To Win Big You Must Plan Big

Dennis Scott of Punta Gorda, Florida, is an avid walker and almost daily crosses the Peace River. One day during his walk he noticed a fisherman using very large crab, four or five inches across, as bait. As he continued his walk he noticed another fisherman using tiny shrimp for bait. As he made the return trip he first saw the fisherman using the shrimp bait pulling in a small trout of less than one pound. Dennis asked how his fishing was going and he enthusiastically replied, "Just great! Look in the bucket!" The bucket contained about twenty small trout.

As Dennis continued his walk the crab bait fisherman called out to him to help him with his catch. The catch turned out to be about a 50-pound "drum." As he walked away from the two fisherman the thought occurred to Dennis that both men were fishing in the same river and both men were getting out of that river about what they expected.

That story is certainly applicable to all of our lives. Many people complain about lost opportunities, dead-end jobs or businesses that are in trouble. There's no doubt that those situations do exist and I'll agree that all opportunities are not equal. However, I am repeatedly reminded of the number of people who do well in one type of business while down the street a similar business is closing its doors. The same is true of builders, plumbers, salespeople, physicians, etc. Expectations do play a part because our expectations determine our plans and our plans determine our results.

As a parent, I can assure you that parental expectations have a direct bearing on children's performance. As an employer and educator, I can also assure you that my expectations have a bearing on the performance of my employees and students.

Think about it, expect a lot, and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP! !

-Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar is an American author, salesperson, motivational speaker and an evangelical Christian.

Create Large Chunks of Time

This strategy requires a commitment from you to work at scheduled times on large tasks. Most of the really important work you do requires large chunks of unbroken time to complete.

Your ability to create and carve out these blocks of high value, highly productive time, is central to your ability to make a significant contribution to your work and to your life.

Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Start Immediately on Number One

Successful salespeople set aside a specific time period each day to phone prospects. Rather than procrastinating or delaying on a task that they don't particularly like, they resolve that they will phone for one solid hour between 10 and 11 AM and they then discipline themselves to follow through on their resolutions.

Many business executives set aside a specific time each day to call customers directly to get feedback.

Create Specific Amounts of Time

Some people allocate specific 30-60 minute time periods each day for exercise. Many people read in the great books 15 minutes each night before retiring. In this way, over time, they eventually read dozens of the best books ever written.

The key to the success of this method of working in specific time segments is for you to plan your day in advance and specifically schedule a fixed time period for a particular activity or task.

You make work appointments with yourself and then discipline yourself to keep them. You set aside thirty, sixty and ninety minute time segments that you use to work on and complete important tasks.

Create Preplanned Periods

Many highly productive people schedule specific activities in preplanned time slots all day long. These people build their work lives around accomplishing key tasks one at a time. As a result, they become more and more productive and eventually produce two times, three times and five times as much as the average person.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, organize each day to create large chunks of time you can use for key task completion.

Second, make a written appointment with yourself to work on a key task at a specific time.


===========================================================================================
Learn the Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time"

Do you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything you want and need to do?

Would you like to accomplish ALL of your work or business goals, spend quality time with family and friends, pursue a hobby or interest, and still have a few minutes to relax?

The reality is that you have more time than you think. What you need is a reliable way to manage that time more effectively.

Time Power

In the 294-page book Time Power we present you with a proven, practical system guaranteed to help you get more done in less time. Filled with hundreds of powerful, practical, proven strategies, tools, and techniques, Time Power will help you take complete control of your time.

Buy Time Power today!preplanned periods