By now you have most likely attended a class, read a book or picked up an article off the WEB on time management. And, yet you continue to fight the battle against the clock. Or, you are the master of your time and reading this to just find out who the heck Eric Goodman is. Either way, keep focused and read on.
Almost every successful person I know, at one time or another thinks they can add more hours to a day. They are not really making the day longer. In reality they are subtracting from their personal time to see how much they can accomplish in a 24 hour window.
This is when exercise is replaced with returning calls. Bedtime stories are exchanged for answering emails. Meals are consumed with a fork in one hand and a blackberry in the other. Vacations are shortened or not taken at all.
How can you stop being controlled and take control of your time? Here are a few simple tips.
1. When you are on your PC, turn off the sound. How many times do you stop working the minute you hear a new email arrive?
2. Divide your day into chunks of time. Mentally assign tasks to the amount of time you believe they will take and stick to it.
3. Hold more meetings over the phone versus driving somewhere. And keep them focused using an agenda or talking points.
4. Start and end everything promptly. People will respect you more when you are respectful of their time.
5. Limit your “water cooler” moments. I work out of my house; so, I don’t have the distractions I used to have when I was employed by Corporate America. There was no time spent this morning discussing the Sweet Sixteen, Health Care Reform or Sandra Bullock’s recent dilemma.
6. And, lastly, follow Eric Goodman’s practice. Treat each work day as if it were the day before vacation. Isn’t it interesting, when you know you are leaving for a week or even a long weekend, how much you can get done the hours before you head out the door?
Who is Eric Goodman? A good friend and Director at DHL.
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I need a LOT of help in this area.
ReplyDeleteI spend way too much time on things like email.
I need to divide my day better & Start and End promptly.
Those two alone will make me so much more efficient.
Thank you.
I need a LOT of help in this area.
ReplyDeleteI spend way too much time on things like email.
I need to divide my day better & Start and End promptly.
Those two alone will make me so much more efficient.
Thank you.
AMEN! I have worked very hard and work ends at 5pm. Though to do in my line of work and my personality. I work from home most of the time and I get much more done without distraction. As always Trudy great advice to keep me thinking!
ReplyDelete