Quick Tip
Defend This At All Costs
"You are the only one who will look out for your own time."
That quote has stuck with me over the years.
It’s great advice for everyone.
It’s super important if you are a business owner, consultant, salesperson, or freelancer.
Anyone who only gets to “eat what they kill.”
Protecting Your Review Time
There are a lot of great time management tools, systems, and apps out there.
I'm not here to tell you which one you should choose.
But I would like to share something I've noticed over the years. I've seen it in my business and in many of my clients'.
Something that can derail any time management system.
Whenever you implement a time (or task) management system you have to put something off.
It doesn't matter if you follow Covey, GTD, Agile, Time Blocking, or the Eisenhower Matrix...
- You work on the YESes
- You drop the NOs
- You manage the LATERs
BUT...
Most people don’t manage the LATERs. They organize them.
They put them on a list
- on a special page on their planner
- in a folder on their computer
- on their Trello or Kanban board
They get them out of sight. And out of mind.
But if you don’t set aside time to review and manage the LATERs...
Things fall apart.
Deadlines are missed. Important things won’t get done. Opportunities fall through the cracks.
You sacrifice free time to “catch up”.
Don’t do that!
You must create and defend your time for reviewing your LATERs and manage your calendar.
Non-negotiable time.
Uninterruptible time.
If you don’t, no time management system will “work for you”.
Defend your calendar!
Bill
913.962.9261
P.S. - this newsletter now comes out fortnightly on Fridays. That's based on your feedback (and because it's fun to say "fortnightly"). Let me know how I can make this newsletter more valuable for you.
News, Tips, & Tricks
Eating Frogs and Accomplishing Goals
I'm guessing you didn't resolve to eat more frogs this year. But if you did promise to stop procrastinating and achieve more this year, this story from Mark Twain and Brian Tracy will help.
Why it’s getting harder for large companies to acquire startups
Here's a great read about innovation that contains some valuable lessons whether you are a startup or work for a large company.
Limitless Ideas - Unlock Your Creative Potential
This article is geared towards writers, but has some great tips for anyone in the "idea business" - which is all of us, right?
You [Auto] complete me
Google autocomplete is a handy feature to help you find what you are looking for. It's also a great tool for SEO research and other content marketing tasks. If you've ever wondered how it works or how to put it to use, you'll want to check out this guide.
Book of the Week
Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life
There's a lot of talk lately about the importance of story when it comes to persuasion - in business, for our causes, and in our personal lives. This book shows you how to put story to use.
Get it on Amazon. (affiliate link)
Tool of the Week
Hugo
Hugo helps you manage your calendar, notes, and tasks in one place, so you can be more organized, prepared for all your meeting. They have a free trial and a generous Free Forever plan.
