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NO B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs 25CHAPTER 3 / HOW TO DRIVE A STAKE THROUGH THE HEARTS OF THE TIME VAMPIRES OUT TO SUCK YOU DRYcourtesy whatsoever. He is telling you that your time is less valuable than his, that whatever you are doing is unimportant and easily interrupted. He is being as disrespectful of you, your time, and its value as it is possible to be, so go ahead and stick a stake through his heart without a moment%u2019s remorse.Here%u2019s the stake.I%u2019m busy right now.Let%u2019s meet at 4:00 P.M. for 15 minutes,and tackle everything on your list at one time.This stops this bloodthirsty vampire in his tracks%u2014freezes him, like a deer in headlights. Next, it %u201cteaches%u201d this vampire a new discipline. Of course, he won%u2019t get it the first time. Or the second. He%u2019ll keep trying for a while. But if you whip out this same stake every time, over and over again, and jam it firmly through his chest, eventually he will get the message. Someday, he%u2019ll call you and say something like: %u201cI have five things I need to go over with you. When can we get together?%u201d After you pick yourself up off the floor, you can congratulate yourself on having defanged and housebroken a vampire.As to the many missives from a distance blood-sucker, I largely prevent this bad behavior by refusing to be personally connected to the internet, use email, own a cell phone, or text at all. My time fortress is free of these holes in its wall. But when somebody tries it with the only communication methods I allow%u2014faxes and phone calls to my assistant%u2014I stick a stake in them damn fast. I teach clients, associates, vendors, and others a) to organize their thoughts and questions and communicate sparingly, about everything at once%u2014not incessantly, about one thing at a time%u2014and b) to expect delayed response.Just as an example, here is actual language from my standard agreement with clients for whom I write advertising copy and work on marketing projects:
