Article (4-5 minutes to benefit)

The Most Important Time Management Secret That Nobody Teaches You

    Let me show you below what a wise advertising great John Carlton says.

    You work hard.

    But you can be too lazy, too. 

  In fact, it's in our nature to be lazy.  I often tell people that, if you really want to understand how the human race behaves, you must go watch the gorilla cage at the zoo for a week.  At first, you'll just see a bunch of hairy apes doing their thing.  But soon enough, you'll begin to recognize the many traits they share with us.

     Such as... being as lazy as possible, as much as possible."

    Here is one tactic that actually forces employees to get things done in offices:

Deadlines

     Oh, they can be hateful things, deadlines.  Reminiscent of high school papers due, smog tests needed, so-and-so's birthday coming up (when they expect something impressive from you).

     And when you finally study on your own or learn new skills for which there are no deadlines from others, it can be tempting to abandon them.

     Big mistake.  As inherently lazy creatures, we need deadlines to be efficient.

      Deadlines make your goals become reality.  They form a brick wall in the misty netherworld of "tomorrow" that keeps you in line.

     Deadlines should be an integral part of your study [exam success] plan. 

     The ONLY way to attack a problem... is to roll up your sleeves and dig in.  And have a plan that includes a deadline for finishing it.

     This is not a small or minor hindrance in your quest for success.  I recently fielded yet another email from a rookie who claimed to desperately want to become "the best ad writer in the world."

     Okay.  Fine.  But his question reeked of fear - he wanted to know how much time each day he should spend reading books, about writing and advertising, and how often he should copy out great ads in longhand.

     Not okay.  Not fine.  This boy is crippled with "can't let the curtain come up" disease.  A pretty bad case, too.

     Unfortunately... he's got a lot of company.

     This kind of question never even forms in the mind of someone truly seeking ad writing expertise.  You're too busy making your goal a reality.  It's not "how long should I prepare," but what else can I do, right now, to make this happen?"

     Action, not excuses for inaction.

     You want to get into it up you neck, as quickly as possible.

     I am brutal about my own deadlines.  I've never missed a deadline for a client - never - and I'll be damned if I'll treat myself with any less respect.  Even so... and even though I know the power of deadlines... I still waffle and hesitate to make them part of my plan for any project.  Because they can be painful.  You have to forgo pleasures and fun things, sometimes, to meet your deadlines.  You have to stay up late, and concentrate and focus and absorb and retain stuff.  And it hurts.  Mommy!  I don't feeeeel well.  I need to stay home today.

     Nope.  Sick or stressed, crashed computer or stalled car, you gotta meet your deadlines.  It's good for you.  (It's true - nearly all the really successful people I know... the ones having fun achieving their success... rarely get sick.)

     It's also another of those little secret traits that set you apart from your competitors, no matter what goals you've set for yourself.  Setting and meeting deadlines is a major form of taking responsibility for yourself.  You become the "action center point" of any deal, because you're the guy making everything happen.

     And you'll come to love your deadlines, I promise you.  Because, once you stop stalling around and making excuses and start setting deadlines... an amazing amount of things will start happening in your life.  And you'll be the guy making them happen. 

     It happens fast, and it changes your life almost immediately.  So stop whining.  Embrace your next deadline.  It's your partner."

--- this article is courtesy of John Carlton ---