Successful Time Management

One of the toughest things I have faced in my Network Marketing Business is the ability to manage my time. A lot of newbie’s as well as seasoned professionals fall into one of two categories. The adrenaline driven marketer is exceptionally active.  They are either on the phone or being interrupted by others. Their workspace is a jumble of unorganized chaos. They tend to work long hours, but ironically, for all their effort, their projects are always late and off schedule. 

The procrastinator always puts off tasks, hesitates and debates incessantly and has difficulty making decisions or following up on actions. They never seem to be able to get much done or follow up on what they know they need to do.

There is a blend of the above traits in most of us, and we may even swing from one extreme to the other. These are all symptoms of poor time management and recognizing this is the first step toward effective change. To effectively manage your time there are a number of key techniques you should use:

• Don’t commit to more than you can handle – one of the key reasons for work overload is over-committing. The adrenaline junky does this for the rush, we may do this out of a desire to please others, because we don’t like to say no or because we can’t let go and allow others to help us.
• Delegate – trying to do everything yourself is one of the key symptoms of poor time management. Focus on the tasks you know you can do quickly and effectively, and delegate to others, where possible. For example, if you’re not an accountant, you can waste hours or even days doing your tax returns – time which is taken away from your own endeavors.
• Prioritize your tasks – decide the most important tasks that you need to accomplish. It helps if you write this down in a diary. A good strategy is to write down each morning no more than 5 tasks that you need to accomplish during the day. Stick to your list and check off each item as you complete it.
• Focus on the task at hand – don’t allow distractions or other tasks to take you away from what you are currently doing. One of the reasons this happens is that we allow others to distract us or we think we are so important that nothing will get done if we don’t provide the answers. It may be a manager or a colleague who just ‘has’ to have an answer. Don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues to wait until a more appropriate time. They will soon learn that you don’t like being interrupted unnecessarily.
• Handle small tasks immediately – for example, responding to emails, writing letters or returning phone calls -- don’t allow these tasks to accumulate; this saves you time having to read through the same information later, once you’ve forgotten it. One technique is to set aside a 30-minute or hour slot in the morning for such administrative tasks, when you can read and answer all your emails and queries and set up meetings.
• Re-examine your goals – ask yourself what choices you have made that are preventing you from effectively achieving your goals. Make sure that you are focusing your time on achieving the objectives that are important to you – whether these are your career goals or your personal aspirations.
• For more information about me – check out my blog.