The Ten Times Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure

Chapter 17

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The Myth of Time Management
I should begin this chapter by admitting that I do not consider myself a great
manager by any means. Neither have I been a great planner. In fact, I've never
even written a business plan. However, I've always been able to effectively
manage myself well enough to build multiple companies from scratch. Time
management has never been something that I considered valuable, even though I
do spend time on those things that I think are most valuable.
I often receive questions about time management and balance in my seminars.
I have found throughout my career that the people who are most concerned with
time management and balance in their lives are the ones who believe in the
notion of “shortages” that we discussed in an earlier chapter. Most don't even
know how much time is available to them or what tasks are most necessary to
accomplish in that time. If you don't know how much time you have—or need—
then how on earth can you expect to manage and balance it?
The first thing you must do is make success your duty by setting distinct and
definitive priorities. I can't do this for you, of course; everyone's priorities are
different. However, if success is a main concern for you, then I would suggest
you spend most of your time doing things that will create success. Of course, I
don't know what success means in your life. It could involve a variety of people
and things: finances, family, happiness, spirituality, physical or emotional well-
being—or, if you're like me, all of them! And remember—it 
can
be all of them. I
personally am not interested in balance; I am interested in abundance in every
area. I don't think I should have to sacrifice one in favor of another. Successful
people think in terms of “all,” whereas unsuccessful people tend to place limits
on themselves. They may believe that “If I am rich, I can't be happy” or “If I
thrive in my career, then I won't have time to be a good father, husband, or
spiritual individual.” In fact, it's interesting to notice that the people who put
limits on what is available to them are also most inclined to talk about “balance.”
However, this is a flawed manner of thinking that neither time management nor
balance will resolve.
As far as I'm concerned, it's pointless for people to worry about time
management and balance. The question they should be asking is “How can I
have it all in abundance?” Successful people have attained the things they desire

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in quantities so great that no one can take them away. And how can a person
consider him- or herself successful if he or she isn't happy? What happiness is
there in being unable to pay the bills or provide for your family or worry about
your future? The moment you achieve one goal you've set for yourself, then it's
time to establish a new target. Quit thinking in terms of either/or and start
thinking in terms of all and everything.
As I was writing this, a client sent me a message asking, “Do you ever rest?” I
jokingly wrote him back within seconds, “NEVER!” I do, of course—like every
other human being. However, I also know how much time is available to me,
what my priorities are, and that it is my duty, obligation, and responsibility to go
after them in the time I have. I challenge you to keep track of how you're
spending your available time, perhaps in a journal. Most people have no clue
what they are doing with their time but still complain that they don't have
enough.
Every single person has 168 hours in a week, and based on a typical 40-hour
work week, the average U.S. employee is only productive 37.5 of those 168
hours (30 minutes for lunch each day). And it's pretty unlikely that most people
actually work this entire 37.5 hours. In fact, the average individual spends 22.3
percent of his or her available time at work, 33.3 percent asleep, and then 16.6
percent in front of a TV or online—and those comparisons assume that the
person spends 100 percent of his or her time at work actually working! Then
these very same people worry about balance and time management. But an
imbalance is always going to occur when you don't do enough with the time you
have.
While most people claim to value time, many don't seem to know very much
about it. Who creates time? Do you create your own time, or does someone else
do that? What can you do to create more time? What does the expression “time
is money” mean? How do you treat time to make sure your time is money? What
is the most important thing that you should do with your time? All of these
questions are worthy of consideration and require your attention in order for you
to maximize time.
Let's assume that you have 75 years to live; that's approximately 657,000
hours, or 39,420,000 minutes, in this lifetime. Take any given day of the week;
you have an average of 3,900 Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, etc. Now—
here's the scary part—if you are 37 years old, then you have only 1,950
Wednesdays left. What if you had only $1,950 left to your name? Would you
watch it slip away, or would you do whatever you could to increase it? I believe
that I can do more with 1,950 hours than most people can. The only way to

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increase time is to get more done in the time you have. If I get 15 phone calls
done in 15 minutes and you get 15 calls done in one hour, then I have essentially
created 45 minutes for myself. In this way, the 10X Rule makes it possible to
multiply time. If I hire someone and pay that person $15 an hour to make 15
calls every 15 minutes, then I just duplicated my efforts—and my time becomes
money.
To really understand, manage, maximize, and squeeze every opportunity out of
the time you have, you have to fully understand and appreciate how much of it
you have available to you. You must first take control of your time—not allow
others to do so. If you listen to people discuss the topic of time—especially in
regards to the amount they have at work—you'll probably hear a lot of
complaining. People act as though work is something to