There are certain fundamental principles that must be learned and applied to enable, or at least not hinder, your chances of achieving success in business. Some of these principles include people skills, discipline, and having a great work ethic. However I am going to highlight what I believe to be the most important principle, without which all the others may just be a waste of time.

Time management is integral to success. A properly organized calendar can save you hours a day, a lot of frustration and perhaps money in the long run. Many people have a calendar/agenda to help them stay on track with their appointments, deadlines, important reminders and even free time. Too often however, it just looks like there was an explosion of sorts, with all manner of notes and highlights to add to the confusion.

Rather than delve into appointment schedules regarding clients and others, let’s talk about the most important appointment of all - the one with you. First of all make one, then make sure you keep it! Very simply if you are organized and efficient you then put yourself in a position to spend your time doing the things that make you successful.

About four years into my corporate commercial law practice, I established a fully functional office in my home without administrative support. What that allowed me to do was to get up three days a week at 4:00 a.m. and work until 12 noon with only my dog Milo beside me. That concentrated uninterrupted time allowed me to accomplish more in those 24 hours than when I had worked 60 hours a week in an office setting. All my calls were routed through my computer to ensure no client messages were ever lost, which allowed me to manage my time most effectively. My time was in my own control and I was able to fit into my schedule leisure and sporting activities while still delivering documents on time to my clients.

The key to my efficiency was actually in the time I spent organizing my thoughts and writing down my plan of action for the day. In that first ½ hour I recorded my to-do list, then methodically set about doing each task in the order annotated. I could then reserve my brain for the document or documents at hand.

Today I am no longer engaged in a legal practice but rather focus my efforts on the development of several businesses. Effective time management is still the single reason that allows me to keep things humming along, even with the addition of a wife and three young children. I have even become more efficient with my to-do list, noting them from the previous evening at a time of relaxation. I am then able to arise the next day, sit quietly at my beside for 15 minutes in quiet contemplation of the day and make mental adjustments to my day for clarity, and all before I get out of bed!

Some people call that the 15 golden minutes. Indeed they are because the time I get back at the end of the day is invaluable.

Regardless of what business vehicle you choose to make money, or endeavour to pursue for life, without proper organization of your time you will be like the proverbial dog chasing its tail, usually never catching it, and then laying down in defeat with a sigh.