5" by 7-1/4"
Softbound

This book has something for everyone:

Leaders and
managers

Career achievers

Individuals just
starting out

Students

Busy parents . . .

Anyone who wants
to take charge of
his or her life.

It's About TIME!
5 Steps to True Time Management

New book in the Keep It Simple for Success® series contains a complete system for managing time and being effective

Quick read, easy to understand, simple examples and instructions

Dozens of tips in bulleted Dos and Don'ts format

The simple 5-Step System in this book was developed and perfected by the authors in the professional and financial services, consulting, venture capital, and entrepreneurial environments where effective time management is essential.

These 5 Steps have can help anyone at any level get control of their time and their life and improve their effectiveness and results.

Contains URL link to download free forms for tracking and managing time and planning days and weeks - no big planner to buy

A User Writes about It's About TIME!

"First, I want to thank you for your book It's About TIME! I read it just before my boss quit and I was handed her job, her managing editor's job, as well as my own job continuing.

"I was completely buried in competing pressures, an endless to-do list, and enormous expectations under tight deadlines.

"I could not have made it through those first 4 weeks without practicing the principles of prioritizing from your book. Thank you." -- Lori W.

"It does no good to save time if you do not spend the time you save the way you want to spend it."

Benefits for You

• Use a systematic approach that puts you in control
  
  
• Discover the two most powerful techniques for increasing daily effectiveness and results
  
  
• Gain freedom, flexibility, and balance in your schedule
  
  
• Be proactive and predictable instead of reactive and chaotic
  
  
• Eliminate time wasters
  
  
• Quit procrastinating and start doing what must be done
  
  
• Get more done in less time with less stress
  
  
• Make greater progress toward your goals each day
  
  
• Use 3 Magic Pieces of Paper to manage your time and achieve your goals
  
  
• Set priorities and stay focused on important goals
  
  
• Learn three simple techniques for saying NO to Time Bandits
  
  
• Get organized, simplify, and clean out four types of clutter that may be bogging you down

"I personally was skeptical because I have read various books on time management with no resulting effect on my ability to manage my time. Your motivational approach to the value of time combined with the methods to focus and prioritize was inspiring as well as practical. I have already made up the time invested in the program."

Here are a few examples of large organization using our It's About TIME! book and/or related seminars

AIG
Allstate Insurance Company
Coldwell Bankers
Ernst & Young
Freddie Mac
Internal Revenue Service
Marriott
McDonald’s
Morgan Stanley
Pfizer

Comments from individuals who have
bought the book or attended the related seminar

• “I like the Thunderbolts the best. I don’t know why no one ever taught us this technique before.”
  
  
• “I loved it! It showed me that I can be in control.”
  
  
• “I liked the idea of listing the 5 most important things for tomorrow before you finish your day. The techniques for doing this were so simple I know I will use them forever.”
  
  
• “For me it was the Daily Time Log. Seeing that example reminded me so much of myself and the way most of my days fly right by. I am going to put the Time Log to use next week.”
  
  
• “I liked the idea of preparing a flowchart of how all of my tasks flow so I can find ways to fine tune and improve them. The storyboard concept is cool.”
  
  
• “Scheduling important dates on a calendar, even for my personal priorities, was a big ah ha.”
  
  
• “Chunking time monthly with each member of my family is a great concept. I’ve scheduled my first chunks next week.”
  
  
• “Never thought about having specific goals and plans for the week. I’ve always planned my days. Now I’m going to try the Weekly Planner!”
  
  
• “Visualization was new to me. I never thought of it the way it was explained before. Seems powerful.”
  
  
• “Carrying my Top 3 goals in my wallet is definitely a keeper for me.”
  
  
• “Prioritize! Prioritize! Prioritize! . . . and Eliminate!”
  
  
• “I now realize that my clutter habit is holding me back and costing me time. I’m going to schedule a clean out clutter day like you recommended.”
  
  
• “What I need to do is figure out what is truly important to me and focus on those things. The demonstration of where we spend our time was a real eye opener.”
  
  
• “Time management is really “me” management. I have been fooling myself and realize that I must change my habits in order to achieve my goals.”
  
  
• “I appreciate the fact more that I am not here to spend my time and life the way that other people want me to. I am going to start making my own choices.”
  
  
• “I never thought of thinking about how personal and business goals work together.”
  
  
• “I need to say “No” more often so I can “chunk” my time. Liked the three D approach.”
  
  
• “Clean out clutter!”
  
  
• “Time Logs! I am going to review where and how I am wasting time each day. Great concept.”
  
  
• “It was the best seminar on time management we have ever had. In fact, there was unanimous agreement that it was the best seminar we have ever had on an anything.”
  
  
• “Starting Friday, I’m going to schedule one hour of time in the afternoon to set my priorities and plan for the upcoming weeks – for my staff, too.”
  
  
• “The concept of goal clutter had my name on it. I’m going to pare down my list. Don’t know if I’ll get to the magic number 3, but I’m going to try.”
  
  
• “Thunderbolt list for each day and writing it the day prior were big for me.”
  
  
• “Create chunks of time with my employees and my children.”
  
  
• “Spend one hour a day filing and throwing no matter what! (And do so daily until I’m caught up.)”
  
  
• “Learn to say NO!” to coworkers or in-laws. I’m going to try the ‘May I get back with you after 11:00 o’clock?’ technique.”
  
  
• “I will set ground rules for our weekly meetings using the tips in the book. We waste so much time in meetings. Your approach will do wonders.”
  
  
• “I realize that I need to convert my intentions into habits. I’m going to acquire the lifelong habit of exercising daily, even if it’s just a ten-minute walk.”
  
  
• “I’m going to clean off my desk at home and work so I focus on the task at hand.”
  
  
• “Color coded files will help me find my stuff.”
  
  
• “I never thought about how keeping a time log automatically increases your efficiency, the data reveals what you actually spend time on.”
  
  
• “Getting a hideaway was my action item. I never have ten minutes to myself. This will change.”
  
  
• “The concepts of making every day count and really pressing myself resonated with me.”
  
  
• “Preparing for next week by planning for it on Friday was huge. I have a planner but have never heard that philosophy and I’m going to use it starting this Friday.”
  
  
• “Don’t allow someone else’s priorities to come before your own.”
  
  
• “That I must control my time and priorities by deciding what is important to me each and every day.”
  
  
• “The facts will set you free. This is a great insight.”
  
  
• “I have two children that I will chunk time with.”
  
  
• “Time doesn’t just happen. You happen. You have to plan your time and make things happen.”
  
  
• “Thou art mortal! That was a great story and an incredible reminder to us all.”
  
  
• “Loved the time quotes by the famous people.”

"Think about this. If you had just one extra hour a day for a year that is 365 hours. This is as much time as 45 eight-hour days. That is nine extra work weeks. Think what you could do with that extra time!"

Table of Contents of It’s About TIME!

What Is In This Book for You?

Time Management and the 5 Steps: Thou Art Mortal, Introduction to the 5 Steps, Time Management 101, Make the Commitment, Dos and Don’ts

Step 1: Make Choices and Set Goals: Set Time Goals with a 1-2-3 Approach, Stop and Think About What You Really Want, Set Priorities and Make Decisions, Turn Your Decisions into Specific Goals, Dos and Don’ts

Step 2: Know Where Your Time Goes: Where Does Time Go?, Log Your Time, How to Maintain a Time Log, Make Changes, Dos and Don’ts

Step 3: Plan Your Weeks: Weekly Planners Achieve More, Adopt a Weekly Planning Habit, Plan Your Weeks on Friday, Paul’s Experience, What is a Weekly Plan?, Set Your Goals for Next Week, Commit to Achieving Your Goals, Map Out a Plan for the Week, Weekly Planner Options, Review and Learn, Make Changes, Rosa’s Story, Dos and Don’ts

Step 4: Make Each Day Count: The Most Important Progress to Make, Start Each Day with a List of Thunderbolts, What Is a Thunderbolt?, Thunderbolts Are Different, The Power of Thunderbolts, Prepare Tomorrow’s Thunderbolts Today, How to Prepare a Thunderbolt List in 5 Steps, Special Thunderbolt Tips, Chunk Your Time, Getting Creative to Chunk Your Time, Investing Your Chunks of Time, Jim’s Chunking Time Story, Time Bandit Robbery, When and How to Say No, Other Time Bandits to Avoid, Sometimes It Is Hard to Say No, Get Yourself a Hideaway, Try the Five O’clock Club, Dos and Don’ts

Step 5: Work Smarter: Be Systematic, Create Tools and Processes, Look at Your Work Flow, Begin with a Strong, Bold First Step, Simplify, Eliminate Clutter, How to Manage Your To Do List, Tips for In-Box Processing, Use a Color-Coded Filing System, Email Tips, How to Quit Procrastinating, Make Meetings Effective, The Myth of Multitasking, Don’t Always Press for Perfection, Acquire Better Habits, Improve Continually, Delfine’s Story, Dos and Don’ts

The Three Magic Pieces of Paper: Daily Time Log Instructions, Daily Time Log Form, Weekly Plan Instructions, Weekly Plan Form, Thunderbolts Card Instructions, Thunderbolts Card Form

6-Week Action Plan for Success: Week-by-week action steps

Index and Resources: Carpe Diem! Free Resources, About the Authors, Other Books by the Authors, Index, Seminars and Train-the-Trainer Programs

Seminars Available

The Goals Institute provides keynotes and half-day and full-day seminars on the system and concepts in It's About TIME!

More Information on It's About TIME! Keynotes and Seminars

Teach-It-Yourself Resources Available

The Goals Institute offers Teach-It-Yourself Resources for organizations that want to deliver this program themselves using their own facilitators.

Pricing Information and Summary of Trainer Resources

We would be happy to provide pricing information and email you a Summary of Trainer Resources we offer for organizations that want to facilitate a learning program on this topic for their employees.

More Information for Teach-It-Yourself Resources

Jim Ball

Jennifer Kuchta
(cook-ta)

About the Authors

James R. Ball, Jim to everyone, and Jennifer A. Kuchta (cook-ta) are co-authors of It’s About TIME! -- 5 Steps to True Time Management and other books in the Keep It Simple for Success® series published by The Goals Institute.

Jim is CEO and Jennifer is Vice President of The Goals Institute, the company they founded to help businesses and organizations achieve their potential through goal achievement. The Goals Institute has many clients in many industries. See the About Us section of the website of The Goals Institute for an illustrative listing of clients and for comments from clients on programs provided.

Jim previously was co-founder and CEO of Venture America, a venture capital firm that helped launch and develop twenty companies, including The Discovery Channel.

Before that, he was a managing partner at Arthur Andersen where he ran an office that served rapid growth technology companies. Jim also was in charge of the training and professional development programs for staff associates and managers in the Washington, DC area.

Jim has been an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University where he co-founded GMU’s Entrepreneurial Institute, Inc. Jim has a degree in accounting and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and National Speakers Association.

Jennifer previously oversaw finance, administration, investor relations, and services and support of portfolio companies at Venture America. Before that, she was a marketing and customer support specialist for sales representatives of fine arts.

It's About TIME!
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