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In Search Of . More Time, More Simplicity, More Freedom
August 19, 2004
Well, of course, one of the "great equalizers" of life is that the clock ticks away at the same speed for everybody, right? We all get 24 hours, no more, no less, each day.
I would challenge you to that! We can, in fact, get more done that we've previously done in the same amount of time, but using the same strategies won't work. And, it doesn't mean having to work harder, with more stress, or quit doing the things that are important to us.
Here's the "top 10 time wasters". Which ones invade your day?
You allow yourself to be interrupted. This may be due to such things as cold calls, unscheduled visitors, or unplanned telephone socializing.
You surround yourself with junk. Most people have too much junk in their lives-junk e-mail, junk mail, junk meetings, or junk around them. Clear out some of the junk and you'll clear up a lot of your time.
Essential information is poorly organized or non-existent. If you can't lay your hands on the essential facts at a moment's notice, you waste time looking for it.
You're burdened with excessive red tape, regulations, and paperwork. Delegate what you can't eliminate, but eliminate everything you can.
Policies and procedures are poorly thought-out. If your office policies on such things as personnel, correspondence, budget process, expenditures, or crises aren't well conceived and well communicated, you'll waste a lot of time re-inventing them every time an issue arises.
Priorities are poorly planned and implemented. If you and your people don't set sensible priorities, you'll waste time dropping one task in the middle to deal with another that has suddenly become a crisis.
You have poor skills in delegating, training, or conceptualizing. Anything you don't do well impairs your ability to work efficiently. If you lack needed skills, either develop them or delegate the task.
You put things off. If a task has to be done, do it as soon as you can, before it becomes an emergency. If it doesn't have to be done, and you don't want to do it, don't.
You don't think through scheduling. Bad schedules can be worse than no schedules at all. You must allow the right time, at the right time, for everything, keeping in mind other people's schedules when they're working on the same project.
You over-commit and then try to do too much at once. If you're doing too many things at the same time, you're not doing any of them well. Eventually, you'll have to take the time to fix what could have been right the first time.
Coach's request: Take action now! Get out a notepad and make a list of your top 10 time wasters. Make an action plan for each one of them with a due date, and feel the freedom when you've accomplished them!
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