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Become more organized and watch amazing things happen.

There is a massive difference between how much money we make versus how much money we could be making if we were to become more organized.  Procrastination, poor time management, not understanding how to prioritize, overwhelm, and uncertainty, bleed our income, and our profits.  Consider the following statistics:

  • People working in offices waste approximately 40% of their day. (Wall Street Journal)
  • 91% of people would be more effective if their office space was better organized. (National Association of Professional Organizers)
  • Sales people were the most effective when assigned only three tasks per day. (Account Temps)
  • The average Executive wastes 150 hours per year looking for lost information. (Forbes)  For someone earning $150,000/year that results in $10813.31 in wasted salary.

There are numerous statistics that illustrate how disorganized the average person is and it doesn’t matter if you own a business, are a C-suite executive, middle manager, realtor, chiropractor, in direct sales, or any field.  The bottom line is that your career is completely reliant on revenue and profits at some level and if you are disorganized it is costing you professionally and personally.

Many years ago, I read the strategies of Canadian billionaire, KC Irving.  Mr. Irving created an empire from humble beginnings.  After serving in World War I, he returned home and started a car dealership and gas bar.  Realizing very early on that his suppliers were making money on his demand, he made the decision to become his own supplier and sell gasoline under the Irving name.

Many Canadians are familiar with Irving Oil.  Throughout the years, Mr. Irving invested in industry that supplied his burgeoning businesses; paper, transportation, hardware, and more.  At the time of his death, he was the 11th wealthiest individual in the world.

On a personal note, when my grandfather, who drove for the Irving Oil Company, passed, my grandmother, Lois, went to New Brunswick and met with Mr. Irving.  She asked if she could continue her husband’s job to support her children.  Mr. Irving graciously agreed and my grandmother became the first female truck driver in the history of the company.  She was a tenacious woman and to this day, we are grateful for Mr. Irving’s avant garde thinking for that time.

Mr. Irving had exceptional daily habits, with one particular philosophy that I still employ to this day.  I may not be a billionaire yet, however I do credit this strategy with helping me achieve results in this ever-distracting world.  The KC Irving philosophy of task management is simply this:

Write down your top three, money making objectives at night.  Ask yourself which one will make you the most money.  In the morning, start with that item and do not move on until you have completed it.  Never have more than three items and never go to item two until item one is complete.  What would happen in your career if you adopted this philosophy?

It may sound simple however the reality is that the average person is not achieving above average results because they simply are not focusing on what is most important. 

In this day where we can waste hours looking at cute cats on Instagram™ or perusing status updates on Twitter™ or Facebook™ for what seems like a millennium, and wonder why we are not making more money, common sense would dictate that a healthy dose of focus is exactly what is required.  Unfortunately, just because something is common sense does not make it common action.

I have no doubt that you are capable of much more in your life.  Adopt K.C. Irving’s billion-dollar philosophy today and let me know what happens.  Go for it!

PS – I would love for you to share your comments, and questions, below. 

 


Susan Sly is a bestselling author, keynote speaker, certified NLP practitioner, coach, and trauma recovery specialist.  Susan specializes in helping people become more productive so they can lead ridiculously fulfilling lives.  She is the mother of five and has been working in human potential for over two decades.

 

 

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