Do you feel that you waste a lot of time? If yes, you’re not alone. Figuring out what you really should be spending your time on is a lot of work.
There is a number of ways to keep your yourself on-track. To get you started on running great meetings and increase your personal growth, I’ve listed a few of the most-common problems and how to fix them.
1) Avoid unnecessary or unnecessarily long meetings
Attending too many nonproductive meetings can be a major time waster. If you’re in management and you think you’re wasting your time in meetings, maybe you should reevaluate how often you need to meet with your people.
Is a daily or weekly meeting really necessary? Or can more effective communications within the company eliminate the need for such meetings? Don’t hold a $1,000 meeting to solve a $50 problem.
Write down an agenda and make sure that you complete these important tasks first.
Many people have found that holding meetings standing up is highly productive. When people don’t settle into comfortable chairs for the duration, they finish their business much more quickly.
2) Not using driving time wisely
The average person drives 22,000 kms a year. That works out to be about 500 hours a year, or about 1 full semester.
So how can you make the best use of this time? Hundreds of educational programs are available as audio/mp3 recordings. You can get your first audiobook for FREE from www.audible.com
Use this driving time to listen to programs on sales training, motivation, financial planning, small business strategies, foreign languages, history or the latest popular novels.
That way you’re getting where you need to go, both literally and figuratively.
3) Not confirming appointments
Why do people fail to confirm appointments? The old standby: fear. Some people fear that, if they call, the person may say, “Never mind.” Such people would rather drive all the way to a customer’s office and have the receptionist tell them that the buyer got called out of town for the day.
A quick phone call before you leave not only can save you valuable selling time; it also tells the potential client that you’re a professional with something valuable to say. If you handle it properly, your brief call to confirm may keep your appointment from being the one that gets canceled if your customer needs to change his decision-making schedule.
When you call to confirm an appointment, do it this way:
Hi, Jim. I’ve spent a lot of time preparing for our meeting, and I just thought I’d call to let you know that I’ll be there right at 2:00. I think you’ll be excited about what I have to show you.
4) TV and Internet Video
High achievers say that they do not waste time watching video unless it’s an educational or newsworthy program that will help them get more out of life or their business. TV watching is probably the single least-productive activity in anyone’s lifestyle.
5) Saying “yes” too often
Many of us just can’t say NO when people want a chunk of our time. But it’s better that you say NO to someone, than it is to say yes and NOT get the job done.
Professionals recognize their limitations. If you explain, with warmth and care, the fact that others are better suited to getting the job done properly, the people who ask you for favours will appreciate your honesty and your ability to refer them to someone trustworthy to do the job.
As you become more successful, your time becomes more valuable, making it all the more important for you to learn when (and how) to say NO.” Think about your day today and how you might make it more effective by using your time more wisely.
Question: What’s your favourite productivity tip? Share your experience in the comments box below.
P.S. Do you know of other people that will find this article useful? Awesome, please share it on social media. Thank you