Time Management Concepts Every Entrepreneur Should Know
Among the topics we’ll cover in our upcoming webinar, “7 Methods for Maximum Performance,” on Wednesday, October 24 (10:00-11:00 a.m. PDT) is how to most effectively use our most important commodity: time.
Time Management for Upper Level Employees
The CEOs and Catapult Group members I work with are always hard-pressed to find time for everything they have to do. But I’ve found that individuals who work with a plan, who make deliberate use of their time rather than simply reacting to events around them, are the most efficient and productive.
As I’ve said elsewhere, your #1 job is focusing on the strategic direction of your business. It’s absolutely imperative that you make time to think about the long-term future of the company, not whatever crisis comes up during the hectic day-to-day operations. If you’re not attending to this vital task, who will?
Nail Down Your Strategy
A good place to start is by setting goals (both short- and long-term). What do you want to achieve this month and this year? Answering this question will help eliminate the trivial, non-urgent and time-consuming things that crop up in all of our lives.
When we fail to prioritize, our work-habits become sloppy and unfocused. Each new thing that comes up demands our attention and the next thing we know, the day is gone—and what’s there to show for it? Determine what’s truly important as opposed to what’s urgent. They’re not always the same thing.
Break Goals Down Into Steps
From there, devise an action plan—the lists of tasks that need to be accomplished to get to your goal. Without a plan, you take a step in one direction, two steps in another direction or, worse, go around in a circle. I’ve heard it compared to not having a list when you buy groceries. You can’t remember what you needed so you waste time and money by browsing and buying items you don’t need.
Part of that action plan includes overcoming procrastination. There’s always at least one task you don’t want to do, but the effort consumed by not doing this task only compounds the problem and eats up more of your time. I suggest tackling the most challenging task early in the day or whenever your particular biorhythms have you operating at peak capacity.
Eliminate Time-Wasters
Consider the many interruptions you have to cope with. Email is one of the worst culprits since it can seem as though that’s all you have time to do. Instead of letting it overwhelm you, I suggest taking control by processing emails. Decide on one of three options for each message: delete, respond or file for later action. As much as possible, condense your replies to more than three sentences.
Social media is another huge time-waster. We all know how easy it is to get sucked into Facebook, Twitter and similar sites, but the ROI is usually not worth it. A little discipline will get you more time for strategic planning and other essential tasks.
I invite you to join us on October 24 with your own time-saving tips and other ways to maximize performance. Please take a moment to register for the webinar here. I promise you’ll come away with a wealth of ideas on how to be more productive as the leader of your business.
