The #1 mistake entrepreneurs make when it comes to time management is NOT a lack of planning…
It’s simply not knowing what to focus on and when.
Identifying your priorities and properly organizing your days, weeks, and months around them is how you get maximum results in minimum time…
…And with the LEAST possible amount of stress on you.
This includes making changes in your current schedule wherever necessary.
Common sense? Sure…
But the problem is… that’s all easier said than done.
As you probably already know, this is a favorite subject of mine—and it’s always a hot topic for our private coaching clients.
So to help YOU leverage your time for better results…
Today I’m sharing some of the most useful questions and answers I’ve recently provided clients on that very subject.
Q: “Craig, I’m stressed out with work and I don’t have enough personal time. Help!”
Answer:
Let’s rebuild your Perfect Week:
First, identify what your partner and kids want from you in terms of time. That goes first.
Second, what is your minimum effective dose of exercise... that goes next. (We can add more later if you want to).
Third, learning time.
Fourth, recovery time.
Fifth, evening routine.
Sixth, deep work morning routine.
Seventh, cut off time and planning time.
Eight, now it’s time to add sales calls & team meetings.
That’s it!
The problem is most people do this backwards (or skip half of the steps).
When you understand this simple concept…
You’ll recognize how unnecessary work… calls that run too long… and meetings that could have been emails—ALL bleed over and steal precious time from everything else.
Work will always expand to fill the time available for it. That’s Parkinson’s Law.
But when you have your priorities in order you can make time for what matters most…
And you’ll be amazed by how your work fits into what’s left.
Q: “Craig, I am resisting your advice to get up 15 minutes earlier... self-care is super important to me... but somehow I’m still a stressed mess and business isn’t growing.”
Answer:
Here’s the truth about self-care…
The best thing you can do is get up 15 minutes earlier and spend that time moving your life ahead.
Work on the #1 thing that can create the biggest impact in whatever your current focus is (health, family, business, skill development, personal finances, etc.)
Now you’ve guaranteed a victory in your day...
So you are less stressed...
And sleep better at night!
You can continue to ignore me and pay the price...
Or you can challenge your beliefs and try it for 21 days and judge for yourself.
Q: “Craig, now that you’ve helped me delegate so much ‘busy work’, I’m not exactly sure what I should be doing every day. Help?”
Answer:
Great question. Your role in the business, as the leader and visionary, is:
1. Strategic Thinking to Grow the Business
2. Internal Promotion of the Business (Create Your Vision, Sell the Vision to Your Team, and Repeat the Vision to Your Team)
3. External Promotion of the Business (Grow your reputation in the community, build your brand through social media, etc. – see John Legere from TMobile as example)
4. Lead Generation Activities to Fill the Pipeline
5. Supporting System Creation to Make Everyone More Effective
6. Inspiring the Team
7. Providing an Environment / Coaching for Your Team Members to Flourish
Or in fewer words as Bedros might say, “Delegate, Motivate, and Sell.”
You get to this point by always asking:
You cannot give up all the sales and marketing, nor can you abdicate management of your key team members.
You will need to be in sales, marketing, some aspects of content creation, and then heading up some team meetings and 1-on-1 coaching meetings with top team members.
Bezos, Musk, Bedros, Blakely, Cardone, and even Buffett are still heavily involved in the sales and marketing of their businesses and brands.
You can’t expect “the man – or woman – on the white horse” to ride in and save you from the tough task of growing the business.
You don’t have to do the “dirty work” of sales calls or running FB ads, but you need to be directly involved in the strategy and monitoring performance.
You’ll also need to develop KPI’s (key performance indicators) for your team members, because you can’t quantify how well they are doing if there are number to review.
A personal trainer might be measured on class sessions delivered, client class ratings (if you do that), number of people they talked to one-on-one after the session, number of referral asks made, number of referrals generated, amount of revenue produced, etc.
I highly recommend sitting down with your team members in a weekly 1-on-1 “Goal Set & Review” (GS&R) meeting to establish the KPI’s.
Another great resource on meetings is a book from my friend Cameron Herold called, Meetings Suck. It’ll help you have great meetings each time... and fewer of them.
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I hope this gives you a better perspective on how to plan and prioritize your time.
When you implement these strategies…
You’re practically guaranteed to have better results, less stress, and a better quality of life doing the things that matter most.
Get started today and you’ll see exactly what I mean!
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
