Improve My Business

We all know that the hours in the day are numbered and that we need to make the most of them. So here are some tips that I have been using to increase my personal productivity.

1. Batch your E-mails. If your like me and most of the people in my office you have an almost constant stream of E-mails coming in. The temptation is to open them all as soon as they arrive. I realized that for me at least this meant stopping what I was doing and shifting my focus on average once every 15-20 minutes throughout the work day. This was very disruptive, particularly when there was something I wanted to read further in the E-mail and it wound up being a long distraction from the task I had been working on. The solution I have found is batching my E-mail reading into groups. Basically I keep my E-mail open, but don’t read any messages unless something urgent comes in that needs immediate attention. Instead I let things build up and then just before lunch and again just before I sign off for the evening I read through everything. I find this gives me longer blocks of un-interrupted time to focus on getting the important things I need to do done, without completely ignoring what is going on in my E-mail.
2. Pick one big thing every day and do it first. For me if I have a lot of things on my to do list I find that I often avoid the big ones and do all the little “quick wins” first. While this does shorten the list, it still leaves those big projects out there looming, and by the time I have done all the little things I often don’t have the mental energy to tackle a big project. To combat this I have started coming into the office each day, having picked out one large item from my to do list to tackle that day. I start my day off by first checking to make sure no urgent messages came in overnight, then getting right to work on my one big thing for the day. I don’t check E-mails, or make phone calls, or do anything else until I have knocked out my one big task. This has two benefits for me. First it gets those big tasks off the to do list in a timely manner, and second, I find myself having more energy throughout the day because I know that I have already accomplished something big and don’t have the stress of trying to find the energy late in the day to do a big project.
3. Have a defined plan. Beyond picking your one thing, I have also found it helpful to have a defined plan for the week. In other words I try to look at what I need to get done and slot it all into my week. This way I am not sitting here on Tuesday afternoon or worse on Thursday staring at my to do list and wondering how I am ever going to get it all done. I know how it is going to get done because I have already budgeted the time in my head. Of course my schedule gets shifted around a little bit as things come up, and it is important to remain flexible, but knowing what is on your list and what kind of time commitment it takes, then figuring out where you can make that time commitment can help overcome the feeling of overwhelm that comes with big to do lists.
4. Attitude is everything. Having a better attitude at work makes you more productive. If you feel like you have been productive you will continue to be more productive. This is what is really behind the other tips I have listed here, they all help me feel productive, which improves my attitude, and makes me more productive. Sometimes you even need to go so far as to force yourself to change your attitude, even if it seems superficial at first. If you tell yourself you have lots of energy and are ready to get something done, before you know it, it will be true. On the other hand if you sit around all day dreaming about a nap, you’re just going to make yourself more tired. So take a minute every now and then to check in on your attitude towards work and adjust it as needed.

Technorati Tags: efficiency, email, goals, improvement, managing your time, Planning, Time Management, working smarter

My last blog post was about the importance of follow through in regards to our strategic plans, in this post I want to talk about another area of our business where follow through is incredibly important, or maybe I should say follow up. Follow up is just follow through for marketing. By now everyone has heard that it takes six touches to make and the value of constant contact, but for some of us we still don’t do as much as we could to stay in touch with our clients and potential clients. I am not going to go on and on about the importance of following up, we’ve all heard it before, instead I am going to focus on some tips for making it happen.

1. Make it a priority. This sounds simple enough but can go a long way to actually making us better about following up  with contacts. Too often we forget just how important following up with both clients and potential clients really is, it becomes         one of those things that we do when we have time or can get around to it, but by then it’s usually too late. The truth about        following up, is that timeliness is of the utmost importance, so if you want to be better about following up, you have to make it a priority.
2. Put it on your calendar. This goes hand in hand with making follow up a priority; scheduling time to follow up with specific     contacts on your calendar will make sure you remember to do it. Next time you go to a networking event, before you go add  some time into your calendar for the week after the event to follow up with the people you meet there. If someone tells you to contact them in a month, put that on your calendar, if someone says they will contact you in a month put that on your         calendar too, that way if they forget you can send them a friendly reminder. The more specific you can be in calendaring          your follow up the better it will be, I even go so far as to put individual follow up calls into my calendar.
3. View every follow up as an opportunity. I find myself from time to time dreading following up with someone for one                 reason or another, but the main thing we have to remember is that every follow up is an opportunity to further that person along the road to becoming a client. There are dangers in not having this attitude too. Have you ever just gone through the motions of following up without adding any personal touch to your message? You wind up coming across as a robot. If you view every follow up as an opportunity you will avoid robot syndrome because you will care about every person you are contacting. You will automatically include those personal touches that communicate to your potential clients that you remember them and care about their problems, which will go a long way towards building trust and converting people to clients.

I have found that for me at least adopting these strategies and mindsets, while they may seem simple, can really make a difference in whether or not I follow through on my follow ups. Give them a shot and let me know if they help you, or share the tips you use to make sure you follow up with all your contacts.

Technorati Tags: communication, follow up, managing your time

Today’s post focuses on treats… (see previous blog post for tricks).

Tomorrow is Halloween and I think we’re all ready to receive a few treats! Here are 10 ways managing your time more efficiently will reward (treat) you:

1. Gaining control of your life. You will stop being reactive in life and working proactively towards goals.
2. Ability to Meet Goals. By setting priorities you will achieve your goals sooner and more efficiently, no more cramming at the last minute or giving up without success.
3. Increased Confidence. Improved piece of mind and sense of achievement will boost your self-esteem and encourage you to take on more projects.
4. Feel Healthier. Energy levels will improve due to less mental clutter. You will feel less frustration, anxiety, guilt, and stress because you will not have the extra burden of undone tasks weighing on your mind.
5. Heightened Creativity. With less pressure on you for all the tasks you can’t get done, you’ll find you have time to be creative, even if you don’t think of yourself as a particularly creative person.
6. More Productive. You’ll get more done, which means more profit at work and more quality time at home. You can spend your saved time doing things that are important to you. Maybe you’d like to volunteer, go to more of your kids’ events, family gatherings, take up a new hobby, or even take an occasional weekend getaway – guilt free!
7. Have Fun. Laugh. With better time management you can take time to smell the roses, play a game, or enjoy a nice chat with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. When you are burdened with too many undone tasks fun time gets to be just going through the motions (your hearts not in it) and it loses its therapeutic and restorative effects.
8. Be More Successful. This is in line with #’s 2, 3 and 6, but it should be said controlling your time will make your endeavors more successful. Whether its finishing a project, landing a new client, or planning a vacation, with good time management you are more likely to succeed.
9. Stop Being Labeled a Procrastinator. How good would it feel to say that you don’t procrastinate? Think of the kudos you’ll get on your employee reviews, or the honor of being sought after as a mentor by others who admire your efficiency.
10. Work Seems Less Like Work. Tasks will get done faster. You’ll have more personal time to relax and enjoy life, family, romance, and hobbies. Work may be a means to an end, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. Take satisfaction in your accomplishments.

So, what do you say? Is it worth employing a few tricks to receive the treats? Have a safe and fun Halloween, and don’t forget to make your tricks and treats last throughout the year!

Technorati Tags: efficiency, Halloween, having fun, living your life, managing your time, quality of life

In the United States, October 31st is Halloween - where children dress in costumes and go door-to-door saying, “Trick or Treat!”. In order to prevent pranks (the tricks), adults hand over candy (the treat).

Today’s post focuses on ‘tricks’ that you can use to become more efficient (and stay tuned for our next post to address treats…)

Everyone’s looking for a shortcut to be more efficient. What are some of the industry ‘tricks’ in order to be more efficient?

1) Plan. Taking some time at the end of the weekend (Sunday evening), or at the beginning of the week (Monday morning), will go a long way towards ensuring that the little things aren’t overlooked.

2) Communicate Concisely. Identify the goal of a conversation before you initiate the discussion. Understand the other person’s time situation, if they are in a time crunch wait until a more appropriate time to ensure your issue gets the proper attention. Only discuss one issue at a time, and practice active listening, if you spend your time thinking of what you will say next, you will very likely miss details and forget what was said, at least on their part, later.

3) Manage Interruptions. Identify your typical interruptions and then plan on how to counter-act them. Control your phone use, let voicemail allow you to prioritize your calls and finish your task before returning the call. Respond appropriately to interruptions, don’t let yourself be led into their panic, if it is not an emergency, let them know when you can respond.

4) Organize/File Effectively. Keep your computer files tidy. Don’t save unnecessary docs and emails. Use a consistent naming convention throughout your folders, keep completed work separate from your in-progress work.

5) Stay Positive – If you tell yourself there’s no possible way you can get it all done, then you will undoubtedly find a way to not get to all you tasks, getting mired down with the thoughts of “so much to do” will distract you from actually focusing your time and getting it done.

Later this week we’ll post our efficiency “treats”!  In the meantime, please share the “tricks”  you use to increase your efficiency.

Technorati Tags: efficiency, Halloween, managing your time, organizing, Stop Procrastinating

Here are the remaining 3 tips from Randy Pausch’s time management list from the “I’m on My Honeymoon, But If You Need Me…” chapter:

Rethink the telephone. I live in a culture where I spend a lot of time on hold, listening to “Your call is very important to us.” Yeah, right. That’s like a guy slapping a girl in the face on a first date and saying, “I actually do love you.” Yet that’s how modern customer service works. And I reject that. I make sure I am never on hold with a phone against my ear. I always use a speaker phone, so my hands are free to do something else.

I’ve also collected techniques for keeping unnecessary calls shorter. If I’m sitting while on the phone, I never put my feet up. In fact, it’s better to stand when you’re on the phone. You’re more apt to speed things along. I also like to have something in view on my desk that I want to do, so I have the urge to wrap things up with the caller.

Over the years, I’ve picked up other phone tips. Want to quickly dispatch telemarketers? Hang up while you’re doing the talking and they’re listening. They’ll assume your connection went bad and they’ll move on to their next call. Want to have a short phone call with someone? Call them at 11:55 a.m., right before lunch. They’ll talk fast. You may think you are interesting, but you are not more interesting than lunch.

Delegate. As a professor, I learned early on that I could trust bright, nineteen-year-old students with the keys to my kingdom, and most of the time, they were responsible and impressive. It’s never too early to delegate. My daughter, Chloe, is just eighteen months old, but two of my favorite photos are of her in my arms. In the first, I’ve giving her a bottle. In the second, I’ve delegated the task to her. She looks satisfied. Me, too.

Take a time out. It’s not a real vacation if you’re reading email or calling in for messages. When Jai and I went on our honeymoon, we wanted to be left alone. My boss, however, felt I needed to provide a way for people to contact me. So I came up with the perfect phone message:

“Hi, this is Randy. I waited until I was thirty-nine to get married, so my wife and I are going away for a month. I hope you don’t have a problem with that, but my boss does. Apparently, I have to be reachable.” I then gave the names of Jai’s parents and the city where they live. “If you cal directory assistance, you can get their number. And then, if you can convince my new in-laws that your emergency merits interrupting their only daughter’s honeymoon, they have our number.”

We didn’t get any calls.

Some of my time management tips are dead-on serious and some are a bit tongue-in-cheek. But I believe all of them are worth considering.

Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.

That’s all for time management tips from Randy Pausch. If you enjoyed those, and want to read more of his stories and advice, they can be found in his book called “The Last Lecture.” Again, please feel free to add some of your own time management tips, and any other comments as well!

-Jenny

Technorati Tags: delegate, living your life, managing your time, telephone, Time Management, time out