Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the
day, knowing you worked your butt off and yet
wondering what the heck you actually
accomplished toward your goals or, worse yet,
wondering why
nothing has been crossed off your “to do” list?
It’s more than a little frustrating to say the least
and can lead to a feeling of overwhelm.
Here are seven “implement today, let’s get
things moving” strategies
guaranteed to increase your
productivity!
1. Know that most “To-Do” lists are
useless.
There, I’ve said it and those time management
companies who insist we make lists and put
pretty-colored “A”, “B”, and “C” identifiers after
tasks will have to deal with it.
The reason why, quite simply, is that tasks have
start times, but no end times. If you make just
one change, do this: Put a start and an
end time for everything you do and watch how
much you get done knowing you’ve built in
deadlines!
Personally, I’ve renamed my “To Do” list to
my “Success Tasks” list and found that the name
change along with the built-in deadlines keeps
me focused on the outcomes rather than the
tasks themselves.
2. The right “tools”.
You need to have a schedule – one where YOU
purposefully script out those things that are your
priorities for the day and you insure that
nothing “bumps” them. I have a schedule for
each day, week and year so if a client
asks me to attend a call or visit his office, I
know what I’m doing.
Your schedule should include those things that
you need to do every day until you have built a
routine around them. I write every day. Not
some days, not most days, but every day and it
was only by having it on my schedule that it got
done. It’s now a routine that I rarely miss.
Another critical tool is what I affectionately call
my “Chat Pad”. I have a steno notebook for
each client/key person that I deal with and keep
a list of what I need to discuss with them (and
the resulting actions of that discussion) so I can
group phone calls or send one summary email
rather than several throughout the day.
3. Ask this question.
What is the most effective use of your time
RIGHT NOW?
For those rare times when you haven’t scheduled
your time, ask yourself the above question and
then follow through with working on the answer.
You will dramatically increase the quality of the
work you do.
4. Know your worth.
How much money do you want to make this
year? If we assume that you work 8-hour
workdays and you will earn $50,000 this year,
then each hour is worth $25.61 and every minute
is worth $0.427.
You intend on making $100,000 this year? Then
double the above figures: every hour is worth
$51.23 and every minute is worth $0.852.
So for every workday hour that you waste, you
have lost $6,250 on a $50,000 income and
$12,500 on a $100,000 income. Kind of puts
things into perspective, doesn’t it?
5. Delegate, don’t abdicate.
As an entrepreneur (or aspiring entrepreneur)
who now knows the value of his time, you
recognize that it is worthwhile to delegate those
activities that you either aren’t good at or
dislike.
While delegating is critical to the most optimal
use of your time and energies, be sure not to
abdicate responsibility for those items. Keep a
running list of the tasks you’ve delegated and
check in with that person (remind yourself using
your “Chat Pad”) to insure things stay on
schedule.
6. Post your goals.
Having your goals posted provides consistent
motivation on why you are doing the
things you are doing.
Want an extra kick in the pants? Post a picture
of that new car, new home, or dream vacation.
Seeing the reason you are working to meet your
goals will provide your subconscious with extra
motivation to get the job done.
7. Keep a success journal.
Success “journals” can be done several ways.
You can simply keep a written record of all your
successes or, you can follow Arnold Palmer’s
method: he had a table wherein he inlaid his
golf medals and, when he placed one medal in
the table, he had a new hole grouted for the
next, as-yet-to-be-won medal. Always looking
ahead, always anticipating the next success.
In closing, remember this: time can not be
replaced. You can replace money, you can
replace clients or projects or your home. You
can not replace time. Use it wisely.