Tip For The Time Challenged (More)
If you read my other time management tip here, don’t feel like you’ve been tricked.
This is NOT Tip 2.
I really think Tip 1 is important enough to warrant some expounding.
Basically - admit you are powerless over time.
What I mean by this is that no matter what you do, there is still only going to be 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 52 weeks in a year - deal with it.
I think the phrase “I didn’t have time” is a copout and not really owning our feeling and actions.
We DO have time - just not enough to do everything we’d like.
So - admit it and move on.
When it comes to our business - time is money. You should be able to easily put a price tag on every minute of your time. Some of that time is actually providing whatever service it is for your clients. For me in my Virtual Assistant practice (and hopefully for you too), that’s the easy one. That’s the priority, that’s what I will ALWAYS have time for. It’s a promise that I made firstly to myself and secondly to my clients.
It’s the other areas that blur. Marketing, research, continued education, keeping up with new technology, writing, networking, contact management, article submission, blogging, etc. All of these things fall into one of 4 categories:
1. I enjoy it and always make time for it.
2. I enjoy it but don’t always make time for it.
3. I don’t enjoy it and begrudgingly make time for it.
4. I don’t enjoy it and usually never get to it.
The first one is a keeper. These are the things you should not outsource to an Administrative Support Professional or give up because if you enjoy it and make the time, chances are good that you excel at it. Don’t mess with something that is not broken.
The next 3 - these are the ones that scream for attention.
Tip 2 will deal with how to better manage these 3 categories. (Hint: by finding ways to deal with 3 and 4, you’ll be able to move tasks in category 2 up a notch!)
Stay tuned, and in the meantime, keep note of what category your tasks fall into for you.
That’s the first step!
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