Increasing Your Productivity, Doing More in Less Time

There are several versions as to how long ago this time-saving technique got it’s start. One tells of a young man approaching Andrew Carnegie, the head of U.S. Steel, while another simply has a man talking to the C.E.O. of a big company some time in the distant past.

In one version the man was paid $100,000 for the idea on how to be more productive. Regardless of the accuracy of the stories, the technique remains valid and is one of the most effective, simplest productivity tools ever used.

Whether you use a sophisticated computer calendar program, a complex time management system, a leather-bound written day-planner or, as Mark McCormick, C.E.O. of the world’s largest sports management company, IMC, simply use a legal pad. The idea is the same.

List the five most important things you have to do and do nothing else until you complete them.

I realize that this sounds overly simple in our exceedingly complicated world, but before you dismiss it, try it out for two weeks.

This simple technique, which has been used by high-level executives, entrepreneurs and others, for more than fifty years works.

One of the keys is that by listing five items instead of ten or twenty, you are really focusing your energy on what is truly important. If you eliminate distractions and do only the five items on your list, you will be directing your energy in the most productive direction.

Rather than waste your valuable time doing busy work, you will be doing what really matters to your success.

Of course, if you complete your list early, write another one, or do other less important tasks.