Two of the main constituents to managing your time are accepting that you will never be able to do everything you want because there is just too much to do and having purpose -- the driving force behind managing your time is to accomplish your ultimate goal/s.
Along with this, there are FOUR SKILLS required to use your time wisely: Analysis, Planning, Delegation, and Self Management.
The PROCESS for success
What to do: Spend your time doing what is important to the success of your business and work on tasks that can only be done effectively by you. (4 “D’s” — Do it…. Delegate it….Defer it….or Dump it)
When to do: Plan your time/ organize your work schedule so that you are never working on the issues that fall into the two “Not Important” categories.
How to do (organize): Create a “template” schedule for each time period – month/week/day – which allocates time periods for specific types of tasks. Ex: travel to customers, return/place phone calls; do quiet work, organize paperwork, read.
TOOLS
Time blocking chart -- The key to efficient use of time is planning and discipline. The best way to do this is to work from lists & mark the items for priority (a,b,c).
Daily, Weekly lists -- Make sure to plan for efficiency. Complete your tasks in advance — Friday night or weekend for next week; the night before, for the next day, rather than the morning of. Gather your materials in advance, so can “hit the ground running”
For motivation, put as much on your list as you can, momentum will be gained as you check each task off. When working on large projects, break them into small steps so you can see progress.
For effectiveness, each major project should be planned out over time periods – with other activities interspersed
HINTS for SUCCESS
Incremental progress is key. For all projects, “divide to multiply”. Make sure to take each task step by step. Do the toughest things first. This stops procrastination so you’ll feel accomplished and motivated and, therefore, be inspired to do everything else required for the day
Make sure to delegate -- include scheduled time in your plan to oversee/ train/ obtain & review reports on the work you have delegated. However, do not slip into the habit of doing it. If you schedule on importance and not urgency, the urgent will almost never occur!
About ActionCOACH
Brad Sugars founded the brand Action International in 1993 when he realized there was a disconnect between business advice and implementation. The answer was Action! Brad Sugars created a business coaching company so that business owners throughout the world can realize their goals in business. Today the company is known as ActionCOACH. To learn more about business, visit Brad Sugars Review blog!