Brace yourself, Exceptional Success Tip (EST) #2 is a CRITICAL one.
But wait! Before we get there, EST #1 was a hit! We received MANY replies and Exceptional Mission Statements, and they were all AWESOME. Very proud of those who submitted. Here’s a few snippets from the ones we loved:
“….continue to give with no strings attached and be the person I want others to be…”
“To serve my family, my community, my fellow humans and our planet in words and actions striving for peace sustainability…”
“…become a provider for my family, friends and learn to lead my community with an open heart of love and strong spirit of giving…”
WOW…and those are only a few. If you haven’t already, you can read Exceptional Success Tip #1 HERE.
When my students, colleagues and friends frequently ask me, “So what do you think the #1 thing someone should accomplish or improve in order to achieve greater success?” My answer and reply is ALWAYS the same….”Learn to become a master of your time and daily schedule!”
In other words, become the best Time Manager you know…but instead of a “Manager”, become a Time LEADER – where you influence time and it can essentially work FOR YOU and help you, instead of against you, and causing more stress.
For me, it became a game to Master my Productivity and learn to become Insanely Efficient on my day, tasks and communications. For example, I manage SEVEN different emails (yes seven!), all of them are checked and organized by the End of Day, Every. Single. Day. I use Google Calendar for all my and even our family’s Calendar Management System (CMS) and I’m HYPER tuned in, synced in and they’re all available and accessible all the time. Business Schedule – Check! Fitness/Personal Schedule – Check! Social Schedule – Check! Family-Time Schedule – double Check!!
I’m not perfect by any means and have my occasional days of stress and hiccups (don’t we all!?), but I’ve found what works for me and keeps my stress levels very low (super important to me), and have learned to delegate and organize effectively (another skill I teach), so my day works FOR me and I have more DAY available at the end of the day. Remember, just because you’re busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re accomplishing anything…
With this in mind here’s this week’s EST:
Exceptional Success Tip #2
Become an Exceptional Leader of Your Time and Schedule
Here’s Life-Work to help you improve and Become an Exceptional Time Leader!
1. Remove Distractions! This is the hardest thing to do. Close the Facebook/Social Media, turn the phone over (turn ringer/vibrate on if you need to and can hear/feel it), and learn to hone your focus on your immediate task. You will be amazed how much you get done in just an hour of focus.
2. Write it down, Break it down. Take your day and break it down into chunks and physically write (or type) it down into a reliable CMS (Calendar Management System). Can be a Planner/Outlook or even Online. Time Pocketing is an actual developed skill that you can learn where you not only create pockets of time (3pm-4pm for phone calls, working out, etc.), but that’s ALL you do during that time. You have to be super strict with this! (remember no social media, distractions, etc. unless you have immediate needs, on call, etc.)
3. Know what works FOR YOU. The tools and resources I use may not work for everyone, but if you’ve read this far…here’s what I do
Use Voice-to-Text for most of my Emails and Texts. Emails and texting are a part of life so you might as well master them and have fun with it. Download Voice Note for Chrome (it’s free) for Emails or Reports (you’re welcome!) You’ll need an extra battery or charger on your phone if you can do Voice to Text on phone. It’s awkward at first to hear your own voice but this saves A LOT of time and I increase my efficiency up 80% or more because my voice, (that I worked so hard to develop) is way faster than my hands. Plus for me it helps keep my speech skills sharp. Most of this email was used with my own voice, which is why we have Podcasts coming soon!
Show Up Early. This sounds simple and easy but I’ve found that arriving to meetings 10-15 minutes early, (if you can) reduces stress tremendously and allows me to prepare my thoughts/notes and catch up on anything I’ve missed.
No Phone Sundays – Weird yes, but I try to AVOID my phone on Sundays unless I’m needed. This allows me to take a break from Social/News/Baloney and give attention to my family and my personal time. I’ve done this for years and it works wonders for me! Basically, a brain and body reset and a little top off of my Love Tank (which is typically overflowing but you get my point!) What the heck is a Love Tank?
I hope this gave you a few ideas/tools to move forward more efficiently in your life and your schedule. I encourage you to try something new and take Time Leadership more seriously, it will do wonders to your productivity and help you produce more, make more money and be MORE free with the things you love to do.
Time isn’t going anywhere and achieving time freedom is more than just earning enough money, it’s about Leading your Time with Insane Efficiency and Mastering your Productivity.
Be patient with it – your time WILL grow and come the better you become at this and as a result you will be happier and in some cases healthier!
I’ll be back next week with Exceptional Success Tip #3!
You deserve an Exceptional Life.
Cheers,
Dominic