SUCCESS Book Club Win Ch. 5: Prioritization

“The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” —Stephen R. Covey

Winners—in Win author Frank I. Luntz’s sense of the word as achievers—have the uncanny ability to prioritize: to separate what must be done from what should be done. They focus intensely on their priorities, and then pour all of their resources into those priorities.

Focusing on what must be done develops impeccable time management skills.

It’s fun to be in management. You sit in your big office and people come to see you. But that takes time, a lot of time, and I finally decided that I wouldn’t see people in my office any longer. If somebody came to see me, I would say, “Fine, I will be right down.” And I would go meet them by the front desk to find out what they wanted—money, a job, whatever. I would stand and talk to them right there, it would take five minutes, and then I’d return to my office. But if they sit in your office, they are going to take five minutes just telling you what a beautiful office you have. By the time they get around to talking about what they want, it’s a half hour or forty-five minutes later. That’s not an efficient way to manage your time.

—Amway Founder Rich DeVos

Winning Trait: Winners develop time management skills to prioritize what must be done.

Articulating your priorities quickly is one of the most important components of communication. First words make impressions—impressions you have only a few precious seconds to make.

Winning Trait: Brevity is the hallmark of good communication.

Read more from SUCCESS Book Club Chapter 5 on the SUCCESS blog.