| A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about | | | | assistant. Outsource your weaknesses. If you lack |
| delegation. I enjoy managing my business and | | | | the talent or strength in a particular area, find |
| delegating out any and all tasks that I can. | | | | someone who can help you out. Don't waste your |
| Instead, I focus my time and energy doing high | | | | time, money and energy learning something that |
| value activities that result in the best return for | | | | detracts or distracts you from high-return, |
| me - both in terms of my personal happiness and | | | | high-value activities. |
| profits. | | | | Respond. Respond quickly but not foolishly. Always |
| Productivity and time management are some of | | | | do your research, seek wise counsel, and |
| my favorite subjects and areas around which I | | | | evaluate your alternatives. Set deadlines for |
| frequently coach my clients. The other day, I | | | | decisions you need to make and when it comes |
| read an article about managing email. The author | | | | time - make them. Don't waste mental energy |
| pointed out 5 actions we can take when | | | | mulling something over for three weeks when |
| processing the many messages we receive each | | | | you can just as easily make a good decision in 3 |
| day --- delete, delegate, respond, defer, and do. | | | | minutes. Life is short. Stop over thinking things. |
| But I started to think - this isn't just for emails. | | | | Defer, but set a deadline. If you can't make a |
| You can easily apply this to everything you do, | | | | decision right now, set it aside. But before you do, |
| reaping many benefits including: | | | | assign it a deadline so that it will definitely be |
| - More free time that you can spend with family | | | | handled in the future. Don't let things hang in limbo. |
| and friends | | | | Do. If you have something that requires you to |
| - Less headaches, literally and figuratively | | | | take action, don't procrastinate. Get it done now. |
| - Less mental clutter and distraction | | | | Don't strive for perfection - that's just a |
| - Saving time, money (in some cases) and energy | | | | convenient excuse for not starting or finishing |
| - And, the big overall benefit - you'll make more | | | | something. Again, if you don't want to do |
| room in your life for what matters most to you. | | | | something that needs to get done, outsource it |
| Here are my tips on how to get started: | | | | and let someone else get it done for you. |
| Delete. Delete activities that are unproductive, low | | | | There you have it. It's as easy as deleting, |
| value and which aren't aligned with the vision for | | | | delegating, responding, deferring and doing. Make a |
| your life. | | | | note of these 5 words and post them in your |
| Delegate. Outsource low value, unproductive | | | | work area where you can see them. It will keep |
| activities to a business manager or virtual | | | | you focused managing your time effectively. |