JIM ROHN on Time Management.

JIM ROHN on Time Management.

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 out. 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. No 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. 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 no 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. Bbest 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 works 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. No job is not. 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 promisingmyself. I’d 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 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 or 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 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 diary it might be part diary 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 finally 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 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. 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