Schwab cut him off.

Schwab raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. "Go on."

The Idea

Lee smiled to himself. This was a good idea. He bent down and rifled through his briefcase for a moment, then pulled out a small piece of paper. He put it on the large desk and slid it toward Schwab.

Schwab looked slightly confused. He glanced up at Ivy Lee and then stared at the paper.

Lee took a half step back. "Do you see this piece of paper?"

Through a furrowed brow, Schwab looked up again. "Of course."

"Take that paper and write down the six most important things you need to do tomorrow."

Schwab thought for a couple of minutes and scribbled down six items. After he finished, he tossed his pen back onto the desk. "Now what?"

Lee folded his arms and looked down at the paper.

"Now number them in order of importance."

Schwab reached across the desk to grab the pen he had just flung. It only took a moment to put them in order. This time he laid the pen on top of the list.

He gave a nod. "There."

Lee smiled again.

"Now, tomorrow when you get to work, I want you to work on the first item until it is done.

Distractions will arise. Ignore them. Work on number one until it is done. Then move on to number two, then when that's also finished, number three, and so on. At the end of every day, make a new list. Don't worry about the things that don't get done. You will know you have been doing the most good possible for your company, and if you can't get all items done using this method, you couldn't get them done using any other system, either. Once you've had time to prove to yourself the value of this, have your people try it out as well. In fact, try it out as long as you like. Then, you can send me a check for whatever you think it is worth."

The steel mill president stood up and extended a hand, but he looked lost in thought.

They shook hands and Lee left, confident his idea was a winner.

The Payoff

Several weeks later, Ivy Lee received a letter in which Schwab informed him that his list idea was the most profitable thing, from a money standpoint, that he had ever learned.

Enclosed in the letter was a check for $25,000.....in the 1920's $25,000 was REALLY a lot of money!!!

Action Step:

Click the link below to set up your own Virtual Egg Timer. It's a software that will keep you focused to get more done! So after you follow the advice above and make your daily list....stay focused on getting it done!

I can promise you it's a keeper...

It's going to free up a lot more of your time from the minute you start using it.

Honestly, this may be the best thing you give yourself for Christmas.

(and your spouse and family will thank you too!)

More time doing the stuff you love and enjoy...

More time to spend with your family......and no guilt for wasting hours
because of losing focus.