We all have the same amount of time in a day – 24 hours. So why do some people seem to get a week’s worth of work done in a day, while others get a day’s worth of work done in a week?
More often than not, the amount of work people get done during the day comes down to how effective they are at managing their time. So how can we get more done in less time and make the most effective use of our 24 hours each day?
5 Keys to Effective Time Management
1) Have a plan. You may have heard the saying: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Without a plan, you’re like a rudderless ship trying to navigate the open ocean and your business will more than likely end up on the rocks.
Your plan does not have to be big and complicated, in fact, you want it to be as simple and easy to follow as possible. The most effective “simple” plan is a list of important items you need to get done during the day, prioritized from most important to least important. The most effective way to follow your plan is to start with the most important task and work on it until it is done. After you finish the first task, move to the second most important item on your list and work on that one until complete. Continue in this fashion until you finish your items or run out of time in the work day. At the end of each day, make a list of items for the following day.
Point to keep in mind: Studies have shown that every 15 minutes of planning saves you an hour of work.
2) Have the self-discipline to stick to your plan. Once you have a plan, you have to have the self-discipline to stick to the plan. Phone calls, e-mails, and other items, both business related and personal, will try to throw you off during the day. Your objective is to stick to your plan and not allow other distractions to get in your way. Granted, there will be times when you have to respond to other items during the day and temporarily jump off your plan, the goal though is to keep those to a minimum. Remember, if you don’t stick to your plan, even the best plan in the world will be ineffective.
Point to keep in mind: If you leave a task, it takes an average of 10 minutes to get back to where you were before you left the task.
3) Get organized. How much time do you spend during the day looking for things like car keys, that important piece of paper, or someone’s phone number or mailing address? It’s amazing how much of the day can be consumed looking for items in a messy, unorganized home, office, or workspace. Keep these areas clean and know where everything is. Keep similar items such as business cards, contact information, files on clients, and other items in one location. Keep keys, and items you use every day, in the same spot each time so you don’t have to remember where you left them. If you’re messy by nature, take five minutes at the end of the day to clean, organize, and get your work area uncluttered.
Point to keep in mind: The average person spends 24 minutes a day looking for things they’ve misplaced. That’s almost 3 1/2 full work weeks a year.
4) Find out where you’re wasting your time. Keep a time log for a week and keep track of where you spend your time during the day: Two hours on personal calls, 35 minutes on Sudoku, 24 minutes looking for Joe’s e-mail with contact information, an hour and 45 minutes at lunch with Keith, 11 minutes in line at Costco. If you haven’t done this exercise before, you will be amazed where you end up spending, and wasting, a lot of time.
Point to keep in mind: Come up with solutions to this wasted time: time limits on calls, going shopping at slower times, etc.
5) Work hard, work smart Work when you’re at work. Develop a sense of urgency and work hard only on work at work. Do just one more thing in the morning and another before you quit for the day. If you have to, start your day earlier and stay later. Be the hardest working person you know.
Follow the 80/20 Rule. This rule states that 20% of your work produces 80% of your results and vice versa. Spend time on doing the 20% really well and delegate as much of the 80% as possible. Also, use best practices, don’t reinvent the wheel. Find the really successful people who are getting a lot done and find out what they do.
The five steps above can double, triple, and even quadruple the amount you get done in the same amount of time. The bottom line: Have a plan along with the self-discipline to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Work smart, but be willing to work as hard as you have to when you have to in order to get the job done.
John Chapin has 26+ years experience as a number one sales rep and he authored the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia.
If you would like John’s free newsletter, or you’d like him to speak at your next event, go to: https://www.completeselling.com For permission to reprint, or to reach John, email him at johnchapin@completeselling.com.
