MOST PEOPLE FAIL TO GET TASKS COMPLETED ON TIME
August 3, 2010 | 
Author …BECAUSE THEY EQUATE ‘BUSY’ WITH ‘WORKING’!!!
How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m just so busy I hardly ever get things done at all, much less on time”?
Most people think being busy is the same as working and it’s NOT. It’s not even close! Studies show that we spend only 20% of our time on things that produce results (i.e. working), while 80% of our time is spent on things that produce little or no results.
Other studies show every time you get dragged into “Got-A-Minute Meetings” it takes between 15 to 30 minutes to get back to what you were working on. If this happens 6 times a day to you that’s 3 hours a day wasted. You’ve got to find ways to get that time back, and make it productive.
If this is your goal, I highly recommend you read the following books first as they will give you a good foundation.
1) Dan Kennedy NO BS Time Management For Entrepreneurs
2) Dan Kennedy NO BS Ruthless Management of People & Profits
I have to warn you though; these books get to the bottom line, and are definitely not warm and fuzzy.
I got these books because I realized I was spending more and more time on emails, phone calls and other people than I was on things important to me. I was getting over 175 calls per day and 600 or more E-Mails and I was quickly losing sight of the significant things like my family and business.
After reading these two books I worked out a series of steps to fix the situation.
First I kept track of every call that came in. I wrote the name, call time and I set up system to measure the call: 1- Business; 2- Personal; 3- BS. (If you have a person who takes forever to explain something, even if it’s a business call, you must place it in the BS category).
I figured out how much time of the call was spent in each area. If you do this for three months you will be amazed how much of your time gets wasted.
Here are my findings on my TOP FIVE offenders. ( I won’t use their names; I want to protect the guilty). Remember, you must be ruthless. It’s your time, your money and your life.
Time Bandits sorted by offence, May 2010
Subject #1: 62 calls average call 28 minutes. (1) 4 minutes (2) 2 minutes (3) 22 Minutes
Subject #2: 48 calls average call 31 minutes. (1) 1 minute (3) 30 minute
Subject #3: 38 calls average call 25 minutes. (2) 25 minutes
Subject #4: 20 Calls average call 21 minutes (1) 8 minutes (2) 8 minutes (3) 5 minutes
Subject#5: 17 Calls average call 16 minutes (1) 1 minute (3) 15 minutes
I found the best people on the phone are the people that charge you for their time (Attorneys, CPA’s etc). Hard to admit this but the lawyers were the best at it. They got to the point fast and were off the phone. So big kudos for the lawyers.
My family times were not counted and never will be. My babies know they can call and talk any time and for as long as they want. All others, forget it.
You now get the idea of how much of your time people waste. And how much of it is costing you money and lost productivity
.
Next I started to make changes. It took some people time to get on board but they are now following the ‘Da Costa time management program’.
First I changed my voice mail message asking them to leave their question and reason for the call so I can have an answer when I call them back. If they only leave a “call when you can” message I DO NOT RETURN THE CALL. Do this a few times and they get the hint. Also if they are in the top 15 time bandits I usually let the call go to voice mail first and I deal with it on my time.
When I do answer or return a call, I make it a point to say how much time I can take. Once I hit that time limit I end the call politely and go on to the next call or back to work on the next project.
I also set up certain times throughout the day to return calls. First I had 4 times at 30 minutes each, now I am down to 2 call times at 20 minutes each.
With E-Mail I’ve stopped filling out forms for free stuff, or forms that someone sends me, if I haven’t asked for them. If someone sends me an E-Mail that has something to do with my business or my personal life I always thank them but I make it quick. I also only answer e-mails that truly need to be answered. You can see
this will take courage on your part to be ruthless with your time but the payoffs are well worth it.
Here are my results: Since I have controlled my calls (both dialed and received) I have been able to reduce my cell minutes from 5000 per month to 2500 saving $175.00 per month or $ 2100.00 a year. That alone has been worth the effort.
My productivity has doubled. I am getting more done in half the time. I also find time for myself now and time for the family. I love to read, and am now getting to read a book a week. If you’re having a hard time getting things done you need to read both the books I suggested and follow the plan. You will see the rewards quickly.
Final thought on this subject: I was in Ohio for the Dan Kennedy Wealth Days. He focused a lot on time and people management, and the bottom line is this: You have to work with difficult people some of the time. But you can limit your exposure to them since they are a drag on your business and your time. And if you have toxic people in your business and personal life you MUST AT ALL COSTS GET RID OF THEM. These people will ruin your business and suck the energy right out of you. And they will think they are doing you a favor spreading their negativity to you.
One of the members of my Real Estate group started keeping track of her time and how she was using it. She was shocked to find she was spending 2 hours a day just on Face Book and Twitter. (How much time do you spend on just these two time bandits?) She also found she was spending more than 3 hours answering E-Mails and voice mails throughout the day. So between the Face Book and other time bandits she wastes 5 hours of the work day on low productivity activities. You can bet she’ll be making some changes! How about you?
Posted in Business | 
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I won’t use their names; I want to protect the guilty). Remember, you must be ruthless. It’s your time, your money and your life.
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