You can't call the police and file a report on today's topic, but it is one of the worst thefts that can happen in life. Time theft is stealth--it sneaks up on you. Don't let this happen to you! Today we need to be vigilant with our businesses. Every expense must be reviewed, even investments of your time and energy. Here are 6 areas for you to get under control this week and know you won't get your time stolen again. First, the mistake --> then what you really should do.
- Have an agenda for your call before you pick up the phone to dial. This way, you won't hang up and realize you missed an important point only to have to call again.
- If you need to leave a message, make sure to tell the person a good time to reach you as well as details of what you are looking for. The person returning your call may be able to answer your questions in a return voice mail or they will call at your suggested time, avoiding phone tag.
- When you record your outbound message, ask your callers to give you the best time to return their call. Also ask them to repeat their phone number twice -- this saves you time trying to replay a message to catch the correct number.
Waste time searching for lost files. --> Back up the information on your computer!
Time and aggravation abound when you have a sudden crash of your computer. Panic sets in and hours can be spent (as well as dollars) trying to recover information on a bad drive. Eliminate this by backing up your data with a service or on an external hard drive. Want more on this idea? Check out my story: Computer Crashed! 400 Gigs Gone! Don't Let this Happen to You!
Switch focus --> Focus on Your Priorities!
It is more important than ever to make sure that the things we choose to spend our time on are the right things. When you spend time on low priority items, your TIME IS STOLEN! Peter Drucker encourages us to understand that it is important to decide “what” is to be done first. Only after that decision is made should we figure out the “how” and “when”. If you need help figuring out how to set your priorities then check out this special report.
Be a Multi-Tasker --> Schedule "Power Hours"
- In Can you manage your time? Read - learn the secret - then weigh in on the conversation I talk about a really important concept called the "Power Hour." Set time aside to focus and work uninterrupted. Ignore the phone, IMs, text messages, Tweets and any other kind of interruption. Make sure that all of the resources that you need are on hand and ready to be used.
- If you find that you have challenges with hyper-focus (where you lose time by focusing too much on a particular project) then consider using a timer or alarm. By having the clock running as you work, you become more aware of how long tasks take. It trains your subconscious to be more productive. You get more done.
- "Doing IT ALL" Gets Nothing Done - Is that REALLY True? Of course it is! Multi-tasking can steal your time faster than you might imagine. If you have many tasks that need to be done, focus on one at a time. Give the task your undivided attention and get it done. Then, move on to the next task.
Attend meetings that do not have value --> Assess the importance of all meetings!
There are a number of ways that you can make decisions. Holding or attending a meeting is just one. When you look at your schedule, make sure that you are only attending meetings that add value or where you can add value. Want more on this topic? Consider these articles: 10 Things YOU Can Do To Make A Productive Meeting Even When You are Not the Meeting Planner or Key Activity You Should Do To Make The Most of Your Time & Meetings
Demand perfection in everything --> Understand that perfectionism paralyzes.
Are you a perfectionist? We are frequently our own worst critic. Please stop. Perfectionism KILLS productivity. When you tweak and tweak, always trying to make your service or product perfect; the service or product never launches! What a huge theft of your time and the potential! If you give yourself permission to "slip" you will not focus energy on slipping. Some of the greatest leaders and successful individuals have failed many times. It is through the failing that real learning happens.
Want more ideas? Check out this post on creating your NOT to do list.
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What methods do you use to create your goals? How do you make sure you stay on track? Do you think this process would work for you? I'd love to hear about it and I know my readers would too! Please leave your comment below. Like what you've read? I'd love it if you would click one of the buttons below and share this post with your friends.
To your success!
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