A Time Management Technique
The benefits of scheduling daily chores are witnessed in all their brilliance in the famous story about Charles Schwab. When Schwab was president of Bethlehem Steel, he told one of his advisors, Ivy Lee:
“Show me how to make better use of my time, then ask me whatever you want!” Lee handed Schwab a piece of paper, “write down the most important tasks you need to do tomorrow in order of importance, when you come in the morning, start and finish with the #1 item on the list. Then move on to the second job, don't mind if one of them takes all day. As long as it is very important, keep doing that work, don't be upset if you can't finish all the work in the same day, you can't finish it by other methods anyway. Make this system a habit. If the system suits you, have your men apply it too. Try as long as you like, and then you send me a check for whatever amount you see fit.” A few weeks later, Schqab sent Lee a check for $25,000 and a note stating that it was the best lesson he had learned.
Alec R. Mackenzie – “Time Trap”
