8/9/2024-“I’ll spend my time MY way!”

Working on your time tracker is a gift to yourself…the revelations will astound you and may hurt too. ("I spent how much time doing THAT this week?").

Typically, sellers get a tad indignant when they hear "time management." ("Don’t be judging ME on where I spend my time!")

Fair.

Think of TM as a productivity game…not a judgment game.

These keys may help you with any time struggles you have:
1. Understand where you spend your time.
2. Build a disciplined scheduling system. (Frequently say "no.")
3. Set goals and dedicate your time to your goals.

It’s all really about #3…if you’re super focused on your goals, your time spent efficiency will be where you need it to be.

It doesn’t pay to be a time martyr.

Starting today, stop blaming time.

No more bad talking "time." (What did time ever do to you?)

Avoid saying things like, "I don’t have the time." Or, "I ran out of time." Or the worst, "I’m so busy."

Fess up: you roll your eyes when others say those things…what do you think they do when you blurt ’em out?

Everyone’s busy. Nothing you say will change the fact that there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, etc.

Today, celebrate your power to decide where your time goes.

The TOP 10% are pretty darn good at mastering time because they simply keep blinders on in pursuit of their goals.

They don’t bother with anything unproductive. That kind of discipline is typically an acquired skill and improves by doing time-tracking exercises.

Of course, you’d rather do many other fun things other than charting where your time went during the week, but uncovering and itemizing the things that derail your productivity is key if you’re going to get a grip on your calendar.

Time tracking reveals how much time you’re spending against UNproductive activities, like "internal meetings," "data entry," and certainly, "social distractions.". Granted, some of these tasks are unavoidable, but understanding how much time you spend against all job functions will help you make decisions about your productivity.

Whether a formal time-tracking exercise helps your focus or not, follow your TOP 10% friends and do what they do: ignore everything that gets between you and hitting your goals.

"I’m not gonna put my toilet visits in a diary!" is a classic line from this parody about TM and calendar management.

The ridiculous dialogue between the boss and his admin highlights how TM messes with everyone. When we need it to go slow, it goes fast; when we need it to go fast…etc.

Mastering time might be impossible. Instead, focus on your goals and you’ll ge great. The rest will take care of itself.