Power TIme Management

2 Time control tools for top performance

Power Time Management         

2 Time Control Tools for top performance  

 

“Gee I would sure like to do that, but there is just no way with the work load and deadlines I’ve got!”

 

How many of us have said this or similar when it comes to our personal time usage at work or home? Time management and organization are two topics that always make the top 5 when talking to companies about performance. Where would it be for you?

 

For years I have conducted sessions on time management and organization and the conclusion has always been… that the basic tools help, but the challenge still always seems to be there!

 

Many of the time management tools such as; a to do list, priority list, schedulers, file systems and others help and yet many indicate they just make things more complicated! Sometimes people simply forget their list and now their in trouble. So what is the answer to this 24 hours in a day dilemma?

 

There are two tools that when used and mastered have made a complete turn around on time usage for thousands just like you! Here they are along with the challenges to mastering them.

 

The first tool is the Time Log. “Oh No! I’m not going to track every minute of my day for every day!” Not to worry, that is not what this is.

 

Let’s first understand why this is one of two powerful tools. How can we control, find or eliminate waste if we can not find it? A related example would be from a financial counselor that talked about a couple who earned one million a year in income and were looking at bankruptcy! They spent about 1.3 million and they could not understand how it happened. Upon reviewing all their paper work, over $500,000 in checks had been made out to CASH! Absolutely no idea where the money went or for what! Yes, that is just nuts isn’t it!

 

Question; how much of your time is made out to “CASH”? Have you spent half your time with no real idea of where or how, much less on what?

 

Here’s the tool; a simple piece of paper that you use for one or two days. Each hour or half hour you list what transpired previously. Note if it was a distraction, main priority, fire type problem, chronic occurrence or just busy work. Now you can determine what needs to be changed, eliminated or retained. You can now use the next tool to create ways to eliminate or change the unproductive issues. If you have never tired this, I can understand why time management is a challenge. I encourage people to do a time log one day each quarter to keep them on track and catch regression to old habits.

 

Now for the second powerful tool; Block Time or as Dave Lakhani phrases it; “The power of an hour!” Simple question; which is more efficient, taking a 5 hour project and doing it 10 minutes at a time in-between a dozen other projects, or blocking our five one hour blocks without distractions? Those that have used block time effectively find the five hour project is not only a three and a half or four hour project!

 

Hold it! Yes I know the customer phone calls, the employee demands and the other stuff that keeps you from your to do list are all there. You see it’s a cultural thing! If you are honest with your time log you’ll see the time wasters and the chronic issues that burn up your day.

 

So if this works so well why isn’t everyone doing it? The challenge is that most people and organizations are caught up in the “busyness” of business. The culture of the organization hasn’t seen the tremendous value in honoring what an hour of focus can produce. Thus not all organizations support, much less implement such activity. If you examine some company cultures you find that neither customers nor productivity drive the organization, but rather the systems, processes or even the machinery may be in charge! These are the issues that you may have to deal with to master your time.

 

So here are the steps to take in order to assure control over your blocked hour:

1. Inform everyone that is connected with you about the blocked hour.
2. If you have staff, inform them they are to protect your hour.
3. Have the phone and other communications diverted to staff. 
     i.      (if there is a “fire” they can probably handle it.)
4. Inform all parties you will address their issues later and at what time.
5. Be firm, even with the boss, this is your time to be super productive.
6. Find or create a place where you can be isolated from everything else. 
      i.      (Find a corner booth in a restaurant if you have to.)
7. Have everything you need for the project you’re working on.
8. Have a very specific focus and expected outcome for the hour.

 

Now this is necessary because others are accustomed to your previous behavior. Most don’t like change and they may be confused by your new behavior. This is not unlike what counselors say happens to addicts that change. The people around them now also have to change and many don’t like it and try to force the addict back to their former behavior. Absolutely let them know who is in charge of your behavior. You Are!

 

Ok, you’ve got the external stuff under control and you’re into your blocked hour. There are two demons that now appear.

 

The serendipitous thought is the first challenge. You are focused and the mind is creative and functioning. Oh wow, what about this and a creative thought takes you in another direction. Five minutes later you have gone off track and are lost.

 

Second, the guilt feeling about all the other things you should be or could be doing. Plus, those wandering thoughts that take you away from your focus.

 

So what to do? Here is what you do:

• Acknowledge that it is a distraction.
• If a creative thought or idea comes in, write it down and refocus
• Acknowledge there are other things and refocus
• Remind yourself you are at the peak of your productivity at this time.
• Refocus, refocus, refocus!

 

Currently I am taking a training program from Dave Lakhani of Bold Approach. (I do a minimum of 20 hours a year with someone every year.) In his book “The Power of an Hour” he talks about “fearsome focus” and how it has not only built his business but many others as well. He goes much more in-depth about this subject.

 

Over the past 25 plus years of training others about block time and the total focus concept I’ve gotten lots of feedback such as:

• “I found my staff handling more and more all the time and doing it better than I did!”
• “The chronic problems are now gone, either by themselves or thought new approaches that came out of my blocked hour.”
• “At Friday noon my desk was clear and I had nothing urgent to do! I went golfing for the first time in 6 years.”
• “By implementing a blocked time for everyone on staff, we have a 45% increase in our productivity!”

 

So, if you really want to get control of your time and productivity turn on your creativity and figure out how you can have at least one hour a day of undisturbed focus. The results will be quick and very rewarding! I guarantee it.

 

Some related articles that may help: Frenzied Time Management and Overcoming Old Beliefs

 

Check out our new Sales 101 Internet Based program as well as our Influence and Persuasion for Leaders and Sales Pro’s at out site www.BusArc.com.