Most people keep their e-mail programs open and running all day long and are alerted to incoming messages. In addition, a recent study found that 75% of these people would cease other activity to take care of incoming e-mail.

This is highly disruptive and prevents you from being truly efficient. Researchers asked study group to refrain from handling each incoming e-mail as it arrived; instead, they were allowed to read and answer new e-mails only five times a day. The efficiency level of this group increased by 35%. Turn off your incoming e-mail alert, therefore, and open your e-mail only at regular intervals. Do not let e-mails dictate what your working days should look like.

Managing Meetings and Visitors

It is widely acknowledged that about one-third of time spent in meetings is wasted due to poor meeting management and lack of planning. Reliable estimates indicate that that average executive spends about 17 hours a week in meetings, about 6 hours in planning time and untold hours in follow-up.

One senior executive recalls being summoned to meetings every single day of business week: one meeting per week was labeled product marketing, another was called strategy, then product testing, then customer review. In addition, one of five weekly meetings had no fixed agenda. And this does not count ad hoc meetings on issues that might crop up from time to time.

When this executive was not able to convince CEO to scale back number of meetings, she decided to work from home 50% of time; her productivity (measured by closing of contracts) doubled! It is not necessary to eliminate all meetings, but up to half of internal company meetings might profitably be dispensed with. Take a few minutes to write down how many meetings you attended last week, how many you have planned for coming week, and how long you think they are going to last. Add up hours, and slash number of meetings by two, and/or number of hours spent in them by 30%.

The same rule for incoming phone calls applies to personal appointments and visitors. If you have a secretary or PA, set a clear policy about who should have access to you and with whom else they might be able to speak instead.

If you have an unexpected visitor, establish at start why they have come to see you. Stand when they enter room, so that they also remain standing. If it is indeed necessary for you to deal personally with them, suggest a later meeting, at your convenience. Set a time limit to your discussion and avoid engaging in small talk. If you really can't get them out of your office, make a polite excuse and leave office yourself.

These tips are by no means exhaustive, but they represent a good start to managing your most precious resource: time.

We want our information fast and in bullets. We aren't particularly fond of graphics and noise, though photographs (particularly of human faces) will always be first thing to grab anyone's attention). Many people still must access through their computer at work, and they don't want music playing or other things to alert their supervisor that, yes, well.

Of course there are beautiful artistic sites out there, where you're happy to spend time it takes; in fact that's why you're there. But for information and purchases, we want speed.

6. HOW SHOULD YOU WRITE ON THE INTERNET?

At about 8th grade level. Not because we're dumb , but because we're busy. Most people read on Internet for speed and quick information. Save your long complex sentences and big words for specific venues where this is welcome. Work in bullets. Keep it brief. Be to point.

7.HOW DO WE WANT IT TO NAVIGATE?

Like a knife through butter, like a ship through a glassy sea. We want it handed to us on a silver platter. That is, make sure all buttons work, navigation is easy to figure out, it loads fast, and it's super easy to purchase things. Just click of a button! We expect to be catered to and to not have to 'work' at it. And have a good refund policy. Take credit cards and put PayPal on your site.

8.WHAT ELSE DO WE EXPECT?

We expect Internet to be inclusive. Use words like "we". Don't give orders as if you were an authority, or an expert, even if you are. Soften your tone, and don’t be excessively academic.

Sprinkle your web copy and articles with inclusive statements. Notice how I've used "We expect Internet to be inclusive," instead of "People / They expect Internet to be inclusive." I draw you right in. You like that, yes?

9.ONE LAST THING -- CATER!

If you have an international following, Put a time zone chart on there, and a currency conversion chart. Announce that you take money orders and bank transfers. Give a discount for Canadians, who will always ask for it. Do some reading about way other countries do things -- for instance, many more countries than not are used to bartering for everything. A fixed price to them is just starting point for a negotiation, so be ready.

10. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, HOW DO YOU LEARN HOW TO DO THIS?

Visit other sites regularly and read their copy, or hire a marketing service to write for you.