Management

Make Appointments with Yourself

Aug. 13, 2021
3 min read

Remodeling leaders are busier than ever and many are now time starved. While there are a number of reasons to feel good you may not be feeling that way. In light of that, I encourage you to look at how you are spending your time.

The following are a few insights and tips that might help you create a little more balance and feel greater fulfillment.

What is your vision for the business (and for you)? If you cannot articulate it then at least try to know how you would like to “feel” in three to five years. It is exceedingly difficult to have the clarity on how you are spending your time without this. Are you interesting in growing the business or not? What do you love doing the most and the least? These are all important conversations you need to have with yourself.

What are your top goals and priorities? If you can highlight the top three goals for the quarter (in sync with your vision) you can make sure you are putting the right amount of time into supporting these. This allows you to think more clearly and hold yourself accountable.

Take inventory of how you are spending your time. Segment your work into five to seven categories (sales, admin, marketing etc.) and look at the last two to three weeks. How many hours are you spending on each? What percentage of your total time is that? Next, reflect on what percent would be ideal based on your vision and your goals. How do they sync up? These numbers can begin to give you critical insights.

Change your habits. After you better understand how you spend your time, you can begin to adjust the blend. Change can be scary, so I encourage you start slow. Deselecting an hour or two a week from one activity and moving that time to anther is most effective.

Make appointments with yourself. All the above only happens if you make appoints with yourself to do this action. This needs to be a priority. Treat yourself with the same reverence as you do a family member, client, or key team member. I generally encourage beginning with two or three 30-minute appointments (on your calendar) with yourself each week. Use the time for working on a specific agenda. Close your appointment with an action item or two- and a-time frame to execute.

In life and business our environment can create added stress, but I have found more times that the problem is within us. If you can have a little more discipline and make time to work on you, more success will follow.

 

About the Author

Mark Richardson

Mark Richardson, CR, is a speaker and business growth strategist. He authored the best-selling books How Fit Is Your Business?, Fit to Grow, and The Art of Time Mastery. He also hosts the podcast Remodeling Mastery. He can be reached at mrichardson@mgrichardson.com or 301.275.0208.

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