A few minutes a day is all it will take. Yet most of us will use the excuse that we just don’t have any more time to cram into our daily schedules or we have other pressing issues that need our “immediate” attention. The problem is that we have made every issue a pressing issue and of the utmost important that as a result, we spend too much time working in our business instead of on our business. The downside to the instant flow of information in the business world we now live and work in have giving us the perception that the busier we are the more effective and successful our business will become.
When is the last time you silenced your phone, closed your email, sat with a pen and paper (or Word doc if you so choose) and really thought about your business. What is going well and what needs improvement? Where do you want your business to be in the next 3-5 years? It can be a daunting task to say the least if you are trying to cram all of your thinking and planning into one brainstorming session. Instead, why not try the following exercise: Take 10 uninterrupted minutes (no email, phone) every day to focus on your present and future business by doing one or more of the following exercises:
1. Analyze your web site to see if there are any areas that can be altered to be more attractive to both your potential customers and search engines.
2. Focus on your social media presence by sending out one quality Tweet, Facebook post or YouTube video each and every day. The goal is to use the social media platform to expand your brand.
3. Research your competitors to find out how they are attracting and keeping their customers. What is their go to market strategy?
4. Spend the time reading an industry specific article or book to gain further insight on your industry. Even if you are not the industry leader, the goal is to be a resource for your customers to turn to.
5. Focus on personal development by reading an article or book on leadership, sales or marketing.
The reality is there will always be more work that needs to be done, issues that come up and the pressure to squeeze more activities into the work day. We often fool ourselves by letting every issue, task, and deadline blow up and become a “hair on fire” crisis. We need to always remember, our goal each and every day is to work on our business and not just in our business.
We’re all looking for the competitive edge. That little nugget of information that could help you secure an appointment with the decision maker or possibly even win the prospects trust, and then their business. The issue is not the lack of information available today; in fact the opposite is true. There is so much available at our fingertips at an instant that it can sometimes be overwhelming and can make it difficult to swim through the sea of web sites, newsletters, books and magazines. At the same time our daily to-do lists and schedules have only increased which makes it difficult to squeeze in this additional task which we know is vitally important to our success, but often gets placed on the back burner due to other pressing needs. Here are some web sites I have found to be very valuable in gaining the business intelligence or competitive edge that we are all looking for: http://www.zibb.com/ The Global business search engine- you can search by industry or specific company and includes the latest business to business news. http://seekingalpha.com/ Although this is an investor site, it allows you to read companies earnings transcripts which often contain very valuable information as to their corporate objectives and new initiatives. http://multichannelmerchant.com/ Provides targeted compelling content for multichannel merchants. Provides valuable information on latest happening is the catalog, ecommerce, BTB, Retail and Social Media channels. http://socialmention.com/ A great search engine for social media content. Give you the ability to find out if the person or company you are interested in is active in the social media environment. http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en You can set up emails alerts where you will receive emails anytime the company or person you are following is mentioned in the media or has a press release. http://www.linkedin.com This is much more than just a business connecting site. This site gives you the ability to follow a company which will give you company updates as well as tell you when there are changes with personnel. Linkedin is also a very valuable tool in obtaining information about the person you are trying to get a meeting with. It will not only tell who they are connected to but where they use to work which can be just the edge you are looking for. Obviously this is not an exhaustive list but hopefully you will find one or more of these useful in gaining the competitive edge you are looking for.
In today’s business environment it is now commonplace for companies to run very lean. This often results in employees having additional daily tasks and activities on top of their normal scope of work. Some of these tasks often present themselves as “fires” that “have to be done right now.” This leads to employees becoming fire fighters and instead of focusing on the most important task, they have to focus on whatever is on fire, at that moment. As a result, when an employee is approached with a meeting request or to help out on a certain project, they often respond with “I am just too busy to help.” Has this become our standard response now when we are asked to do something? Are we truly too busy or maybe do we just need a little help in prioritizing our daily tasks? Is there anything that can be done to break this repetitive cycle?
Productivity expert David Allen describes the above dilemma as "the busy trap". This is simply “the pattern of reactively handling the latest and loudest issues, instead of proactively deciding what's the most important thing to work on, at the moment.” He describes all work into two modes: doing stuff and deciding what stuff you have to do. To work smart, one must be able to balance these two modes. If you react before you decide, you will in evidently be stuck in “the busy trap.” Take a few minutes to watch this short video created by Gina Trapani from Fast Company, who details how to avoid falling into “the busy trap.”
There will always be interruptions thrown at you in the form of emergencies or requests, that won’t change. What you can change though is how you respond to them. As this short video highlighted, the key to avoiding the busy trap is to make decisions, early and often, about what your priorities are today.
Lack of organization can be one of the major time stealers in our workday. How many times have you uttered the phrase “I know I wrote it down or put it somewhere but I can’t remember where”? Or in my case, I often go back to my notes and realize I can’t read what it was I originally wrote down! Time is a very valuable commodity and one that most of us wish we had more of. The truth is if you calculated the amount of time in your daily activities that you spend searching the internet, emails or notes for information, you might find the extra time you so desperately need. In this digital age where we are constantly barraged with new information, one can quickly become distracted and this can become yet another time stealer. In addition, studies have been down to show that every time you have to stop and change direction, it takes additional time for your brain to get back on track. You see the taking of notes or gathering of information is not usually the problem. Most of us would probably admit we are at least fairly adequate in this area. The problem is what you do with the information you have collected and how you store it. Ironically, you might already have the solution to this problem already loaded on your computer and you may not even be aware of it! The solution is a software program entitled Microsoft OneNote and is included in the Microsoft Office Suite. It comes in both PC and Mac formats and there is even a One Note iPhone App. available. Think of it as a virtual but much more useful Post-It Note. However, here is the official Microsoft definition: OneNote is an electronic version of a paper notebook where you can write down notes, thoughts, ideas, scribbles, reminders, and all kinds of other information. Unlike the traditional document formats used by other programs such as word-processing or spreadsheet programs, OneNote offers a free-form canvas where you can type, write, or draw notes in the form of text, graphics, and images wherever and however you want them. Here are some of the great features and benefits:· Allows you to store text, pictures, video and audio all in one easy-to-access and easy-to-use application.· Allows you to separate or organize information by subjects or keep separate notebooks · An easy “Send to OneNote” button in Internet Explorer that allows you to send a web page directly to OneNote. Eliminating the need to try to search for the web site at a later date.· You can add, move or delete anything on the pages and each section.· You can add more space when and where you need it.Take the following demo for a spin to find out if this just might be a solution to help you find a little more time in your day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5bHf_pV-ZM
The one commodity always in demand is time. We are always searching for more time and ways we can use our existing time, more wisely. In the workplace, the one question you always seem to hear is, “I know what I should be focusing on, but I just don’t have the time.” Questions like these are often raised but never seem to get answered. While we can’t wave a magic wand to produce more time, there are things we can adjust and remove from our daily schedules that will produce a similar result. In my profession, I work with a number of different companies and interact with various departments within these organizations. I can tell you no company from what I have experienced is immune from this struggle for more time. As companies continue to run lean, employees today more than ever are struggling to keep up with their daily workload. Here are some ways that you can add more valuable minutes to your work day:
o Establish a no interruption time (no answering phone or emails) at the beginning of your workday, for at least 30-60 minutes. Try to work on things that require your focus or undivided attention.
o Relegate lower-end tasks when you only have a few moments so that you can use your quality time when you can find it.
o Avoid multitasking-Contrary to popular opinion it actually kills time. Every time you switch your attention to something else it takes more cognitive time to re-focus.
o Look for and utilize programs such as Google Alerts which can push information to you instead of spending time searching for it.
o Sounds crazy but exercise actually gives you time! NASA did a study that shows that people who exercised daily worked at 100% efficiency after 7 hours, while those who didn't exercise saw a 50% drop, meaning it took them twice as long to accomplish the same thing.
o Pick up the phone- We sometimes forget that instead of taking time to type out emails, texts, etc it would actually save time to pick up the phone and talk.
o Clear your desk at the end of the day. This will save you time by not having to get organized the next day.
o Take 15 minutes or so at a specific point in the day to work on something that you are passionate about. At the end of the week you will have spent one hour on something that gives you passion.
o Be productive when you are commuting- Listen to audio books, make phone calls or utilize a dictation device to jot done ideas, notes or solutions.
o Utilize online tools such as Rescue Time can show where you are spending time or wasting time
o Only touch things once. Don't put things down and then have to pick them up and put them away later.
o Scheduling- Pick certain days to do certain tasks. This can create further structure and make you more efficient.
o Try to slim down your email inbox- If you have multiple newsletters from the same industry, keep the most valuable ones and cancel the rest.
o Before you take a break, get your desk or workplace ready for your next project so that when you come back, you won't be off to a slow start
o Avoid Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter for large periods of your day.
o Try to get a few extra things done at the end of the day- it will give you a jumpstart on tomorrow's work
o Make your to-do list before you leave the office at the end of the day.
o Try to automate your processes such as emails by using email filters.
o If you are having a hard time focusing, try taking a few smaller breaks throughout the day, if you can.
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