Today, during one of my coaching calls, my client and I discussed the importance of time management. Let’s call my client, Sally, for privacy purposes.
Sally is a professional business trainer and speaker. She is often on the phone several hours a day and holding training calls several times a week, although it has been daily over the past month or so.
One of Sally’s goals for 2010 is to be more focus driven and to double her income, which would place her in the mid 6-figure range. Sally is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty, so to speak, but she does have an issue with being proficient with her time. Sally tends to lolly-gag on tasks and allow for unexpected interruptions.
For example, a prospect called her today and she spent nearly 2 hours on the phone. When we discussed the topics of the call, Sally realized that the call could have and should have taken only 30-45 minutes to conduct. Sally enjoys talking to people and tends to allow herself to get off topic.
Because the call took nearly 2 hours, it has caused the rest of Sally’s scheduled day to be rippled and out of order. Sally has to regroup and figure out ways that she can complete all tasks to stay on target, which means cutting into family and personal time.
One of the biggest keys to understanding time management is that you must, must, must respect your time. You only have 24 hours in a day and if you refuse to respect your time, then you will lose it. Time is extremely precious and should be treated as a high dollar commodity. You must nurture and value your time.
While Sally took valuable time to talk to a prospect, she allowed herself to get caught up in the moment instead of staying focused on the matter at hand. The 2-hour call cost Sally not only valuable time, but she suffered financial consequences as well.
Let’s say that Sally charges $300 per hour (which is not unreasonable for good coaches and trainers). The 2-hour call cost Sally $600 in essence. She will not be able to regain the 2-hours lost nor recoup any of the money that she potentially could have made by spending her time more wisely and strategically.
Sally’s goal for 2010 is to work more efficiently and get a better grip on her time. So, here’s the first place for her to start.
1. For three days, Sally is to write down everything she did in 15 minute intervals. For example, at 10:00 – 10:10 a.m. checked email; 10:10-10:15 a.m. went to the bathroom. 10:15-10:30 a.m. accepted friend requests on Facebook and Tweeted, etc.
The idea here is to find out how Sally’s day is being spent. However, she must, must, must be brutally honest with herself or this exercise will not work.
2. Sally needs to create a daily schedule with tasks that must be completed within a particular time line. For example, 10:00-11:00 a.m. write an article and submit it to “xyz” directory; 11:00-12:00 p.m. make follow-up phone calls; 12:00-12:30 p.m. take a break and eat lunch; 12:30-1:00 p.m. leave open for incidentals; 1:00-2:00 p.m. answer emails and do follow-ups; 2:00-3:00 p.m. prepare a lesson plan; etc.
The idea here is to keep Sally focused on what she needs to do in order to achieve her ultimate goals. If Sally’s desire is to increase her income, she must get serious, be dedicated, and remain focused.
3. As Sally’s coach, she is to report to me with her daily log for accountability purposes. She won’t have to do this forever, but only until she has a solid routine whereby she truly understands what it means to respect her time and work more efficiently.
Sally is a champion and will achieve what she sets out to do. She just needs a little guidance.
In what ways are you like Sally? And, how do you respect your time? I’d love to hear from you!
