Action Management
Much has been written and said about “time management”. In today’s computerized world, we seemed to be pushed to do more and more. Yet we have less and less time to generate the intended results.
Stress levels are at an all-time high in business, despite healthy productivity gains. If you look more closely, it makes perfect sense. Instead of just dealing with local competition, we are now dealing with competitors worldwide. The internet and massive transportation networks have made the world a smaller place in many ways, including communications, access to producers, products and services, and comparison shopping… just to name a few.
The result is that time has become the most sought after element of a business owner’s life: time to get caught up, time for the spouse, time for the kids, time for relaxing with friends, time to get caught up, time to finish that important proposal . . . did I mention time to get caught up?
A Few Causes of Wasted Time
There are several chronic “Time Wasters”. They include meetings that run too long, unnecessary meetings, poor delegation, lack of follow up after delegation, telephone interruptions, email, voice mail, a cluttered desk, office gossip, management by crisis, drop-in visitors, inability to say no, leaving tasks unfinished, socializing, poor communication, incomplete information, attempting too much, paper work, inadequate staff, etc.
The Biggest Single Cause
The biggest single cause of wasted time, however, is inadequate planning. “But, I know what I have to do,” you retort. “You want me to waste time writing it out, when I could be doing some of it?”
Yes!
One of the causes here is that the average person can hold about 7 different things in his/her conscious thought at one moment. That is why telephone numbers are set at seven digits in many countries. In the meantime, you each have thousands of different thoughts floating around in your subconscious mind. Many of these thoughts seek the attention of the conscious mind, effectively “cluttering up” your thinking.
This often turns into a feeling of overwhelm, anxiety, or the feeling that you have forgotten something. By writing things down, you free up your brain to think. And folks, thinking is a good thing. Clear thinking grows your creativity and your personal effectiveness.
A Simple Way to Plan Your Day
If you take longer than about five minutes to plan your day in writing, then it will not work. You just won’t do it every day. And consistency is the key to effectiveness here.
There are three basic elements to an effective daily plan. They are Meetings, Calls and Other To Do’s.
Take out a separate, blank sheet of paper (or a 5” by 8” card – whatever works for you) each day and list your meetings first… (the name only is good enough as your daytimer, Outlook calendar or PDA has the remaining details). These are your commitments to others that will impact their time as well as yours.
Then, list the telephone calls you need to make (again names only are enough, as you probably have the contact information in your database, whether it is a manual system, or an electronic database). These contacts include promises you made to others to be in touch with them, so they naturally come second.
Third, you list any other to do’s you intend to accomplish today.
Collectively, this information will not take you longer than 5 minutes each day to complete. From this, you can then work from your one sheet of paper (or recipe card) and check things off as you go. You only need to focus on what is not yet done as your day progresses. I find that on average, entrepreneur’s save anywhere from a half hour to an hour from using this simple system. This is real time that can be used for family and friends . . . or getting caught up.
Filed under Business Advice, Employees, Sales Teams by Michael Walsh.
[...] Walsh presents Action Management posted at Business Growth, saying, “Attached is an article that outlines a simple system that [...]