MAKING GREAT USE OF YOUR TIME

There are literally thousands of articles and books on time management.  Basically they all point toward setting priorities; breaking those priorities down to units; the units into weeks; and the weeks into a per day regiment.   The in result is hopefully getting the most important things completed first and finding out that those low priority items are not really that important anyway.  Hundreds of inspiriting authors and time management experts have made millions of dollars with their sound advice to engaged audiences. Despite the evidence of sound advice, business people and the common public still finds themselves challenged with not properly utilizing the time each has daily. 

So, what can be done to insure that we make better use of our time?  What is that “silver bullet” that once delivered will make a difference in how people will dig in and do the things that enables them to get more done, with less stress, and gain more satisfaction with their lives in general?  Here are some simple facts that have been “battle tested” during the past 40 + years which have brought forth sound results.   

1)  Plan so you use time wisely.  I once heard that the only person that gained success from horsing around was a bookie.  You must awaken each and everyday with a plan. First construct a needs list for the project you face or that is needed to meet ongoing goals. From that point, you can actively examine what MUST be done; and, afterwards,  you need to follow onward and set a timeline during the day to gain that success.  Just look at what a home building contractor does.  They set a schedule of when dry wall goes in; trim work and cabinetry is complete; painting, etc.  They know what is to be done each and every day.  They have a plan.  They have looked at their schedule and really thought through what must be done each and every week to accomplish their ultimate goals of having the house completed.  Thinking about it, it is a simple process but it does eliminate indecisions. That is key.  This schedule allows the contractor to stay on top of the time and insure that it is utilized wisely.  Remember, you can’t get back lost time. Use the home contractor technique in your efforts. It will enable you to avoid wasting time.  Building a viable plan is a winning proposition that will help you better utilize your time.   

2) Don’t allow others to waste your time.  Everyone has interruptions.  Whether from family, friends or colleagues, interruptions are a reality. In fact, the typical manager in the US is interrupted once every 8 minutes. However, when the interruptions become such that you cannot think, act or complete vital tasks, you must take action to cease or lessen the interruptions.  Just like the business owner who was interrupted constantly by an employee:  “Johnson, it’s lonely at the top; but, not so lonely that I want you walking into my office twenty times a day.”   You have to take control of the situation.  If things are such that you must address an issue, set a specific time to meet with the parties and address the issue.  This way you are conveying that you want others to know you value their time and the importance of the issue they are bringing forth. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to delegate some work to those energetic insiders.  That could very well pull them more directly into the business and take additional burden from your shoulders.  This is good for you and also for them.  It is a “win-win” position that will enable you to work when it is time to work; play when it is time to play; and, not mix the two inappropriately.  

3)  Establish no more than 3 key goals to accomplish in a single week.  If you will stop and really think through what is REALLY important to accomplish your needs, it most often will center on 3 key areas each week.  If you look at your needs list as you prepare to build a plan, how can you effectively complete 6 or 8 or 10 key items in a week with all the other demands that you might typically have in business?  Filling your plan with grandiose lists of actionable items may be great for the ego, but all it does in the end is provide you a larger list of things to pull over to the next week.  The bigger issue is that 95% of the things you pull over are most often not even vital to what you must get accomplished.  If they were, you would have needed to act on them with greater  diligence.  With a focus on  3 key goals, week in and week out, you will get more accomplished and eliminate unnecessary activity for the sake of feeling better about checking off pointless items from a list.   

4) Be diligent but not rigid. Famed business leader Lee Iacocca once said, “If you want to make good user of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.” You can’t address the issue of properly using your time if you are not fully committed to this undertaking.  Full commitment falls into the example of how the chicken and the pig impact breakfast:  the chicken makes a contribution by providing the eggs.  The pig on the other hand makes a commitment by providing the bacon and sausage. You simply can’t make a contribution; you must make that firm commitment if you are to gain control of your time and in essence, your life in general.  Further, understand that there will be times you must be flexible enough to reposition priorities because emergencies come up.  You can’t predict them; so, you must always prepare to address those times.  Diligence is great and necessary but not to the point that you become so rigid you will not adjust to meet true emergencies. In conclusion, how do you gain that diligence?  It is up to you.  As the old saying goes,“…time is money.”  Everyone can make the time as long as you have the money.  If you think of it in those terms, you should have little challenge in becoming diligent in seeking more effective time management techniques.  

5)  Don’t allow things to waste your time.  Email, social media, cable news, meetings and telephone calls can rob you of valuable time.  You must realize that you might have less than you think.  You can spend an eternity on the items  just mentioned.  Not that each is not an important part of your business or your life for that matter; but, it is a matter of when and how much.  Discipline yourself to setting specific times during the day when you will involve yourself with the “things” that stand to pull you away from critical needs.  Otherwise set “blackout” periods so you will be able to focus on your key goals.  You might even go so far as to cut your computer off; unplug the television; and place your phone on message, only as long as the phone is not the only one for your business.  Regarding meetings, before you hold a meeting, examine whether it is really necessary.  If necessary, can it be done virtually?  Establish an agenda and share that with those involved for any additions.  Be pithy in your meeting dialogue and don’t dwell on issues unrelated to your needs. For face-to-face meetings, you might even hold the meeting in your meeting area but remove the chairs.  A Fortune 100 CEO once held meetings in this setting and they proved to be highly effective in achieving great results. It all boils down to what you really allow.  Will you control time or allow it to control you?  Those who make the worst of their time are the ones who always complain there is never enough time.  

6)  Constantly checkpoint yourself.  Remember this, “The checker gets what the checker checks.” This means you need to insure you are making progress on the time goals you established. If you are falling short, what is causing your demise? What must you do to get yourself back on track?  If things are working, what have your discovered about your effort?  What must you do to maintain success? How are your time goals impacting the achievement of your key goals? Are you beginning to get more accomplished in better time with less stress?  All these actions and insights will allow you to continue to stay on top of critical issues which impact who you are and what you are striving to accomplish.  Also, you must insure during the entire process that you are besting that great foe known as procrastination.  Procrastinationprevents progressive performance.  Besting it helps you to eliminate the often reality for many that “Tomorrow is the busiest day of the week.” In fact, procrastinationcould be described as the “Achilles Heel”of time management.  Act today so that tomorrow is made better.  As Napoleon Hill, noted author and famed personal success guru once said, “Most misfortunes are the results of misused time.”  

7) Eliminate clutter.  A business executive arrived at his office one day and saw all the stacks of papers on his desk.  After shaking his head and giving a big sigh, he said, “Life is a sequence of things you meant to get done yesterday.” Now many may disagree but clutter on one’s desk or in a work area is also a challenge to properly using time.  What makes this so?  Because just like our business friend discovered, it is work that remains from previous days.  It means you have to stop focusing on today to refocus on yesterday or the day before that, etc.  It produces a “catabolic” or destructive mindset that zaps your positive energy from under you and propels you to dwell on problems versus placing a focus on solutions.  It must stop!  Clear that desk!  Eliminate that clutter!  Get things organized in your work area and you will begin to have that mental mindset that puts you in position to control your total time versus succumbing to its demise.  

8)  Challenge yourself to improve, have fun and employ time.  One time Chairman and founder of Hallmark Cards Joyce Clyde Hall said, “Time is everything.  Anything you want, anything you accomplish—pleasure, success, fortune—is measured in time.”   There will be new innovative ideas to review about how to better utilize your time.  You must be open to reviewing those ideas.  Who knows, you may just find your “silver bullet”  which enables you to gain greater leverage in how you are utilizing your time and gaining the greatest return.  Understand that if we apply the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule, too often we can find ourselves spending 80% of our time on activities that relate to only 20% of our total needs or goals.  

Another part of the challenge is discovering the time of the day we are most productive.  It differs for each person so this is an exercise you will have to conduct personally. When you have this discovery in hand, it will enable you to put your key actions in time slots that are most effective for accomplishment.  That way you find that the reverse of the Pareto Principle can help you. By applying  20% of your most productive time on key issues, you are able to achieve or eliminate potentially 80% of your challenges.  

Having fun, that is important too. Develop some rewards for yourself as you reach planned criteria.  For example when you do avoid the strong desire to look at your email during a time you have your computer cut off and are to focus on that key report, reward yourself with a sweet treat or perhaps an extra half-glass of wine at dinner. Be sure you make the reward an event or prize that is meaningful.  That small stimulus could be the very thing that enables you to control yourself as you control your time.  

Finally, you must employ time and do not allow it to steal itself from you.  Airports, as an example,  are great places where you can employ time.   Use the time waiting on flights to read that periodical you have been carrying in your briefcase for weeks; catch up on the latest business book you received 2 or 3 months earlier that has been lying on your desk or perhaps still in the shipping box.  There are also down periods at home, or even in restaurants when you are on the go and drop in by yourself for a quick meal.  Use the time to read the Wall Street Journal on your I-Phone or I-PAD as an example.  You will be surprised how much you can learn in a short time as you enjoy that burger or sub.  If you will think about it, you will find many times during the day or weeks ahead that you can utilize so time is working for you not stealing from you.

In the final result, what does over 40 years of discovering and utilizing these tips on better time management produce?  Simply time to do the things that need to be done so that there is time to do the things that you really want to do.  It is a simple process that can become the difference between success and failure.   As the Christ Church, Brookline, Mass. Unity Church Bulletin once stated:  “Take time to look.  It is the price of beauty.  Take time to work.  It is the true price of fulfillment.  Take time to play.  It is the price of perennial youth.  Take time to read.  It is the price of distilled wisdom.  Take time to laugh.  It is the music of the soul.  Take time for prayer.  It is the secret of ever-renewing power.  Take time for a love that will outlast you.  Only then will you produce a lasting legacy.”  The hourglass of time finds its way for all to use it wisely.  The value you place on its use will have a vital impact on the remainder of your life.

Business plan time is now here.  What would it mean to have a business plan that REALLY gets the results you need?  How would you feel to have a plan that every member of your team could easily understand and know precisely what to do?  With the One Page Plan process, I can help you achieve those goals and do so with less stress so that 2015 might be your most effective goals achievement yet!  For an opportunity to find out what this unique concept is all about, contact me:  herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com  or call me at 304-839-5101 or 843-879-3740.  All it takes is one moment of time!