At the beginning of the year I took a look at some of the things that I was doing that needed improvement, what wasted time, and how I was going to get it under control. Like most of us I am a work in progress. This month of May there is an AR contest with the theme of Working smarter, rather than harder, what 3 things that you can REMOVE from your day to day activities that you think will help you be more productive.
I could probably write 20 things about this, but lets stick to the three top ones with cute titles.
1. Grenade Launcher
2. Sticky Notes
3. Back and forth
The process of how to figure out the time wasters and what to do about them can be summed up by these three things.
Identifing the problems (not that hard)
Figuring out a way to effectively handle them (comes realtivly easy)
Developing the habits and sticking with them (Hardness level 1000 on a scale of 1 to 10)
Problem number 1: The granade Launcher (Solution: Remove the thousand directions and focus on the few)
My associates tease me about being a grenade launcher. (So much so that this now comes Complete with pantomime gestures and explosion sounds to pull me back to realty when I get going) I have a propensity for launching huge impressive programs, solutions, ideas with a huge amount of energy in every direction just to see what hits. I do have the luck of the irish and at least some of it does work but as they say a clock is always right twice a day.
Focusing my efforts in a one or two directions with the same fever and energy would no doubt would corner the market. Convincing my self not to look for the corner in the round room is a bit trickier.
Problem number 2 The sticky note (Remove the lost notes)
I am a fantastic note taker. If I am at the computer or driving down the road I always have pen in hand, scribbling away the important things I need to remember. If only I can remember where I put those little yellow sticky notes. Talk about kicking myself when I find a note with such great detail that I can remember the conversation. Now if only I had put a name or a phone number on there. Maybe if I hadn't misplaced it and found it 6 months after I needed it.
Once again I know how to take care of this several ways are effective.
- I recently found a notebook from 2006 that cataloged my life nicely. I could tell you when, what who I was talking to and what I was doing for about a 6 month period. Darn I did good, what happened to that girl.
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I remember one year I used tickler files that worked so nice, I always kept up with my follow up.
Oooh here is another from 2012 where every phone conversation is logged on a carbon copy phone message book. Nice handy and even the ones that I tore out to take with me and lose still haves a copy in the book. How nice and effective. - Even last year I had a pretty good run on my google calendar that had phone numbers, to do lists, events, meetings. QUite handy with a search function and it really helped my SOI with past clients.
- With all those great techniques what am I doing now? Please refer to number one the Grenade launcher just a pinch of all of these seems to be happening but I really should throw out my sticky note pad.
My solution is great, I just have not made it a reliable habit yet. Once I do I would have the world by the tail...... IF only I would make it a habit.
- I use a program called Less Annoying CRM that when used properly will give me todo lists, log automatically in my calendar, seperate my emails automatically under the appropriate person, give me a great tickler file.
- I have a carbon copy phone receipt in my car, at the office, by the computer so I can have my sticky notes and know where they are too.
- I use Brivity to remind me of every step in a listing or escrow and give constant communication to my current clients.
While it may seem like a lot to keep up with, it saves me hours a day when I keep up with it.
Problem 3: Back and forth (Remove the mileage from the day)
Running around like a chicken with my head cut off was my mothers favorite saying for me. Unfortunately it is still correct. I am a people pleaser and I have a hard time telling people in need the word NO.
The Idaho panhandle is only 45 miles across and my territory is over three counties. I can be in Montana, go to the washington border, up to Canadian Border and down to Coeur D' Alene in a day. A very long exhausting day, and the problem with being able to do it is that I often have to. I get a call to come to Priest River and another for a showing up in Bonners Ferry, then oops go to Clark Fork where I was that morning.
Learning to not hop so fast but to organize appointments so that I am going in one direction instead of four. (Ooops sounds like the grenade launcher problem in number one again) I need to convince myself that yes the client can wait till 5:00 when I am going that way, or the next day when I plan on concentrating my efforts in Boundary County. It is ridiculous to act like it is life and death if a client doesn't see the house within the hour when 3 hours from now makes more sense. Learning to say no, organize to my schedule more than 30 other peoples schedule, and mapping out the route and the day so that it reduces mileage, time and makes more sense.
If I learn to say NO and keep my notes and myself under control I would be able to save so much time in my day. Check in at the end of the year and see how I did.
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