Concentrate on what can get the greatest return; Don't spend time on things that are not conducive to success.

Don't dwell on the past.

This is a distressing moment. Many people are waiting for opportunities and hope to have a bright future that is beneficial to them. Others hope that time can go back and return to the "good old days", when a haircut was only 20 cents, the air was fresh and pleasant, and life was simple and comfortable.

Today, if you pick up the newspaper and turn to the editorial page, you may see the following:

The world is too big for us. Too much change, too much crime, too much violence and excitement. You go all out, but you always fall behind. Constantly under pressure, trying to keep up with others ... but in the end, you will lose your way, and scientific discoveries and inventions will continue to innovate, which will surprise you and make you feel at a loss. The political circle has changed so much that you are trying to remember who came to power and who stepped down, but in vain. Everything is stressful. Humans can't bear more pressure.

This editorial reads as if it was written last week or last night. But it was actually written in 150 years ago. Published in Atlantic Daily in June 1833. This is what many people call "the good old days".

What does it mean to you and me? What can we learn from it? I believe that this simple and incomplete editorial, although it has a history of more than 50 years, can teach us a secret of success.

Napoleon Hill always likes to tell students the real situation outside the school when he speaks at seminars and graduation ceremonies in high schools all over the United States. And tell them that we will not "melt down" in the future.

Or "blown to ashes", these will be the younger generation of our tomorrow's leader, and they don't seem to believe what he said. Napoleon Hill told them, "You are the luckiest people in our history. They experienced more changes in a year than our grandfather did in his life. The so-called "good old days" is actually not as beautiful as everyone said. " When they heard Napoleon Hill's words, their eyes were wide open.

Napoleon Hill explained the so-called "good old days" to these young Americans, that is, those days during the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Napoleon Hill talked about horses that suddenly died of cholera in the streets of new york at the beginning of this century.

Napoleon Hill told them: "In those ancient days, we always bathed in a big wooden barrel with hot water heated by a charcoal or coal-burning stove. In those good old days, the water we bathed in was the same bucket of hot water left by people who bathed before us. If your uncle bathes in front of you, and-fate is good at playing tricks on people-he is a pig farmer, then your collar will not leave a circle of dirt, but you will leave a whole body of dirt, and the more you wash it, the dirtier it will be. In those good old days, terrible diseases such as polio, diphtheria and scarlet fever prevailed. People at that time had never heard of such a thing as Shaq vaccine. In the 1940 s and early 1950 s, in the hot summer, we were afraid to swim in the community swimming pool or go to the cinema because we were worried that we would be infected with polio, which would lead to paraplegia, disability and even death. "

When Napoleon Hill told these young people this, they didn't even know what he was talking about.

They have never heard that during the war, rationing was implemented, and stickers of A, B or C were put on the windshield of cars, so that they could buy several gallons of gasoline with these banknotes every month.

Napoleon Hill showed them the headline of the Boston Globe in June 1857+065438+ 10/3. As a result, they all looked silly. The headline reads: "The energy crisis in full swing", and the subtitle below is: "Will the whole world fall into darkness? There is a shortage of whale oil. At the same time, describe to these American high school students the reaction of a typical American family when it first saw this title on the gloomy and cold morning of June 5438+065438+ 10. " "Hi, Martha," the man might call to his wife. "Have you read the newspaper?" We have encountered the worst energy crisis in history. "

These children began to understand and overemphasize the dark side of the world. Judging from the way their parents, teachers and friends complain, the world seems to be getting worse and worse. They asked Napoleon Hill about nuclear destruction and nuclear power plants. Napoleon Hill gave an honest answer.

Japan relies heavily on nuclear power generation, and nearly 60% of the electricity needed by the Soviet Union comes from nuclear power plants. Napoleon Hill himself hoped that the world would enter the era of laser fusion as soon as possible, because the current nuclear fission power generation is more dangerous. Napoleon Hill also believed that Paul Harvey, a famous newscaster, was right about energy. He said: "If the first product that uses electricity is the electric chair, then we can't even plug in our toaster today." When we look back on history, we can know the worst times and find the best things. It all depends on what we are looking for.

The secret of success is: seize the present and don't dwell on the past. Every generation will lament that their generation lives in the most difficult environment in history. As long as they complain about the cruel world and bury their heads in the sand, they will never have to roll up their sleeves to solve their own problems. They can blame their elders or the government, and then play the most popular new game in America-"hide and seek". In this game, everyone has to run and hide, and the person who is caught has to be an unlucky "ghost" and then find another person to replace him.

Napoleon Hill always said to these tomorrow's leaders in his speeches to young friends or in seminars: "The so-called' good old days' is today, because this is the day when we live and the only period in our history. This is our time. I have never described the beautiful side to you, nor have I told you the tragic side. I won't indoctrinate you with overly optimistic thoughts. I just want to tell you that changes in life are inevitable. "

So how to seize today? We should believe:

Today, I will start work.

Just today, I will make goals and plans.

Just today, I want to consider living only today.

Just today, I want to have a good exercise.

Just today, I want to improve my mind.

Just today, I want to rest my mind.

Just today, I will overcome my fears and worries.

Just today, I want to be liked.

Just today, I want to make her happy.

Just today, I want to be successful and outstanding.

Second, set the order.

All successful people set priorities for their to-do lists.

Helen Gurley Brown, the editor of Cosmopolitan, always keeps a magazine on his desk.

Whenever she tries to waste time doing something that doesn't directly contribute to Cosmopolitan, a glance at that magazine can help her get back on track. Brown said: "You may work very hard and even feel complacent at the end of the day, but unless you know the order of things, you may be farther away from your goal than when you started working."

You must understand that all the items on your schedule are not equally important and should not be treated equally. This is a very important point, and it is also a place where many people who are about to become time strategy experts will fall into a misunderstanding: they will make a timetable dutifully, but when they start to do the work on the list, they don't deal with it according to their priorities, resulting in no obvious effect.

The method of marking urgent matters is as follows: 1. Limit the quantity; Second, make two tables, one is a short-term schedule and the other is a long-term priority list. You can add English letters such as asterisk, a, b, c, or the numbers 1, 2, 3 next to the most important items.

After deciding what to do, you must start to act according to your priorities. Most people prioritize things according to their urgency, not their priority. What these people do is passive, not active. Successful people can't work like this. How to work according to priority? Here are two suggestions:

(1) Every day starts with a schedule.

Charles Schwapp, president of Bethlehem Steel Company, admitted that he had met Ivy Leigh, an efficiency expert.

During the meeting, Li said that his company can help Shuwap manage his steel company better. Schwapp admits that he knows how to manage, but in fact, the company is not satisfactory. But he said that what is needed is not more knowledge, but more action. He said: "We know what we should do. If you can tell us how to carry out the plan better, I will listen to you, and the price will be decided by you within a reasonable range. "

Leigh said that he could give something to Shuwap in 10 minutes, which would improve the performance of his company by at least 50%. Then he handed Schwap a blank piece of paper and said, "Write down the six most important things you will do tomorrow on this paper." After a while, he said, "Now use numbers to show the importance of everything to you and your company." It took about five minutes. Sally went on to say, "now put this paper in your pocket." The first thing tomorrow morning is to take out the note and do the first thing. Don't look at the others, just look at the first item. Start the first thing until it is finished. Then treat the second and third items equally until after work. It doesn't matter if you only finish the fifth thing. You are always doing the most important thing. "

Leigh added, "Do it every day. After you are convinced of the value of this method, please ask people in your company to do the same. You can do this experiment as long as you want, and then send me a check, whatever you think is worth. "

The whole meeting lasted less than half an hour. A few weeks later, Schwap sent Ivy Leigh a check for 25,000 yuan and a letter. The letter said that from the perspective of money, this was the most valuable lesson in his life. Later, it was said that five years later, this little-known steel mill became the largest independent steel mill in the world, and the method proposed by Li contributed a lot. This method also earned charles schwab $654.38 billion.

People have a tendency to do things out of order of importance. Most people would rather do something pleasant or convenient. But there is no other way to use time more effectively than doing things according to importance. Try this method for a month and you will see amazing results. People will ask, where did you get so much energy? But you know, you didn't get energy, you just learned to use it where you need it most.

(2) Write things down in order and make a timetable.

Reasonable arrangement of time is crucial to your success. So you can always focus on what you want to do. But it is equally important to arrange a week, a month and a year. Doing so will give you a general direction, let you see your grand plan and help you achieve your goals.

At the beginning of each month, everyone sits down and looks at this month's calendar and main task list. Then fill these tasks in the calendar and make a timetable. Now that you have done this, you won't inadvertently miss a deadline or forget a task.

Write down your goals.

If you want to know the priority of doing things, the most important thing is this question: can it help me achieve some important goals in life? Conrad Hilton, a famous hotelier, attributed his success to the magic of his goal. But before reaching his goal, Hilton didn't just write down his priorities. This is his story.

The recession hit Hilton. Since the stock market crash of 1929, no one wants to travel, and even if they do, they will not stay in the hotel that Hilton bought in the mid-1920s. 193 1, his creditors threatened to cancel the mortgage. Not only was his clothes pawned, but he was even forced to borrow money from the porter to make a living. At this time of poverty, Hilton came across photos of waldorf: 6 kitchens, 200 chefs, 500 waiters, 2,000 rooms, as well as a private hospital attached to it and a private railway next to the basement. He cut out the photo and wrote "the best in the world" on it.

Hilton later described 193 1 year as follows: "I really didn't even dare to think about that confused and chaotic day."

But waldorf's photo has been in his wallet ever since, which has always inspired him to work hard. When he has his own desk again, he will press the photos under the glass plate of the desk and look at them at any time. After his career gradually improved and he bought a new big table, he still put Zhang Zhengui's photo under the glass plate. After 18, 1949, 10, Hilton bought waldorf. That photo gave Hilton a concrete prototype of a dream and a goal that he could go all out to achieve. That photo is like a reminder card, like a magazine put on the desk by Gerry Brown, which constantly inspires them to move towards their goals.

Homer Rice, like Hilton, is a person who succeeds by his own goals. Homer Rice is the resident sports director of Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets. Because of Rice's outstanding achievements, colleagues of NCAA set up an award in his name, which is awarded to the best Sports director in China every year.

Rice made her fortune in a rural middle school in Kentucky, and later transferred to a larger middle school to continue her coaching career. There, he created a brilliant record: 10 1 wins, 9 losses, 7 draws, 7 wins, 50 consecutive championships in 7 seasons. After that, he went up a storey still higher and became a university coach, professional coach and sports director.

How did he do it? At first, Rice read all the books about success that he could find. He found that many books advised readers to write down their goals: your wishes, goals and dreams. Young coach Rice followed suit and wrote down the date and plan to achieve the goal. Like a miracle, Rice accomplished his goal step by step. He was so satisfied with the result that he taught his players to do the same. For many years, he still enjoys it.

Rice is sometimes provoked to make speeches. Once, he showed his classmates a set of cards with the size of 3 times 5, and then told them: "They are all my goals, one by one, and I carry them with me.

When I board the plane, I will take out my card to review it. The real fun is to achieve these goals. "He believes that goals should be clear and clear, and read aloud at least twice a day, which helps to integrate these goals into the subconscious. He said: "Be patient, relax and keep confidence; It's yours, so you can't run away. "

Make a feasible to-do list and put it into practice.

(1) Don't test your memory.

This is a good suggestion, make sure to write down the work for the next day before turning off the lights, because:

After writing all the work, you can sleep better; Otherwise, you may be thinking in your head all night: "Don't forget! Don't forget! Don't forget! " .

After writing down your work, your brain will have time to solve problems, not just remember them. As long as we can use the subconscious mind to solve problems, we will find that its function is quite amazing. The human brain is like a parallel processor, and the work of the speech part can be carried out at the same time. Once you write something down. The brain will move these things behind the scenes and then unconsciously start to solve problems.

Writing down your work means that you have made a commitment. If a thing is not worth writing down, it is probably not worth doing.

(2) The schedule should be simple and clear.

Don't rely on scribbled paper records, post-it notes on the table, or notes stuck on the refrigerator. If your memo notes fall apart, there will be many loopholes in forgetting things.

Make sure you can see all the to-do items in at least one place and check their progress, perhaps in the loose-leaf book you carry with you or on the computer. No matter what form, you should be able to update the content at any time and put it in a convenient place; If necessary, you can use post-it notes or notes as an additional reminder medium. But remember: don't let them become the main methods, or you will make a big mistake.

If you put your schedule and appointment records together, you'd better keep one in your office or computer in case one of them is lost or stolen. The one in the office should be updated every day, which is very helpful, although it is only a little effort.

(3) Regular inspection schedule

Napoleon Hill thinks that the timetable must be checked regularly.

The first thing after getting up in the morning is to check the class schedule. If you make sure that everything you want to do is listed on the schedule and check the schedule regularly every day, you will never be unable to complete the task because of "forgetting". Forbes II keeps a piece of paper on his desk to record important things, which is the center of his personal management system: "Whenever I feel in a dilemma, I will look at this paper to determine whether the things that make me unable to move are really worth embarrassing me." Usually there are about 20 things in Forbes' newspaper, including phone calls, letters and a short column that he has to dictate. He told me: "If you don't have a fixed notebook to record what you want to do, it will never be completed."

This is also a very useful skill in managing other things. Whenever you assign a job to your subordinates, you should make sure that they write down what you tell them on the schedule. In the subsequent meeting, they should also be invited to bring a meeting schedule as the basis for the progress report. In this way, you can be sure that your assigned work will not be missed.

In industrial and commercial enterprises or society, few qualities are more important than "reliability" (I must admit that a few people have successfully misled others into believing that they are careless and unorganized, so they can "casually" forget what they don't want to do). Managers like to assign work so that they can focus on other things; People who plan meetings or social activities also hope that the participants will not completely forget the attendance time.

(4) Limit the items on the schedule

Your schedule should be extensive, but it must not be like an encyclopedia, otherwise you are likely to be at a loss.

In the early days when Mary Kay Ash founded Mary Kay Cosmetics Company, she heard a story about Charles Schwab, the president of one of the best steel companies in the United States. Li, a business management consultant, said to Schwab, "I can teach you how to improve the efficiency of the company." Schwab asked:

"How much is it?" Li said: "If it doesn't work, it will be free; But if it works, I hope you can allocate me the 1% cost saved by the company. " Schwab agreed. "Fair enough."

Then Schwab asked Li what to do. "I need to talk face to face with every executive 10 minutes." Schwab agreed. Li began to meet all the senior managers. He told every supervisor, "Before you leave the office after work, please write down six things that you didn't finish today but must finish tomorrow."

Executives all agree with this idea. After starting to implement this plan, they find that they are more diligent than before, because with this form, they will try their best to complete the above things. Soon, the company's productivity increased significantly. A few months later, due to the amazing effect, Schwab wrote Li a check for $35,000.

Mary Kay said: "When I heard this story, I thought, if this method is worth $35,000 to Schwab, then it is also worth the same to me." So, she began to write down six important things to do tomorrow before work every day, and encouraged the salesman to do so. Today, Mary Kay Cosmetics Company has more than 200,000 salespeople and printed millions of pink notebooks, each of which reads: "Six important things I must do tomorrow."

(5) Mark the date and time next to the planned project.

Napoleon Hill believes that a time diary is not always omnipotent, and it can only play a great role if you really make up your mind to finish what is on the schedule. The best way to make up your mind is to set the time to complete each task on the schedule.

Most people's work diaries are only used to record meetings and appointments, while Napoleon Hill used a half-hour work diary to plan work and appointments. If only visitors and meetings are recorded, once the work diary is not recorded, it seems that visitors can be received freely all day.

In fact, this is all wet. Important tasks such as visitors and meetings should be recorded. Napoleon Hill believes that these tasks can only be truly completed after the working hours are arranged in the memo. "

(6) If you are a manager, you can consider helping your subordinates make schedules.

Susan Traylor is the editor-in-chief of Elite magazine. Like most successful executives, she has her own plans. In addition, she helps her subordinates to make a timetable. Usually, on weekends, Taylor will hide in holiday resorts in New England to think about projects, read articles and clear his mind. When she comes back to the office on Monday, she always brings the schedules of important people and the work assigned to everyone.

Things that should be done first will be marked in red, and things that should be done first will be marked in two. Information needed to complete the work, such as business cards or related letters, will be attached to the schedule.

A manager of Napoleon Hill, he is good at using his time and writing the department's timetable on the whiteboard, so that they can change their priorities when necessary and let subordinates know how he views the importance of a project.

(7) make a long-term plan

Many successful people who make good use of time have long-term plans.

At a national sales staff meeting, a reporter asked a chief sales staff what his most important sales strategy was. He said "my monthly schedule"-he must know in advance which important customers he needs to visit in a month. Some people even estimate how long it will take to complete each plan on their long-term plans, and then use these weekly plans, monthly plans and even annual plans to make daily plans.

Deborah Shalan is the editor-in-chief of Working Class. She plans her monthly and annual time by filing. The first two weeks of each month are fixed time for writing comments. Sharon said: "Unless it is a rare opportunity, I will not accept the invitation to speak in these two weeks. If I have other plans during this time, I will also bring my laptop so that I can work outside the office. " The third and fourth weeks are planned for other activities, such as lectures. Later, she will reply to thank-you letters, do public relations and plan future time. She always plans her work for the coming year in advance: writing books for several months, holding seminars for several months, and trying new things for the remaining month or two. Sharan has created a surprising number of works in this way, and there are also many loyal supporters among his peers.