Can you imagine clocks all over your house ticking away? Ticking. Ticking. TICKING. The sound gets louder and louder and sadly you give in -- all your goals for the day are overtaken by the “time robbers.” You have given in to others’ interruptions and interference that de-railed you for the day.

Your plan to write for one hour today didn’t happen. Neither did organizing your office. Forget about that special dinner you planned – fast food restaurant here we come! Calling your leads and contacts didn’t happen either, maybe tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes. You are still shuffling keys tasks until another day. You are not getting anywhere – the time robbers visit you every day, you are overwhelmed and give in. Besides, it’s such a great excuse, “I can’t write my book today because I’m so busy.”

Do you want to get out of this rut? Do you want to be more productive? Do you want to achieve your dreams? Then you must have a plan. You must hold yourself accountable for your daily actions.

Get out your calendar, appointment book, or PDA and make an appointment with yourself. Every day reserve the day and time you will write, make phone calls, and whatever else is important to your success. Also reserve time for the kids and special people in your lives. Maybe it seems foolish to do this, yet you must put time on your calendar for the activities that are important to you. Include productive activities and personal time. Hold yourself accountable for your schedule.

Get a buddy to support you in your planning. Your activities should be measurable so you can let your buddy know when you have accomplished your task. A business goal can be contacting prospects/clients for one hour. At the end of the hour count how many calls you made and the number of clients who said, “Yes.” A personal hour could be taking mom to lunch, taking your child to the park, visiting a friend, etc. The more you can measure your activity the better, because measurement automatically enhances performance.

Get out your favorite time management tools and begin chasing away the time robbers. They will disappear if you follow this plan, hold yourself accountable and do it.

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Joan Clout-Kruse is the author of "Top 10 Traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos," and the e- books "How to Write Your Great Book in 90 Days or less" and "The ABCs of Success." All these books can help you plan and set tasks to achieve your goals. Contact her through her Web site http://powerhousewriting.com or at 650 759-2042. She can help you write a "how to" book or booklet to attract clients and get recognized as an expert in your field. She offers 30 to 90 Day book writing programs through personal coaching, e-mail and teleseminars.

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