FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY Manage Time Creatively.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)

Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker

7 Some creative types have no problem managing time. Then there are those like science-fiction writer Douglas Adams, who once said: "I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

It's those folks who "could get lost in a project and not realize they've been at it for six hours," said Lee Silber, author of "Time Management for the Creative Person."

But it's not a hopeless cause for creative folks -- they can learn to manage time well. "I see time management as a tool that liberates us to be more creative," said Tom McKay, a business writer and speaker who's given seminars on "How to Do Twice as Much in Half the Time -- and Still Have a Life."

Silber and McKay offer a few easy time management tips for creative people:

** Learn to say no. Creative types often take on more than is possible to get done in a day. So if your plate's too full, just find a creative way to say no to your college buddy who needs help moving to a new apartment for the third time in a year.

"When you think about it, after you've done all your work and taken care of personal responsibilities, you really have only seven or eight hours a week to yourself if you're lucky," Silber said. "So use that time wisely."