Top Ten Time Management Principles in Business 1) Be honest direct, open and transparent in communication, both written and oral, as time is wasted in interaction otherwise. 2) If you need a signed Confidentiality Agreement or NDA to be open, then ask for or provide one. Thereafter, share existing written background beforehand to maximize time on a scheduled call. 3) Being organized to be accomplished means there is other time set aside besides scheduled calls with partners, investors, staff, sub-contractors, clients, potential clients and other business relationships. 4) Scheduling calls is dramatically more productive. Trading calls is not productive time, as busy and successful people are rarely available randomly, and messages and voice mail will be the result of random calls 90% of the time, or 10% of the time you reach someone. You reach someone 100% of the time of scheduled calls. The more important the interaction, the less likely you will reach someone randomly. 5) Email is much more effective tool to manage your schedule, including scheduling calls that are important to maximizing our productivity. 6) I assume and respect that others time is valuable, and therefore expect the same respect for the utilization and value of my time. 7) Business is business, and unless there is an emergency like when I owned healthcare businesses, with emergencies unlikely in my business now, there are normal business hours. I will schedule calls from 8AM to 4:30PM, occasionally Saturday AM at times. Other time is personal time and family time, and that time must be respected. 8) My business and therefore my commitment to being organized and productive with my time and the resulting earnings in my business is primarily for the benefit of my family and ability to give back. Therefore, if you disrespect my time and schedule, you are in effect hurting my children and others. 9) Respect is critical in life, and respect for others time being as important as yours means we each accommodate schedules to schedule calls and aim to be productive on those calls based on advance review of documentation or agendas. Of course, family, personal emergencies and certain business partners take priority, and scheduled calls can be rescheduled with email notice in advance as possible. 10) If you feel your time is more valuable than my time, and call randomly despite my time management expectations including scheduled calls, then we should not do business together unless you a serious existing benefactor or investor in selected cases.
