Here is a great true story about using lists. Charles Schwab, then president of Bethlehem Steel, once granted an interview to a man named Ivy Lee, an up and coming management consultant. Lee assured Schwab that he could uncover opportunities for improvement of the company’s operations. Schwab already knew of more things that needed to be done than his staff could handle, he didn’t need more "knowing", he needed more "going". Schwab told Lee that if he could show Schwab a way to get more things done in a day, he would gladly listen, and if it worked, he would pay Lee whatever he asked, within reason.

Lee told Schwab that he could increase personal management efficiency throughout the company by at least fifty percent for anyone who applied themselves. Lee then handed Schwab a piece of blank paper. He told Schwab to write down the most important things that he needed to get accomplished the next day.

After Schwab completed the list, Lee instructed him to number them in order of their true importance. This took Schwab a while; he wanted to make sure the order was correct. Lee then instructed Schwab to begin first thing in the morning working on the number one item. When that was complete to start on the number two item and so on. If everything on the list couldn’t be completed by the end of the day, then surely even less would get accomplished without a list. Schwab agreed.

Lee told Schwab to do this task every day, and once he was convinced the system worked, to share it with his management. He closed by telling Schwab to try it for as long as he liked, and to send Lee a check for whatever Schwab thought the idea was worth.

In just a few weeks Ivy Lee received a check for $25,000.

If you don’t use lists in your day to day operations, try it for a week, it’s that easy, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done in the same day. (Then send me a check... hee hee hee.)