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Carver Communications - Index

Carver Communications - 3.1.08 - Index

By Rick Barnes
How To Guarantee You Can Manage Time Effectively
Do you always feel stressed and exhausted?
Do you always feel pulled, tugged or behind
all day long?
Do you never have enough time in your day
to complete your to-do list?
If you answered yes to the following
questions, it is probably because you are
having difficulty managing your time. Part of
the problem, however, is not your fault.
We were raised a society that did not
have the interruptions we contend with
today. We had one telephone at home and
one at work. We did not have computers, cell
phones, fax machines, internet, and emails,
which also meant we did not have as many
interruptions.
However in today’s society, unless
you have been trained to deal with this new
fast paced lifestyle, you’re probably trying to
manage time the way you have always done.
But that doesn’t work anymore. Times have
changed, and so has the way you should
manage time.
Time management is almost not possible
to accomplish by itself anymore. It now
requires one very simple added step—Time
Blocking.
Using the following example: Let’s
assume you are going to work on an exercise
program. It is great intentions at first, however,
by the end of the day you often look up
and there is no time left to get it done. So it
becomes another thing you did not do.
By blocking your time you can ensure
it will always get done. Using the previous
example, if you were to block from 1PM-
3PM today to exercise, you at least know that
1PM-3PM will happen. When 1PM arrives
all you have to do is manage the block. What
type of exercise you will do today is managing
the exercise block. It is that simple!
Manage the block
There are two key factors that will
determine how successful you are at blocking
and managing time: Your personality
style and your preferred environments.
Consider your personality style. Are
you very analytical and great at thinking out
details of your day? Do you write everything
down and track your results? If so, you are
probably more organized with your environments
and what I consider a thinker person-
March 1. 2008 REAL ESTATE NEWSLINE 25
ality.
If you are the spur of the moment,
inspirational and less detailed person that
takes life as it comes, you are probably more
disorganized in your environments and what
I consider a feeler personality.
Five Time Blocking categories
These are the five time blocking areas
every business owner should block on a daily
basis to maintain and manage your time.
Personal Time is where you block
time during the day to take care of you; to
make sure that you have the balance in your
life necessary to achieve greatness. For
example, taking time to exercise, rejuvenate,
relax, and tend to your own personal matters.
Training Time is learning time! I
suggest blocking at least 8 hours of training
time per week divided between reading,
seminars, course training, journaling, etc.
Lead Generation Time is focusing
on keeping your pipeline full of opportunity.
It is one of the most important actions that
you will take on a daily basis. Implement at
least 8 hours of Lead Generation into your
schedule every week!
Client Time is easy to block but difficult
to keep in perspective. Block Client
Time according to your current client’s availability.
Business Management Time is crucial
to success. Knowing and addressing
your incoming and outgoing dollars each
week will keep you systematically ahead of
your budget. Include at least 3 hours of
Business Management Time on your sched-
ule each week.
The Value of Time
When you replace a scheduled task
with something else, you would assume the
task that is being replaced is of less value or
urgency. For example, if you chose to help a
last minute out-of-town client instead of
attend a scheduled networking luncheon.
Obviously, there is a high time value with the
networking luncheon, but the out-of-towners
have a higher, more urgent value towards an
end result for the business.
The real question to ask is not what is
value? The real question to ask yourself
would be:
When “Item A” is replacing “Item B”,
does item A have more urgency and value
than item B? If not, do not replace it.
If you look back over your last six
months of business, you will find there were
probably some times this was not the case. It
is common that items used to replace
blocked “training times” or blocked “lead
generation times” are not of higher value or
urgency. This can be dangerous to the future
growth and development of the entire company.
This is a habit that must be focused on
immediately!
By following these time blocking
guidelines you will become great in 2008!
Rick Barnes is a fifth generation independent
business owner, and the founder of
Rick Barnes Coaching. Rick is a master of
independence & motivation who has helped
thousands of independent contractors to
build and better their businesses. For more
information, go to rickbarnescoaching.com
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