Is one of the biggest problems you face at work getting organised, focused and managing your time effectively?
Well, if you’ve not heard of Chet Holmes, let me tell you about him. Chet was a sales and business development expert who ran the advertising department for one of Charlie Munger‘s businesses. And who’s Charlie Munger? Munger is the billionaire business partner to the famous billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Holmes managed to double advertising sales for Munger three years in a row! And how did he do this? Holmes learnt about the importance of managing time effectively. As Chet explains:-
“Be an absolute expert in managing your own time and have the systems in place to make sure that everyone in your organisation is skilled in time management as well.”
Wise words indeed! Unfortunately, whilst time management is not very difficult as a concept to understand, it can be surprisingly hard to do in practice. However, by spending a little time from the outset to get prioritised and organised, in time you will soon discover that your plans for the day, month and even the year, will all start to fall into place in a measured, and achievable way. This is mind-set I have seen over the years in super-rich and super successful business people.
From our experience, when it comes to time management, there are really only 3 ways to spend your time:
• Thoughts
• Conversations
• Actions
At work, you may be frequently pulled in different directions. While you can’t eliminate every interruption, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success.
Regardless of the job you do, your work will be composed of these 3 items.
So try using the following 5 Tips to stay in control of your time:-
1. First 30 minutes
Take the first 30 minutes of every day to plan your day. Don’t start your day until you complete your time plan. Plan your work, then work your plan. The most important time of your day is the time that you actually schedule – so schedule your time!
2. D.N.D.
Put up a “Do not disturb – back in 30 minutes” sign when you absolutely have to get work done. So simple, but very effective!
3. Telephone
Practice not answering the phone just because it’s ringing and e-mails just because they show up. Disconnect instant messaging. Don’t instantly give people your attention unless it’s absolutely crucial in your business to offer an immediate human response.
Instead, schedule a time to answer email and return phone calls.
Learn to manage your email, phones and social media – or they will soon be managing you!
4. Take 5
Take five minutes before every phone call and task/activity to decide what result you want to attain. This will help you know what success looks like before you start. And it will also slow time down.
Take five minutes after each call and task/activity to determine whether your desired result was achieved. If not, what was missing? How do you put what’s missing in your next call or activity?
5. Daily top 5
Each day make a list of the five most important things you can do to move toward your goals.
The actions should be simple, small and measurable. Put no more than five on the list at a time.
Then schedule a two-hour chunk of time during the day when you can turn off your phone and focus on taking those five steps. If you don’t finish, roll the items over to the next day, making sure you finish the carry-over items first.
If you would like to join our NEW Virtual Time Management Training Course on 5th October 2015, visit the following link for details and to register:-
