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by Melanie Benson Strick

Do you know why you don't get all the stuff on your to-do list done? Sometimes it's as simple as a having a strategy for time-blocking.

The other day my friend LeLe called me up and said, 'Melanie, how the heck do you schedule out your time?' I'm finding that I get so behind with all the emails, phone calls and stuff that needs to get done. Well my first comment is always, 'Get an assistant.' My second question was, 'Are you scheduling time in your calendar for getting those items done?'

With the hundreds of entrepreneurs I've coached, the simple fact is in order to get something done, you have to create space to focus on it. Otherwise you will get pulled in 17,000 directions at once and never finish anything.

Here are a few of my sure-fire scheduling tips to get more done:

1. Schedule action steps into your calendar. To really get things done on your to-do list, you must have a block of time in your calendar to focus on it. I have a weekly time slot called 'Action Folder' where I focus on project deliverables.

2. Set regular time for 'return phone calls.' One of my clients, a mortgage broker owner, was frustrated when a whole day would go by before he could get to the gold - phone calls. So he created 9 am to 10 am as 'phone call time.' Worked like a charm!

3. Block out weekly 'work on business' times. If you find that months go by before you have had a chance to work on marketing or planning, you need a block of time for it. I recommend Friday afternoons.

4. Leverage your time with 'open call' times. Once a month, members of the ULTIMATE Wealth & Success Circle have access to me on the last Tuesday of the month. This works great because everyone knows when to plan for it. Alex Mandossian has two days a week where he takes phone calls and he leaves the days and times on his voice mail.

5. Be ruthless with your 'project time.' My project day is Tuesday. That is the day I leave open to handle deliverables, approve copy, talk with my team, etc. I've coached my team to be ready on these days and that on other days I may take longer to get back to them.

6. Have regularly scheduled client days. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning are the days my assistant knows she can schedule client coaching meetings. What this does is allows me to focus my time on those days and not feel distracted by other priorities.

7. Have an appointment-free day where you plan nothing. On Mondays, I don't plan any meetings (if I can help it) so I can handle any urgent situations and clean up projects. I've learned I need space to think properly and it's a great way for me to make sure everything is covered.

A couple of side notes to really make this work:

** Think of the appointment as if it's a meeting with a client. You wouldn't miss that would you?

** If you need to reschedule your appointment with yourself, you must reschedule the date sometime that week. The problems start when you let yourself off the hook and just don't do it.

Now, put at least two of these time-tested techniques into action this week and watch yourself accomplish some amazing results.

Great job!

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About the Author:

Melanie Benson Strick, The Entrepreneur’s Success Coach, teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money, more freedom and more prestige.

Co-author of Visionary Women Inspiring the World: 12 Paths to Personal Power and contributing author to Entrepreneurial Spirits , Melanie is co-creator of The Unstoppable Goals Method: How To Turn Your Ideas into Income in 90 Days.

If you are ready to experience a breakthrough in your business, sign up for a 25-minute personalized ‘Business Breakthrough’ at successconnections.com/breakthrough.html

© 2007 Melanie Benson Strick, Success Connections. All rights reserved.