Time Management Tips & Tricks

I hear it every time I facilitate one of my five private networking groups. I close the groups with one last opportunity for people to help each other and make connections. “What’s your greatest challenge outside of finding your next customer?” Inevitably at least one person will describe the issue of Time Management.

Here are some tips and tricks on gaining control over your time. Let’s first examine one of the greatest threats. Interruptions! Clearly the most damaging threat to your productivity. On average according to a study, interruptions come every 14 minutes on average. With today’s technology and social media, I would challenge that number as being much smaller. What I mean by interruption is that something or someone takes you off the task at hand.

For the easily distracted in their home office, that could be the cat walking past the screen or rubbing your legs. It could be the robin outside the window in the birdfeeder or the squirrel which causes you to get up out of your seat to chase them away. It can be all the noises that your computer, tablet, SmartPhone, or iPhone make to tell you that you received an email, Facebook update, Tweet, or any other notification you have set on the devices.

In the workplace, it can be people which include you interrupting other people. Meetings for the sake of having meetings. Noise – whatever that means to the person trying to stay on task. Take a moment and jot down the distractions you have and perhaps the ones you create for yourself and others….

Here are some ideas to help you:

• BEFORE YOU TURN ON YOUR COMPUTER, TABLET, PHONE, ETC……(5 MINUTES)
  • On a blank piece of paper – focus on the activities that will create success in your day
  • Schedule these items on your calendar
    • Most challenging items earlier in your day
    • Make appointments for these items even if they have nothing to do with meetings with people!
• EVERY HOUR – Take 1 MINUTE to REFOCUS
  • Set a timer of some sort to alert you that it is time to refocus
  • Look at your list
    • Did you spend the last hour productively?
    • Are you on track with your list?
    • If yes, keep going
    • If no, revise and recommit to making the next hour productive
  • How are you going to manage the next hour instead of the hour managing you?
• WHEN THE DAY IS DONE…
  • Shut your system off
    • Review your day
  • What worked well?
  • What didn’t work well?
    • Why?
    • What can change?
  • Where were you distracted and why?
  • What did you learn from today that you didn’t have yesterday?
• Repeat, Repeat, Repeat – Rituals become habits