaluating the prospect after you've been there
that's all minor time here's major time in the presence of the prospect that's
mine that's major time and if you took a look if you're in sales and you took a
look at a week you'd say my gosh I'm spending 90% of my time on the minor
stuff and so little time on the major stuff in the presence of how many hours
in the presence of in my day how many hours in the presence of during my sales
week because the time that really counts is in the presence of majors and minors
here's another key time management essential don't mistake movement for
achievement it's easy to get faked out by being busy that comes home at night
all exhausted falls in the chair and says oh I've been going going going
here's the big question doing what it's not the goal and go and
going some people are going going going and they're doing figure eights their
progress is small so don't mistake movement for achievement here's another
one in sales we learned don't mistake courtesy for consent
if somebody's Pleasant and they nod you say oh they're gonna buy know they're
courteous you can't mistake courtesy for consent
now here's the big one concentration I had to learn this all those years ago
I'm in the shower trying to compose a letter found it turns out to be a
strange letter so here's what I learned to do save them work did you get to the
office save the work did you get to the work don't try to get to the office on
the way to work on the way to work enjoy the way and the shower enjoy the shower
then go to work when you get to work I found this to be helpful concentration
here's another big one learn to say no I'm telling you in such a social society
we have now it's so easy to try to be a nice person saying yes yes yes to
everything find yourself overloaded now you've got to call make that well gosh
you know all the time it takes to back out of something that you should said
yes to too quickly here's what might be better I don't think so but if that
changes I'll call you little things you can use not to commit over commit
yourself my friend Ron Reynolds says don't let your mouth overload your back
it's a good
now here's the big one on time management when you work work when you
play play don't mix the two don't work at play I used to take my family to the
beach and I would bring my briefcase I
learned not to do that or at the beach I'm saying I should be at the office I
should be at the office now my family's upset because I'm at the beach and I'm
thinking office office office now when I'm at the office I'm thinking what I
kind of get my family to the beach the beach the beach so things are not going
too well at the office cuz I'm thinking Beach and things are not going too well
at the beach cuz I'm thinkin office here's what I learned to do at the beach
be at the beach at the office be at the office when you work work when you play
play don't mix the two don't work at play now here's one of the most
important ones don't play at work work is too serious you don't want the
reputation of being the office joker it's not a good yes there's time for
some pleasant stories yes there's time for a little humor yes best if it's a
happy office of course but I'm telling you got to be serious about work cuz
you're parting with a piece of your life for the work you do your work costs you
a piece of your life here's what it's called serious business not grim not
unhappy but serious
don't play it work the only person I don't think we use anymore horse around
at the office play around play jokes play tricks no place not at the
workplace at the beach yes at the bar yes somewhere else not work you got to
treat work with all due conservative passion because it's leading you to your
future here's another key phrase all work is
good you may not like your job but if it's the stepping stones to get you to
where you want to to go you've got to appreciate your job you don't have to
have a passion for your job here's the ultimate passion a passion for
incredible success in every department of my life that's the passion but don't
look down down on some menial job you have to do to finally get you to where
you want to go no job is menial menial no job is not no every job is noble
training life for pay making the contribution to society
next analyze how you are and if you have some weaknesses if you can't doesn't
seem like you can change here's the key get it covered I used to keep promising
myself I'd keep the books keep the books keep the books finally I gave that up
and back then it only took me an extra 50 60 bucks a month for some accountant
to keep the books as a no I'm gonna save the 50 bucks you can't believe what I
started losing in productivities because I tried to save the 50 bucks so the key
is a lot of times you can stay like you are but just make sure you get it
covered
next beware of the telephone and all other systems of communication
especially the telephone at home and systems of communication at home and
here's one of the best lines I've got for you for the weekend
let all communication systems serve you but don't let them intrude when it comes
time to have dinner with your family you shut off all systems unless the ones
that can take messages silently don't let the phone ring
don't let anybody intrude come through the front door or the back door nor
through the telephone or any other device so you can't reach John and his
family when he's having dinner the President of the United States couldn't
get through if you develop that kind of a reputation father mother when we have
dinner when we're visiting and have this time with our family nothing intrudes so
don't let these clever little devices keep intruding you've got to have a
place that sink or sank it's it's valuable you don't let anything in for
that period of time okay isn't it good advice excellent advice here's the next
one read all the books you know I've only got a few notes here on time
management but if you've got some particular challenges you run a big
organization a big corporation you've got some challenges there's plenty of
books now here's what's next just be more alert to the things that might be
stealing your time here's why time is like capital you can't let someone steal
your seedcorn you can't let someone steal your capital and you can't let
someone steal your time you must designate your time and some of
the time that you designate you must not let anyone steal casual time you might
let someone intrude and steal a little bit and take a little bit but not
serious time
next one of the great time management savers is to learn to ask questions
upfront sometimes you talk to somebody for an
hour and then you ask questions and find out if you would have asked those
questions up front you could have saved yourself an hour asking questions up
front helps you to get to the problem now but if you just launch into some
discourse you might waste 30 minutes of waste an hour when here's what you
should have been talking about after you've finished an hour you say John
what's really the problem he said well it's something personal see that's what
you should have been talking about this whole hour next learn to think on paper
and we're gonna take a break some ways to think on paper one we've covered one
solving problems take it out of your head and put it on paper another one is
setting goals making these lists we've already started here's another good way
to think on paper it's a projects book each person you're working with and each
project you're working on get a loose-leaf binder and a tab and some
pieces of paper behind the tab and do a little continual summary of how it's
going between you and that person and between you and that project I call it a
projects book it is so useful to me but what's going on between you and this
person when you last got together what did you
talk about and you got a few notes there here's what we talked about the last
time we got together now when you get together again you can review that so
you'll know better what to talk about when the president gets ready to travel
and he's gonna meet some important people guess what they bringing all
these briefing books all right the last time you were with Khrushchev Kennedy is
informed here's what he said here's what you said Kennedy said no that's valuable
I need to remember that if a person is important it's worth a little running
account you might even have a project book for your children here's what's
happening between me and my child we've talked about this and we've talked about
this talk about this next add a timer keeping
track of all of your appointments you know mine is all filled with you know
when to catch an airplane and when to do a seminar when to sit down and have a
conference all the rest next is a game plan you know if you've got a house and
the you know insurance is gonna come due and some other things are gonna come do
you just put it on a spreadsheet and make sure it's taken care of
key phrase take things out of your head and put them on paper and the key is to
just experiment with different ways that helps you to do that now here's the last
one thinking on paper and that's to keep a journal one of the things I'm known
for around the world have been now for 39 40 years is keeping a journal now my
journal is not a you know it's not necessarily a it's not like a diary it
might be part diary you know I'm flying over Ireland and
write down a few little things that impressed me today I met this person
what an extraordinary event today the scent I conducted this seminar in Rome
thousand people stood that was saying for me I've got a little bit of a diary
in there but here's what primarily your general is for collecting good ideas a
journalist to collect good ideas on your health and good ideas for your business
and good ideas for your future good ideas for time management cuz I used to
take notes on pieces of paper and torn off corners and backs of old envelopes
and restaurant placemats and I threw all this stuff in a drawer it did not serve
me well I found ly learn to get a bound copy right
and just keep a journal write five was here I had my journal I'd be taking
notes right these two days in my journal now if you're caught without your
journal you just take the notes when you get back home you've put those notes in
your journal throw the paper away because we don't usually go through
paper to review but see my journals now make up a
and part of my own library my journals all reserved privately for my children
and my grandchildren can you imagine what I've collected over
the years it's unbelievable there are three treasures to leave
behind I think you've already got those notes right here they are number one
your pictures don't leave the event unrecorded it takes only a fraction of a
cent of a second to say here's who I was with when I travel the world right we
take all these pictures and here's one of the gifts people send me the pictures
they took of me and them it's part of the treasures I have on the farm
incredible a picture's worth a thousand words to describe the scene the emotion
what happened say wow this was an extraordinary day for me when I met
these people here's what they told me happened to them when they went to my
seminar 10 years ago Wow the drama comes back if you've taken the pictures it's
one of the treasures to leave behind when you go remember the old photographs
that we have now you know 100 years ago 70 80 years ago just a few photographs
what would it be like if you had thousands of photographs of the past of
your history your mother your father my grandparents so change all of that now
for your children leave all your photographs as a record here's what's
next to leave behind and that's your library the books that changed your life
the books that change your health the books that rescued you from oblivion
the books that you passed on to other people they were so exciting for you the
books that made you financially independent the books that developed
your leadership books that gave you wisdom to ponder when things were tough
the books that got you through the winter the books that helped you to
plant in the spring and the harvest in the fall what a treasure to leave behind
if you do that here's what's for sure your books will be
more valuable than your furniture