You blink. The day is over. You find yourself wondering:
“What did I accomplish?”
It’s one of the most frustrating feelings in the world. You tell yourself:
IF BLANK WASN’T SUCH A DISTRACTION
or
IF I DIDN’T HAVE TO DO BLANK
Then you would get more stuff done. But, life is filled with distractions and tangents. And while it would be nice to work in a vaccuum the reality is we need to focus on:
WHAT MATTERS MOST IN YOUR DAY
The reason we get distracted and never reach our objectives is because we don’t have a clear idea of what is most important. If we did we wouldn’t check email or social media right when we walked into our office.
By going to email or Facebook we’re setting ourselves up for failure and not tackling our big tasks of the day immediately. If we did we would probably find ourselves more productive.
To help my clients avoid this pitfall I have them watch some version of Stephen Covey’s Big Rock analogy.
Check out one of those versions HERE
It’s an opportunity for them to remember what matters most so that they can arrange their days and weeks around that first.
HOW MUCH TIME YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO USE
We feel like we need more time but the reality is we aren’t using what we have effectively. I am a huge fan of writing down your weekly schedule. It provides you with a framework on how to best manage your time.
Whenever I’m working with a client I tell them to:
- Write out what you are currently doing each day
- Note how much time is spent on it
- Record how they are feeling when they do it (i.e. efficient or dragging)
It might take time to do this but what you’ll learn will save you so much more down the line. I currently started using a software called Rescue Time that helps track what I’m doing. Check it out HERE
GETTING RID OF WASTED ENERGY
This is probably the hardest area to focus on because it takes a lot of energy at first. Delegating and eliminating takes up emotional energy and time, but it’s an investment that pays off greatly in the end.
All those tasks that keep you from doing what you need to be doing need to be AUTOMATED or DELEGATED. To help me I use the following softwares:
EMAIL: I use a software called Boomerang it helps me schedule emails and receive them at a time that works best for me.
SCHEDULING: I use Doodle and Acuity Scheduling. This way people see when I’m free and instead of wasting time going back and forth figuring out they can work with when I’m available.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: I have used different softwares like Hootsuite and Sprout Social. Currently I’m using Buffer and like how I can communicate with people ahead of time.
And while automation is great delegation is even better because you are not only getting stuff off of your plate but you are creating leaders.
Delegation isn’t assigning busyness it’s giving responsibility to someone so they can take that task or area to a level you never could. For more on delegating read HERE
To figure out who you can delegate to you need to build trust and invest in people around you. Again, it’ll take time but it’s worth it because your effectiveness and capacity to lead will grow tremendously.
We love our days being and feeling productive. It makes all the hard work and energy worth the effort. As a ministry coach and consultant I find that poor time management is one of the biggest obstacles to reaching our goals.
If you aren’t a member of the MYM Community I want to encourage you to do so today. When you sign up (Click the button below) you’ll not only get insider information on everything going on but receive access to my free tool TIME SAVERS.
It only takes a couple of minutes to use but will save you hours during your week. Consider it it my gift to help you get this year started right.
Get rid of that feeling, “Did I accomplish anything today?” Remember what you do is important and not a single second should be wasted.
What are some best practices that help you maximize your time?
Join The Community And Save Time