Let’s face it. Every one of us is a procrastinator at heart. The problem with not tackling your biggest problem, most upset client, or worst project first thing in the morning is that it looms over you all day and clutters your mind. Whether you realize it or not, it creates a distraction for creative concentration.
Mark Twain famously said that if you eat a live frog every morning then nothing worse will happen the rest of the day.
First thing in the morning, your mind is the clearest and you have yet to be pulled in multiple directions. By attacking the most daunting task first, you will have a sense of accomplishment and you can go through the rest of the day knowing that you already ate your frog.
The other time management skills that most agency owners don’t implement are the following:
Track your time: If you can’t measure it then you can’t improve it. Knowing how much time to it takes you to complete any given task, will allow you to effectively plan your day.
Eliminate time wasters: One of the most intrusive time wasters is the audible alert of incoming emails. Every time you respond to that ‘ding’, you are disrupting the concentration of the task at hand. One recent study shows it takes about 25 minutes to get back on track after you've been interrupted. Responding to emails is important but it can be done after the completion of a specific project or at designated times in the work day.
Get organized: Organization can be as simple as an uncluttered desk, an orderly email inbox or implementing a viral filing system such as Drop Box to eliminate wasted time looking for paperwork or documents that do not get scanned in to your agency management system. Developing efficient systems will save you a lot of time in the long run.
Set deadlines and keep them: Setting a hard deadline for yourself makes you accountable for the completion of the project. Be honest with yourself and give enough time to realistically get the job done with a little wiggle room for the possibility that other things will get in the way. If you respect the hard deadline imposed by yourself, your focus will be sharper and efficiencies with be improved. Remember that being busy isn’t the same as being effective.
Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time.
Written on September 12, 2017 by Peggy Corbett
