In a previous article, Time to Watch How You Spend Your Time, it was suggested that you should track your time, in order to identify time wasters built into your schedule. In order to effectively put into use the three steps described below, a time tracking method should have been completed by you, for you, for at least a week or two.
One other calculation will be necessary in order to proceed. What is an hour of your time worth?
Step One – Review your time tracker results described in the previous article. Identify what you spent time on into a few categories. For example, “Items I must do” might be one column. Another column might be, “Personal Chores”. Another column might be, “Items someone else might be able to do.” If these example columns were your columns where are you spending most of your time? If your answer is “Items I must do”, you are being challenged right now to prove it. Is everything you are doing of the value you placed upon your hour of time value?
Step Two – In the review of your time tracker results what items do you spend time on at various times of the day which might be ‘batched’ in order to save time?
For example, if you are attending a networking lunch and in this similar geographic region are clients or prospects, call to make an appointment before or after the networking lunch. Take advantage of where you will be physically and utilize this time in this location to conduct other beneficial activities.
Step Three – What time of day and how often are you checking your email or writing emails based upon the results of your time tracker results? Schedule one or two times per day of a specific start and end time to read and/or respond to emails and stick to it. There are valuable lessons worth noting here of great importance. Your own habits in this area of responding to emails and reading emails create the urgency and expectation from others that you will respond to them in a quick and fairly immediate fashion. When you create the habit, and stick to it, of only interacting with email one or two specific times of the day at most, within a brief period of time the ‘urgency’ will change. You will relax and realize every email does not need to be answered immediately and your other side of the emails sent to you will recognize you will be responding to your emails when you get around to it, not sooner.
Incorporate these three steps into your schedule and you will free up time to utilize on other items of your choice.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified personal and executive coach who resides in Stamford, CT.
I agree with you, batching errands and appts is the most efficient way to go. You can save hours of drive time by doing that, I find.
Yes Sue, and people generally are not thinking about their week in this manner. Hours times the value of the hour equals money wasted.
I like the idea of categorizing tasks to see what someone else might be able to do. A useful exercise to help free up time and delegate more efficiently.
The ability to let go. This should be one mandatory college course in business. How to let go and delegate.
Brilliant post! I have found batching tasks to be SO valuable for me! I’m working on the email one…
Trudy
It is all about tracking our time and where it goes.
Great tips – email is always the big time killer if we aren’t focused and noticing where our time is going
It is a neck and neck race between social media and email.
Mitch,
Batching is CRUCIAL. Great reminders to organize and manage time so we’re focusing on the right activities that bring the highest return on investment.
Write on!~
Lisa Manyon
The growth of one’s ability to run a successful business includes their business vocabulary. ROI is a critical component of this CEO vocabulary for entrepreneurs. Time wasters are a negative to ROI.
Great tips…especially step 3. I keep saying I am going to do better at managing my email time – and yet find myself spending more time on it. Will definitely incorporate the advice (again!! LOL) and hopefully stick to it!
Doreen, hope you are tracking and checking your time.
Mitch,
I really appreciate the focus on challenging items that end in the “items I must do” category – making sure they truly belong there! I am always challenging my clients there as well – and we usually find there are only a handful of things that really belong on that list!
Terry, just do a few great things and let others do the rest. Agree!