General Interest
Quiet Time - Not Only Is It Possible, It's Essential To Succeed
By Carol Halsey

All during the 15 plus years that I worked as an executive
assistant to CEO's and Presidents of large corporations and
small companies, I observed they all had several things in
common. One in particular was, every day they would close
their office door and instruct that they not be disturbed - no
visitors, no phone calls. This period of time would usually
last for an hour, sometimes more, sometimes less. This was
their quiet time.

If you are practicing this habit, you probably would say this
is the most productive time in your day. If you do not take
quiet time, you are missing one of the greatest techniques of
time management.

There are many ways to use quiet time - working on a speech,
writing a report or an article, planning for future business,
identifying short and long term goals, designing a marketing
strategy, preparing an estimate or contract, or catching up on
paperwork. It is a time to review your goals and lay out a plan
to accomplish them.

Quiet time is best utilized during your most productive time of
the day. Schedule the time in your planner, at least one hour.
It is an appointment you keep with yourself and are just as
committed to as an appointment with someone else.

Occasionally, circumstances or events will overrun your quiet
time. That's okay. Try to plug that time into your schedule
later in the day. That's the beauty of allowing flex time in
your daily schedule (a subject for another article).

If you do not have an office door to close, quiet time is still
possible. Let phone calls go to voice mail or ask someone near
you to take your calls during that time. Do them the same
favor during their quiet time.

When others approach you to talk or visit, politely explain
that you are concentrating on a very important project, and
could you get back to them later. In most cases this works
just fine. After a while, others will recognize when not to
disturb you. You can also tack a Do Not Disturb sign on the
entrance to your work area.

Quiet time is a very effective tool in your workbox. By
committing to quiet time every day, you are being proactive,
and taking control of how to make the best use of your time,
which is a part of being organized.
©2001 Carol Halsey
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Carol Halsey is Founder and President of Business Organizing
Solutions. She is a professional organizer, consultant, speaker,
and author of "93 Organizing Tips to Simplify Your Business
Life." You can get this booklet and articles, ideas and a free
Idea Kit, filled with simple tips for saving time, simply by
visiting her web site: http://www.PilesToFiles.com .