Would you like to be more in control of your time and your diary?
Too often as a small business owner we face lots of different pressures on our time. Pressure from customers… Pressure from our staff… and so on.
What ends up happening is you end up running around doing things for everyone else and there is no time to do the important things you want to do.
Things like setting time aside to work on your business. This is one of the first things we get each of our customers to do. That way they’ve got time to plan their business. They have time set aside to review their results and time to work on things that will make their business better.
So how do you take control of your time and your diary? It starts with these three things:
1) Block out not negotiable time
When you really need to get something done block out the time in your diary. Once you have done this view your time as not negotiable. Really consider that time precious. That it is your time, it is not negotiable. After all, if you don’t who will? Start treating your time as being ‘not available’ when it comes to others. It is a bit like when you are at a funeral, or if you were travelling on a plane. People would not be able to book that time because you physically are not available. Always have some blocked out time that no one can take from you. Treat that time as not negotiable.
2) Take control of your time by directing the play
Next is all about how you react when someone tries to book your time. This is where you need to take control and direct the play. When someone says, “Can I book some time? ” at the time that’s already blocked out, you need to actually say, “No,” and be in charge.
Don’t just say yes to every appointment or “Yes, I’ll drop everything and come in see you,” or, “Yes, you I can see you at that time.” Start to direct the play, by realising that you are in control and whether you say yes or whether you say no in that moment is shaping what happens with your time. It is shaping your business future. Remember you are the one in control. Direct the play and be in charge of what happens with your time.
3) Offer choices
To make this easy, offer the person requesting your time options to choose from. Offer choices. Most people just want a firm time, not necessarily the time that they requested. Here is a simple way to do this…
Let’s just say you set aside some tome to work on your business on a Tuesday afternoon and someone wants to book a meeting at that time.
Respond by…
“I’ll just check my diary. Sorry, I’ve got something on at that time. How about we catch up on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning?” Give them a choice of two options that will work for you. By giving them the choice they feel like they are in charge when really you are. Direct the play to what works for you. Direct the appointment so you are always in charge of your diary.
So to be in control of your time and diary:
- Block out time and make sure you view that time as not negotiable.
- Take charge in the moment and direct the play when people request times with you.
- Give people options.
By doing this, you are going to be in control of your time, you are going to get more done and you will be more productive and effective in what you do.
