Posts Tagged ‘time management’

You want to market your business, but do you have the time? Here are five nuggets of time management wisdom I personally use in my direct response copywriting business.  And here’s the kicker, I really only “work” no more than about four hours a day because of these strategies.

1) The foundation is your desk. How clean and organized is your desk? Do you live by a “use it, file it, or throw it away” mentality with every single item (paper, email, etc.) that comes across your desk? You either use information, file it (only if you have time-stamped when you are actually going to use it), or toss it.

2) Magazines, do you really read them? Or do you let them stack up, hoping to get to them “someday.”  The secret: Use tables of contents to find articles you like right away, and rip them out. Then, read the article(s) now, or file the article in a folder for that magazine subject or title.

3) Do you listen to audio recordings? If so, try listening at double speed (2x). In 99% of the cases, you can still understand what is being said, it doubles your efficiency in getting information, and cuts your listening time in half.

4) How organized is your office? Is your chair in easy reach of filing cabinets, supplies, and other necessary items without getting up? Getting up and down for only a few seconds each time adds up very quickly; so this technique alone can save you an hour a day.

5) How do you process interruptions? Do you check email 20 times daily, or, at just three specific times of the day? Do you schedule phone calls, or do you pick up the phone and answer it every time Aunt Mabel calls? How you handle these “attention-grabbers” can seriously chew up time.

Remember: NOBODY AND NOTHING control your time except YOU!

So now that you’ve read this, don’t take it out on others when “you don’t have enough time.”

Ding!

It’s the sound of distraction.  The sound that means…

Another email has arrived in your inbox.  Turn it off, and shut the window. Check you emails only on a schedule of two times a day to begin.  Your productivity will thank you for it.

Ding!

You haven’t turned that sound off yet?

Here’s a big productivity-killer: All the daily demands from your friends, family and colleagues.

Your spouse wants to go to dinner tonight. Your child wants you to drop what you’re doing and help her build a tree house right now. Your friend wants you to run for the city council. And your colleagues are always looking for help on something.

You’re a good person – you like to help out. So you often say yes to these sorts of requests…right?

The problem is, pretty soon everyone else’s projects are eating into your time.

I mean you don’t mind helping others out – but when it gets to the point that you can’t get your to do lists done, then it becomes a problem.

Here’s how to start reclaiming your time…

* Start saying no. Just because you start saying no doesn’t mean you need to say no to everything. It just means that you realize some things are more important than others – and that you simply cannot do it all.

* Prioritize requests. The demands on your time are going to come in fast and furiously (as usual). So you need to start deciding which requests you want to accommodate and which ones you’ll need to politely decline.

For example, you may not want to break your child’s heart when she asks you to build a tree house, so family requests will be given high priority.

But perhaps requests from colleagues (especially those requests that are favors that are rarely returned) can be given lower priority.

* Delegate whenever possible. Sometimes you don’t want to say no… but you have to because you’re simply too pressed for time. In that case, consider freeing up your time by delegating some of your other tasks.

* Stop feeling guilty. This is an important step – you need to stop feeling guilty when you say no. It won’t always be easy. Sometimes friends, family and colleagues will deliberately give you a guilt trip when you say no.

They may even be keeping score, so they can point out that they helped you last time…or they might even point out that you helped someone else, so why not them?

If someone is trying to make you feel guilty, that’s just another reason to say no.

After all, who wants to do a favor for a bully?

Saying “no” takes practice – especially when you’re saying it to the people you’re close to.  Just tell them that “no” doesn’t mean no to every request forever. It just means “no” to this particular request… and tomorrow is another day.