Already into the second month of 2017, now would be a good time to examine whether you are properly managing your time. We are in a very demanding industry where we commonly get pulled in many directions.
Our priorities shift almost hourly. Many days go by where our “to do” items were not completed as fast as we hoped.
Many of you have taken a time management class, read about it in books, and may have tried to use an electronic or paper based day planner to organize, prioritize, and schedule your day. Why is it, then, with all of this knowledge and these gadgets you feel like you still can’t get everything done as planned?
The answer is simple: Everything you ever learned about managing time is a complete waste of time because it doesn’t work. You must first learn what time really is.
There are two distinctly different types of time — clock time and real time. In real time, all time is relative. Time flies by or drags on depending on what you’re doing. Two hours at the Department of Motor Vehicles can feel like 12 years and yet our 12-year-old children seem to grow up in only two hours.
Do you live in real time or clock time? The reason time management gadgets and systems don’t work is these systems are strictly designed to only manage clock time. You live in real time, a world in which all time flies when you are busy, having fun, or even sidetracked.
The good news is real time is mental. You create it. Anything you create you can manage. It’s time to remove any self-sabotage or self-limitation you have around “not having enough time,” or today not being “the right time” to start a business or manage your current business.
There are only three ways to spend time — thoughts, conversations, and actions. Regardless of the size of your company, your work will be composed of those three items.
As a business owner, manager, or supervisor, you may be frequently interrupted or pulled in different directions. While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on thoughts, conversations, and actions that will lead you to success.
Practice the following techniques to master real time:
1. Carry a schedule and record all of your thoughts, conversations, and activities for a week. This will help you understand how much you can get done during the course of a day and where your time goes. You will see how much time you actually spend producing results and how much time is wasted on unproductive thoughts, conversations, and actions.
2. Any activity or conversation that’s important to your success should have a time assigned to it. “To do” lists get longer and longer to the point where they’re unworkable. Schedule appointments with yourself and create time blocks for high-priority thoughts, conversations, and actions. Schedule when they will begin and end. Have the discipline to keep these appointments.
3. Plan to spend at least 50% of your time engaged in the thoughts, activities, and conversations that produce most of your results.
4. Schedule time for interruptions. Plan time to be pulled away from what you’re doing.
5. Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan.
6. Take five minutes before every call and task to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start and it will also slow time down.
7. Put up a “do not disturb” sign when you absolutely have to get work done.
8. Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and responding to e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business. Instead, schedule a time to answer e-mails and return phone calls.
9. Block out other distractions like Facebook and other forms of social media unless you use these tools to generate business.
10. Remember it’s impossible to get everything done. Also remember studies show 20% of your thoughts, conversations, and activities produce 80% of your results.
Ron Sorci is the founder and CEO of Miami-based Professional Consulting Resources Inc. (www.pcrforyou.com). A former senior executive at public and private companies, Sorci most recently worked as CFO of Aventura Worldwide Transportation in Miami. He also served as President of the National Limousine Association from 2009-2010. He can be reached at Ron@pcrforyou.com or (786) 229-3662.
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