Summary: As a business owner, there are things you must do in order to accomplish your goals so you can have the kind of business and life you have dreamed of having. From managing a team to handling clients - and everything in between - it can be easy to lose complete control of your day. We all have the same 24 hours available each day; it’s how we chose to use those 24 hours that’s makes the difference. Meetings, client services, and a To-Do List a mile long are frequent daily tasks in the world of running a business. The key is find an effective way to handle our daily routine to stay focused and on track to achieve your goals in the shortest amount of time and the least amount of effort. Tip #1: Break Goals Down in to Daily Action Steps - and Track Them Somewhere between running a business and having a personal life, it’s not uncommon for our goals to fall by the wayside. If you are not paying attention to your goals on a daily basis, you’re probably taking the long way around. Break goals down into daily action steps and put them into your daily calendar/diary/planner. Those action steps should be labeled high priority and handled as early on in the day as possible, or at the best time that leads to the best result. No excuses. Tip #2: Remove Distractions and Interruptions from Your Life Wasting time on low priority tasks is one of the most common sources of interrupting your success. Email - texting - social media - internet surfing - personal phone calls - chatting - etc. are time wasters for many of us. Work hours should be reserved for work. Close email and internet outside specific time blocks. Turn off the ringer on your phone or filter calls through a team member. Remove paperwork that you are not currently working on from your sight. Create a system that works best for you - and stick to it. Consistent execution of new habits that put you in the highest probability position to make better progress, so you can create the business and life you want. Tip #3: Be Aware of Sabotaging Habits No one is ever completely free of self-sabotaging habits, which is why it’s important to be aware of your tendencies. When you are aware of your sabotaging habits, you can easily spot them - and stop them - from distracting you from your success. Whether you create procrastination, overwhelm, emotional crisis, physical exhaustion, relationship drama - or a host of other common habits - you’re creating self-sabotage. Achieving your goals becomes a lot easier when you can spot troublesome habits, and consciously and quickly get yourself back on track. Tip #4: Get Clear on the Why When you get clear on why you’re working on any particular task, you can intellectually grasp whether you really need to be doing it at all or having someone else do it. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing ___________________ (insert task)?” If your answer isn’t a good enough why, you know you shouldn’t be spending your valuable time on it. Tip #5: Chunk Like-Tasks Together Prep time and pre-task setup can eat up huge amounts of your time, so chunk like-tasks together. Another benefit to chunking? Reducing the “scatter-brain” effect. Multi-tasking and jumping between tasks reduces your brain’s ability to maintain focus, effectiveness and efficiency. Examples of chunking your time include: Listening to voicemail/returning important phone calls - reading emails/replying to urgent inquiries – making prospecting calls – seeing clients in your office – creating marketing materials - coordinating off-site meetings with other appointments/errands - etc. Along this same line of thinking, consider scheduling time to really prepare for the meeting on your calendar (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes). Also, schedule time after your meeting to complete any actions you need to so you don’t have to try and remember them later in the day, two days later, or at the end of the week. Get things done and the move on to the next meeting with a clear head for tha
