It’s all about the Clock
One of the topics most common in our IWON (Illuminate Women Owners Network) Group is Time Management. Time moves on with or without us, so how best to tackle it?
Time looms over all of us. But there are ways to capture it, harness it, even embrace it. Here are some tips from my years of experience:
1.) Prioritize your tasks. Those that are either time sensitive and/or will bring your organization the most reward.
2.) Delegate to your staff, if you have one. Delegate to your consultants, if at all possible. Do not, I repeat, Do not try to do everything yourself if there are others around you to assist. The best leaders surround themselves with more capable people, smarter, wiser, and more efficient. This is likely one of the more important approaches to time management. Delegate, become very familiar with this word, its meaning, and embrace it in real life management of your firm. To be a great leader, it truly needs to be your friend.
3.) Use lists. Even if you are not a list making person, like myself, make a list. I have found them to be very useful and they assist me in not forgetting any of the items/tasks on the list. Even if you consider yourself a great multitasker, use a list when it comes to important activities in your business. There really is NO better feeling as a leader, than checking off items on a list. It is a visual reminder that you are making progress, moving forward, and hopefully, completing tasks that allow you to bill and send that invoice for payment.
4.) Allocate specific time slots for email responses. I happen to be someone who is always checking email. In fact, it was always cited on my client satisfaction surveys at my past position. I would respond within seconds. The response may have just been, received, working on it, and will advise as we make progress. Clients love that. They do not expect an immediate response with an instant resolution but they just like to know you have received the email and it is in your queue. Try allocating 11am - 12pm or 12pm -1pm to full email responses. It is a way to reward yourself with lunch at Noon or a way to keep yourself awake after Noon and that large lunch. Even better, IF you can, delegate the email, I was also well known for that at the Bank.
5.) Structure your days, if you can. Adding structure such as email management at the same time each day, unless it is an emergency, or making your prospect calls later in the day when most potential clients are in the office and winding down, can reap benefits. We had a colleague who called prospects between 5pm and 6 pm on Thursdays. He had the highest rate of reaching the owners than anyone else on the team. Any of the “Gatekeepers” are usually long gone by then. And, rarely, is a business owner gone at that time.
6.) Technology. If you find yourself on the road for work more than you would prefer, make sure you have Bluetooth set up in your car. Calling back on messages can be a good way, handsfree, of course, to check off that activity. This is often when many Managers can touch base with their employees who have left messages for discussion. Stay alert, be handsfree, and, if safe and appropriate, make those call backs as you drive from place to place. Most newer cars have access to Apple Play whereby Siri can do everything for you, via voice command. This has been very instrumental in my own approach. Seek out the technology that can best assist you manage your time.
7.) Have a clock always in your sight. Whether it is a computer watch, a large old fashioned wall clock, a standard watch brand name that says “I have arrived and can spend money on a great watch”, or a simple Timex or sports watch, have it within sight. Stick to your schedule. Politely apologize if you need to end a session or meeting that has gone over. Literally, watch your time. You can always schedule additional time in the future to continue or revisit the conversation.
8.) Practice Time Management at home if you are not currently good at it with work. Take the dog out at the same time, make dinner at the same time, bring your garbage totes out at the same time weekly. Make a schedule and stick to it. Then, once it is a success at home, bring it over to work. Practice makes perfect as they say.
9.) Set expectations with your clients, employees, colleagues, and family about your time responsiveness. If you are out in a field one day, make sure you have your email and phone out of office messages on. Those messages should be detailed with when you can return a call and, ideally, provide them with a colleague and their contact information who can assist more readily than you. It is not often that a call can only be answered by just one person. Unless it is of a sensitive and confidential matter, most other teammates can and will provide good resolution in your office absence. Be sure to use the Out of Office often and detail it with who to contact. I personally found that was one of the most effective approaches for me to manage my time wisely.
10.) Explore the use of Interns in your business. I know that some professionally licensed industries must pay an Intern, but for those not in that line of work, seek out a college that allows students to earn credits, like a class, for interning at a relevant business. We used these most effectively when I owned the dog pool business. We then had most of the Interns become independent contractors once they achieved a Dog Training Certification and carried their own insurance. General business majors are a great source of interns. In fact, Illuminate will be researching local colleges for an Intern to assist in our Women’s Idea Network. This is a great way to help a student further their knowledge of your organization and allow you to provide them with knowledge they otherwise would not have received. It may not work for everyone, but it surely works for many.
In summary, do not let time loom over you like Trévi in our dog photo of the week. Take control, structure your time, and you will hopefully create a much more efficient business day and take away some of that stress associated with not being able to get everything done you wanted to in a day.
Be well.
