Disneyland was built in 1955 in Anaheim, California in 366 days, from the first shovel of dirt to the first ticket sold. When Walt Disney was asked, "How did you get all this done in 366 days?" he answered, "We used every one of them."

Ever notice how some people seem to get so much done? Those high-efficiency people have 168 hours in their weeks. You and I have 168 hours in our weeks.

Like Disney’s builders, we can also use every one of those days and every one of those hours as we choose. How? Take control of our time. We may not be able to gain 100% control, but we can certainly claim more of our own time by deciding how much time to donate (yes, donate) to other people when they want to talk, whether we want to hear it or not.

The late Randy Pausch, a Professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute (School of Engineering), gave us these great ideas: 

- Start your phone calls by announcing your goals for the call, "Sarah, I have two quick things to cover with you. One, . . . " This sets you up to bring a quick end to the conversation.

- Take charge of your time without guilt, long explanations, or apologies. Say:

       "Gotta go."

       "Oops, I’m on a deadline. See you soon."

- When someone requests a meeting with you, ask, "For my planning, what’s the ending time of the meeting?" Wait for an answer before you put it on your schedule.

- Place only a folding chair in your office for guests. Keep it closed and leaning against a wall. Open it and offer your visitor a seat only if you choose (shall we call this one "extreme time management"?).

- Ask yourself, "What is my time worth? $______ per hour." Keep this dollar figure in your head. When choosing how to spend your time, and how much of your time to donate to another person, ask: "Is this activity (listening to this talk, doing this task, etc.) worth what it’s costing in my finite supply of time?"

We can answer this question "yes" for an activity we enjoy or to spend time with people we like or love.

When we manage our time like it belongs to us, we can donate it to ourselves.

by Mean Josephine

1.  Start your meetings exactly on time. Close the door at start time. Become known for it.

by Mike McCarthy

An excited employee said, "I told my boss, ‘If I don’t get Employee of the Month this month, I’m going to quit,’ so he gave it to me. Yay!" 

What’s wrong with this picture? Two things. First, we should never reinforce people for unproductive behaviors, negative talk, or threats (this will only get us more of the same).   

Second, we should set short-term goals or specific actions that will allow the person to earn reinforcement, and to know concretely what to do to earn it.

Instead of singling out one "employee of the month," give your small (non-monetary) comments of recognition frequently to "employees of the moment" for their productive work and their positive comments.

Give your positive attention when positive actions are demonstrated or goals are achieved – and ONLY then.

The phone rang at 7:30 A.M. Michelle, an anxious student, asked: "Should I come today for the qualifying exam? I only got two Tootsie Rolls and a mint from Rachael!"

Worldwide Interactive Network Instructor Rachael Caldwell had used a simple but powerful feedback system to help her online students achieve high scores on their Career Readiness Certification tests. As they completed their online study, Rachael neatly printed each student’s name on a small white styrofoam cup, then loaded the cup with small candies for each level achieved each day.

Each mint meant they had completed the minimum level of a category; each Tootsie Roll signified one level beyond the minimum requirement.

The impression of those personally-packed candies stuck with Michelle and all of Rachael’s other students. Her mint-and-Tootsie Roll feedback system inspired some students to earn higher test scores.

Of 19 students, 16 took their qualifying exams and were awarded Career Readiness Certificates, which they will proudly present to prospective employers, setting them a notch above other applicants when hiring decisions are made.

Rx for a job: Earn six Tootsie Rolls and call me in the morning!

Remember Gary Larson’s great cartoon: a jar of mayonnaise in a refrigerator wearing a burglar’s mask and pointing a gun at the other condiments? Its great caption "When mayonnaise goes bad" still makes me chuckle.

I watched a meeting "go bad" as the leader and the participants’ positions on a controversial issue became farther and farther apart with each comment that was offered. When this meeting could have produced a "meeting of the minds," what was making it a sour as mayo "gone bad"?

The leader had opened with an explanation of an unpopular policy which had been announced but not yet implemented.

One by one, attendees succinctly and politely, voiced their respective concerns about the policy.

Every comment was answered with "Here’s all the research we did to decide this," "Every other organization does it this way," and other "You just don’t understand" defenses.

None of the participants felt as if their ideas were being heard, just met with a counter-punch.

Finally, one person stated what he saw happening ("You won’t even consider our ideas. Let’s work it out together rather than you just telling us how life will be). The leader’s answer: "I am listening. I have a note-taker writing down everything all of you say."

No one knew notes were being taken. All appearances signaled: "If I educate you and repeat my position enough times, you’ll agree with me and go back to work."

The gap between leader and participants became wider and wider. Eventually, people began leaving the meeting. Both "sides" left holding their original positions, additionally laden with negative emotions.

The outcome could have been positive and collaborative if the leader had responded to all comments with: "I hear you," "We’ll consider it," "We’re writing this down," or something similar. He didn’t need to indicate that he would use the idea or even that he liked it. Just that he heard it.