Set up a regular work schedule. It may be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Whatever it is, try to stick to it. If you have one time of the day that seems more productive for you than others, plan your most important functions around it.

Consider using one of the popular time management planning systems to help you get the most out of your day. They include Day Timer http://daytimer.com), Day Runner (www.dayrunner.com) and Planner Pads (http://plannerpads.com). These and other systems give you a place to record appointments, daily to-do lists, special projects and their steps, and names and addresses. If you spend most of your time in the office at a computer, there are numerous contact management and scheduling programs that will help you manage your time.

What about travel and waiting time? Take work with you in a briefcase or purchase a laptop computer or PDA that you can use to be productive every minute. As your time management skills improve, you'll learn how to do more than one thing at a time. You'll multitask. You could be making job notes, talking with a key employee, or gathering information on an upcoming project while you're waiting to talk with a client.