Getting Time On My Side - How I Handle Time Management
For an October contest, Grant Schneider invites us to discuss our time management skills, or lack thereof. I wanted to jump on this one because until recently, time management had been one of my biggest challenges. We all know there is not enough time in the day, or at least that's what we think. The reality is, there's plenty of time in the day if we use it wisely.
In just the past few months, I've put a lot of effort into sucking the most life I can out of each and every day. Over those months, I've gotten to a point where I'm productive, profitable, free (that's a huge one), and able to focus on the 2 things most important to me professionally - providing a high level of service to existing customers & partners, and growth.
My time management renaissance can be reduced down to 4 things I've either implemented or changed to step up my game and finally feel like I've got a handle on tim.
CRM (or marketing systems)
I've had a CRM for a while, but recently really worked on making it work for me. Jungo is the Salesforce app for mortgage professionals (and Realtors -- if you want a recommendation for a CRM, I would recommend it very, very highly), and on the daily lays out my tasks, calendar, and allows me to have prioritized tasks and scheduling in front of my face just about all day long.
Calendar reminders, marketing with just a few clicks, database management, and more is at my fingertips. There is no rolodex. There are no client files in ten different places. Phone numbers don't need to be looked up. They're all on my PC and my phone via my CRM.
A CRM, when you have a good one and know how to use it, can streamline your entire business, and allow you to grow while your day to day focus isn't always on growth. It's your business working for you while you're busy with other things.
Delegation
Delegation is something I've struggled with my whole life. One of my flaws (and sometimes my strength) is that I'm a control freak. I have a vision for how I want things to be done, and usually have a final product perfectly visualized before I begin a project, so it's hard to me to let go, allow others to step in, and put their vision on display over top of mine.
I realized, though, that without help, my growth will be limited, along with my ability to focus on serving existing clients. I've surrounded myself with a great team now, and I've learned to delegate and trust others - the final products usually aren't as good as if I'd done them myself, though. They're better. And I'm free to do more!
Taking Out the Trash
I stopped wasting my time. There's no more straightforward way to put it. 15-20 minutes on the cell phone every morning? No more. Cell phone games, TV, and time wasted with people that aren't adding value to my life? All out the window.
Every 15 minutes of a day I free up is nearly 2 hours every week I can be productive. That's 4 added days of productivity every year simply by not wasting my time. Those days equate to more published articles, more phone calls made, more relationships built, better time spent on good relationships, and more freedom. I used to be too much of a people pleaser - I'd give everyone time, say yes to too much, and cave to demands on my time. I stopped it all.
Recharging
One of the most important aspects of my time management is taking time off to recharge, and sometimes doing nothing (not to be confused with 'wasting time'). To me, time spent in a hammock in the mountains with nothing but a book and a beer is time well spent. That level of peace and downtime allows me to function and perform at a high level the rest of the time.
Weekend trips, weeknight hikes, taking time to read and relax nearly every day, and other ways to recharge allows me to maximize my time when I'm 'on', which is what separates a lot of really productive people from those who drift through entire weeks without getting much done. We can all sit at a desk 40 hours/week. Not all of us do that productively. In order to maximize my productivity and make the best use of my "go" time, I make sure to spend substantial time recharging to avoid burnout.
Time management is a struggle - we have clients to work for, business partners to help, staff to manage, media to create, relationships to build, budgets to manage, and various other interests and demands on our day. We all have the same 24 hours, though, so mastering or at least constantly improving on time management is one giant piece of the business growth puzzle.
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