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We often wish we had more of it. We're surprised when it
passes quickly. And, we’re frustrated when it seems to move slowly. It's the
relentless passage of time.
Time, and your management of it are crucial to your
success. Wasted time equals lost opportunities. Lost opportunities equal
diminished profitability.
The often ballyhooed concept of "saving time" is
actually a misnomer. Or...an impossibility! Time can't be saved. You can't store
up an inventory of minutes now...and then capitalize on your "savings"
at a later date! Time can only be managed.
We're all given the same amount of time. Though it seems
like, productive and successful businesspeople receive an extra supply. The key
is how you take advantage of the 60 seconds in your minute. The 60 minutes in
your hour. The 1,440 minutes in your day. The 10,080 minutes in your week. And,
the 524,160 minutes in your year.
If you'd like to maximize your "minute
management"...then the following ideas and suggestions, will help you, like
they've helped me and others.
Limit your availability:
Unexpected and unplanned interruptions and distractions can "steal"
your day. An "open door" policy is fine, but not if it has a negative
impact on productivity and profitability. Some companies have even implemented
"quiet times" where an individual is assured of no mystery visitors or
intruding phone calls.
Concentrate your phone calls:
Try to devote a certain time of the day to both return and originate phone
calls. Prior to each call, jot down the points you'd like to cover and...take
notes during the conversation. Also, try to avoid being placed on hold, but if
you are, have some type of "quick work'" close by-like an article,
newsletter, a letter for your review, etc.
Protect your "magic minutes":
Are you a morning person or a nite owl? Are you at peak creativity and
productivity when you bolt out of bed or do you demand a caffeine injection
before your form multi-syllabic words? Knowing when you operate at peak
performance allows you to devote certain activities to certain segments of the
day.
Be aware of time:
Ideally, keep a stopwatch or clock close to your phone or desk. This enables you
to monitor activities.
Standardize your letters:
If the same or similar pieces of literature leave your office daily, establish a
common format. If you've found language that works, use it. There's no need to
create new prose every time. However, still be sure that the letter is
personalized and signed. Some people even number the various common paragraphs
they use in a letter and then tell their secretary to include paragraphs 1,2,4,
and 7.
Confirm appointments:
Never assume that your 1 o'clock is on! The realization that you've been
"stood up" is both frustrating and irritating. A simple phone call or
e-mail message, saves time, energy and anxiety.
Don't be stuck in "traffic":
Cellular phones are inexpensive. Those who have them, wonder how they ever lived
without them. Me included! The advantages of a car or cellular phone are;
letting a prospect or client know you're on the way, might be a few minutes
late, returning phone calls, confirming appointments, checking messages and
yes...even conveying a quality, professional or efficient image.
One of my favorite activities when driving-is chatting with clients on
the car phone-while I record the conversation on a micro-cassette recorder. (Of
course I have permission from the client before taping begins.) The cellular
phone not only becomes an incredibly effective business tool, but it's also a
tremendous relationship-builder!
Plan your day the night before:
When you get up, you're ready to go! Try to divide your daily activities by the
types of activities. For example, each day, I keep 3 "to do" lists –
1)
oral activities: like phone calls, rehearsing new stories or anecdotes
that I might present to an audience, etc.,
2)
written: articles, new material or program development for a learning
system, letters, copywriting, etc., and
3)
inside / outside - client appointments, meetings with my graphic
designer, publishers, accountant, etc.
Allot time for each activity:
Plan how long each item on your "to do" list(s) will take. This helps
you keep track of whether you're on schedule or running behind.
Don't get buried by paper:
When possible, try to "touch" each piece of paper only once. File it,
act on it or toss it! (Periodically, every quarter, purge your files. If you
haven't touched it in 3 months, you probably never will...so toss it!) One of my
clients has a great saying, "Do it, ditch it, or delegate it!"
Reduction
leads to completion:
Try to complete a major project or task in small bite-size chunks. To tackle the
"whole thing" all at once, usually increases anxiety and reduces
quality. Plus, each time you finish a portion of the undertaking, it creates a
sense of accomplishment.
Listen to
cassettes:
Turn your washroom, exercise schedule or car into an "educational
center." The impact of cassette learning is profound.
Consider the results:
Before you begin an activity, ask yourself, "Why am I doing it? What do I
hope to achieve? How does it fit in with my overall objectives? Does it take me
closer to my goals?"
Don't get buried by paper:
When possible, try to "touch" each piece of paper only once. File it,
act on it or toss it! (Periodically, every quarter, purge your files. If you
haven't touched it in 3 months, you probably never will...so toss it!) One of my
clients has a great saying, "Do it, ditch it, or delegate it!"
Few of us, can do all things well. Therefore, don't attempt to master every
aspect of your job. If you can hire someone who can do it better, do it. A wise
person once said, "The smart individual is the one who hires those who are
smarter than him/her."
Define the objectives and the time frame:
Before meeting with your staff or customer, establish the objectives of the
meeting and how long it should take.
Know your territory:
If you have several appointments or errands, try to group them in the same
geographical area and number them chronologically.
Prioritize:
Aside from just listing what needs to be done, rank them from most important to
least important.
Waiting time shouldn't be wasted time:
When I find myself with 10 to 15 minutes of "wait time" before someone
is ready to meet with me, I don't reach for the 1992 issue of Time. Instead,
I'll finish the chapter of a book, comb thru a newsletter for a new idea, review
my goals, or even start writing a new column.
Chart your day:
This suggestion in itself sounds like a time consuming tip. Well...it is!
However, if you divide your day into 10 or 15 minute time segments and record
how you spent each segment, your findings will likely startle you.
For example, let's say you discover that almost 30 minutes
of each day is devoted to; getting coffee, chitchatting and other unproductive
acts. But, if you reduce these activities to only 15 minutes...what's the
significance?
If you squeeze an extra 15 minutes of productivity into
every day, that's 1.25 hours per week. Over a year, 1.25 hours of additional
"productivity time" per week, adds up to almost 63 hours of
"newly found" time. That time, will put dollars in your pocket!
Make phone appointments:
Try to avoid phone tag. Instead, take a pro-active step. I'll often tell/ask a
secretary..."How does Bob's schedule look tomorrow? Really...that's great.
Then why don't we plan a telephone date/appointment for 10:15 a.m.! Could you
please let Bob know that at exactly 10:15 tomorrow morning, I'll call him.
Wonderful...thanks again for your help." (The following day at exactly
10:15 a.m., Bob's phone will ring! I literally keep a list of daily phone dates.
And, about 4 minutes before the scheduled call...my desk alarm clock will ring,
to remind me that I need to place a call.)
Know the value of urgency:
Here's one more strategy to avoid the on-going frustration of phone-tag. If you
don't want to leave the 10th message or attempt to set-up a phone date, simply
make this request..."Wanda and I have been chasing each other for days...is
there some place that we might be able to locate her NOW?!" (On a regular
basis, people will say things like, "Let me page her! I'll go into her
office and leave her a note right now. I know where she's at...let me go find
her. She told me you'd be calling, let me go get her!")
Management expert Peter
Drucker, once declared, "Time
is the scarcest resource."
Time really isn't scarce, it's uniform and constant.
However, your ability to manage it is crucial to your success. For
without time or self-management, one need not worry about cash management.
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