KEY
PRINCIPLES
Here
are some key principles I have found to help
me manage my time more effectively:
1.
Good habits are the key to good time management.
Creating good habits is the essence of effective
time management. A good habit to develop is
to focus on results. Setting goals and striving
to reach them must become a habit. Before your
next meeting, think to yourself-what is my goal
in doing this or meeting with this person? What
specific results would I like to see come from
my time?
You
must learn to place a high value on your time.
There are a million things, advertisements,
books, media events and people vying for it.
You must distinguish between what and who is
important and what or who is not. This might
sound a little harsh at first, but focusing
on results will help you prioritize your time.
2.
Good habits start with setting goals.
There are several points to remember when setting
good goals. First, write down your goals. Studies
have shown that you are much more likely to
accomplish your goals if they are committed
to paper. As someone once said, "A short
pencil is better than a long memory."
Secondly,
break down your goals into three categories:
short, intermediate and long term. I would advocate
that you should have a separate list for your
personal, professional and life goals.
The
personal goal list would cover areas like: personal
relationships, use of free time, personal growth
activities, reading up on a particular topic,
taking continuing education classes or seminars,
etc.
Your
professional goal list should be clearly focused
on building your business, increasing revenues,
cutting costs, strategic planning, marketing,
employee management, creating partnerships and
meeting beneficial business contacts. Your life
goals would cover the broader picture of what
you want to accomplish in life and what who
you want to be remembered for.
3.
Pursuing specific goals is the key to reaching
success.
Setting good goals requires some planning and
concentrated effort. Far too many entrepreneurs
have good intentions for their business, but
lack goals that are specific enough to help
them achieve success. Most entrepreneurs who
fail to reach their goals do so because they
fail to make specific, or S.M.A.R.T. goals.
S.M.A.R.T.
goals are:
Specific
Your goal should be as detailed as possible.
For example, "I will call all new prospective
clients I met at the last networking event by
this Wednesday at noon." "I will take
a vacation at least three weeks this next year."
Measurable
Good goals allow you to quantify your efforts.
"My company will increase top line sales
to repeat customers by 2% this quarter by determining
what their current needs are and developing
a service to meet their needs before anyone
else does. We will do this by surveying each
of them and following up with a personalized
phone call to clarify their answers."
Achievable
It is good to set your goals high, but not impossibly
high. "I will meet three new venture capitalists
this month and begin building a relationship
with them with the purpose of seeking funding
from them in the next six months." "I
will re-write the three primary sections of
my website by this next month to better reflect
who my new targeted customer is and to help
them find the solutions they are looking for
more quickly on my site."
Results-oriented
In order for your goals to be SMART, they must
focus on what you DO want, not what you do NOT
want. For example, a goal of "I do not
want to fail in my business" focuses on
what you do NOT want. An example of a SMART
goal is, "I will increase my passive income
by 15% this year by writing a "How To"
manual on "10 Steps to Small Business Forward
Financial Planning" and sell it on a website
for $89.99."
Time-limited
Put a specific time limit on your goals and
have someone hold you accountable for reaching
that goal. "I will finish researching my
marketing strategy within the next six weeks
and then spend two hours a day for three weeks
until I finish developing my customized marketing
plan."
QUESTIONS
TO ASK ABOUT YOUR TIME
Every
one of us has 168 hours in a week. How we spend
our time and prioritize our life says a lot
about how successful we will be personally and
professionally. There are many things that compete
for our time: finances, future plans, family,
fun, friends, present goals, pressing projects
and pushy people. I heard someone once say,
if you don't control your time someone else
will.
When
thinking about how to successfully manage your
time, here are some questions to ask yourself:
