5 Sure-Fire Strategies to Getting More Done in Less Time (Part 1)

In our fast-paced society there is a constant feeling of “how can I get more done.” There is a study that revealed the average human being is bombarded with over 1,000,000 bytes of information in a minute. And that was before Twitter and Facebook existed! No wonder it’s so challenging to get things done. Think about how many times you ended your day wondering how your to-do list didn’t even have a dent made in it.
Most of us suffer with terminal “over-commit and under-perform” habits, especially when it comes to our own businesses. Some of it has to do with the habits we have cultivated for years. Some of it is due to the nature of how our businesses are set up. But a good portion of why we don’t get more done is because of the conditions we live in.

The conditions we set up in our life either pull us forward or block our progress. Most of us have unconsciously set up conditions that sabotage our growth and make getting things done ten times harder. The conditions we create for ourselves can be compared to cooking a frog. If you drop a frog into boiling water it will jump right back out because it’s just too darn hot! But if you slowly turn up the heat the frog doesn’t realize what’s happening and it…well…you get the idea.

If we jumped into a really frustrating situation that we weren’t used to it would not feel good and we would get out quickly. But most of us have been living with our way of thinking and doing things for so long that we have adapted to them. Thus, these sabotaging conditions become second nature and we don’t even realize there is a more effective approach to getting things done.

Here are some of the ineffective conditions people set up:
• Choosing to be in reactive mode because of a lack of discipline or habit of planning ahead.

• Working from home with inadequate work space or with family that constantly interrupts.

• Setting up client billing or work relationships that require constant attention or micro- management to accomplish the goal.

• Waiting until a resource (such as printer paper, computers memory, financial reserves, etc) is depleted to replace. This causes major disruptions and energy drains.

• Surrounding ourselves with negative forces, toxic people or non-supportive friends who pull you away from progress.

• Overly complicated programs or systems that have multiple steps, which provides way too much opportunity for breakdown and it sucks up your time.

I’ve been working with entrepreneurs for almost ten years to help them get the “edge” in their game so they can easily surpass their own goals and expectations. The ability to get more done can easily occur when we sharpen our “saw” (as Stephen Covey would say.)

Here are a few ways you can uplevel your game up a few notches to get more done.

1. Get Organized
After looking for an hour for that email on how to log into your membership site you now have no time left to download the library of audios. Feeling behind, you jump to the next task only to realize you don’t have all the information to complete your project. Deflated, you move on to the next project which requires a phone call with a client. You can’t get a hold of them. Frustrated with your lack of progress you shut down the computer and head to the T.V. for a Law and Order re-run.

Not being organized is a huge waste of time. With our rushed pace to fit everything in many entrepreneurs have horrible time management, let alone a process to manage the flow of data.

Here are a few tips to get organized to be more productive:

• When you join a new program, take five minutes to create an email folder and automatic rule for all information to go directly into that folder. Or, create a binder, print your important materials out, and put them directly in the binder. That way you can easily find what you need.

• Immediately schedule important phone calls, coaching calls, client meetings into your calendar with: Name, phone #, details of call, links to any important data. This will save you tons of time for the actual call (even better…have your assistant do this for you.)

• Take a few minutes to handle paperwork coming in so it doesn’t stack up and get lost. By using folders, binders or some type of paper management system, you can easily find any paper or note necessary. Use a system like Paper Tiger if you really want to get organized.

2. Batch Similar Tasks
For most entrepreneurs, the way we approach getting things done is like a ping-pong match. We jump on the computer to check Facebook, then we are writing an email campaign, then spend 20 minutes talking with a client, then off to seven other tasks. It s a lot of activity with very little traction.
Along time ago I read a magazine article about running errands. The article talked about “batching” errands and handling them in order, from the farthest away to the closest. It eliminates back and forth driving and saves a lot of time. Well you can do the same thing with tasks. By doing similar types of tasks at once you can create momentum and accomplish a lot more in less time.

For instance, what if you schedule a block of time to do all your financial activities, then a block of time for returning phone calls, then a block of time to complete email follow up, etc. What you are doing is giving yourself focused blocks of time to accomplish like tasks – allowing yourself to create momentum and traction.

Try batching your tasks by scheduling blocks of time (or even whole days) for activities like:
• Client and Prospect Meetings

• Self Care or Exercise

• Writing or Product Creation

• Administration, Planning and Team Meetings

• Phone Calls and Email Follow Up

Catch Part 2 of this article coming in 2 days.