How many of these crimes do you commit?
I lose time because…
___ 1. I lack direction. Guilty of having no goals or plan of action.
___ 2. I procrastinate. Guilty of indecision, fear of dealing with complex tasks, perfectionism, fear of failure, and/or loss of interest in a project.
___ 3. I’m disorganized. Guilty of having important business opportunities slip through your fingers because you lack systems for recording, filing, and tracking your progress.
___ 4. I’m easily distracted by e-mail and phone messages. Guilty of responding to e-mail messages and answering the phone immediately, which prevents you from staying focused on the task at hand.
___ 5. I surf the Internet. Guilty of getting lost in cyberspace. OK, you need information, so you use the Internet, which can save time. But when you get sucked in by headlines and advertisements and spend more time “surfing” than you intended—you’re guilty as charged.
___ 6. I engage in too much small talk. Guilty of getting caught up in gossip, as well as letting colleagues, clients, and prospects ramble on about issues not related to business.
___ 7. I handle personal responsibilities when I should be focusing on my business responsibilities. Guilty of scheduling too many personal tasks during business hours. Now, I’m not suggesting that you never go to your daughter’s softball game, schedule a doctor’s appointment, or take a personal phone call during your normal business hours. What I am suggesting is that you might be spending more time than you realize trying to squeeze in the personal stuff.
Ed’s Time-Killing Cure. To zero in on your time killers, for one week I want you to track and keep a record of the amount of time you spend on each of the seven offenders. Once you identify your offenders, you can eliminate them. Once you eliminate them, you’ll be amazed at the time you “re-capture.”
Copyright © 2007
ARE YOU GUILTY OF THESE 7 BIG TIME KILLERS? by Ed Abel - To learn more about this author, visit Edward Abel's Website.
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Edward Abel
(Visit Edward's Website)
With a $5,000 loan and no formal business
training, Ed Abel started his first
business when he was 24 years old. Within
7 years, he built it into a $36 million
business with 585 employees. Ed went on
to build other successful businesses using
the principles he learned "in the
trenches." Always knowing that his
experience and talent for building
successful companies would be utilized for
a bigger plan, he found his calling -
coaching, leading, and advising others on
their path to success.
Ed Abel created "The Ten Commandments for
Business Success": comprehensive
principles by which to grow any small
business. In identifying and deciphering
the "Mastermind" process that has been
used as far back by Benjamin Franklin, Ed
saw a tremendous opportunity to further
his mission. Now, "The Mastermind Business
Alliance Group" (MBA-Group) brings that
process to small business owners
everywhere, offering a solution little
known to most in the business world.
Contact Ed and see what he can do with you
212-564-7584.
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There are several right times to ask for a referral. The first, surprisingly, is after a prospect has not purchased. 
