Productive Monday's

I remember being in 6th grade French class learning a quote that translated to something like, "I'm in a hurry so I have to go slow." Being that 6th grade was quite a while ago, I cannot remember the quote. But, it came to mind today as I frantically started my seemingly never ending to do's.

As a professional consultant, I reflected on time management advice shared with clients. As small business resources are limited, we receive many requests from executives and small business owners on how to optimize their time.

Taking my own professional consulting advice, I started by prioritizing my to do list by segmenting them by deadline requirements (must be done by 10 AM) and day requirements (must be done by close of business Monday). Then, I assigned a time frame for each item: QuickBooks and invoicing = 1 hour, client meetings = 4 hours, meeting prep, return calls and emails, etc….

Next came delegating. As professional consultants, we see how often managers prefer to do things themselves. Delegating not only frees up your time but also offers co-workers and employees the opportunity to do a good job for you. To continue, I delegated all of the items that required further research or development to the appropriate individuals. Accompanying the task were specific instructions as to what was to be accomplished and in what time frame. I then put a reminder in my Outlook when to follow up. To remind myself of the correspondence, I put the email with those specific instructions in the task.

After looking at my calendar, I assigned tasks that could be completed quickly.

Success! Now I am left with free available time to unhurriedly complete my work with the ease and fluidity of a casual, relaxed morning.

Ah…feels good!