Symptoms:
Jody was driving away from her newly won account with that smirky smile of satisfaction on her face. She had walked her way through the process from the referral stage, onto discovery and fact finding, then qualification with a commitment to act one way or another, and finally the agreement to do business together.
She knew her self-satisfaction was a result of the actions she took only a few short weeks ago, after several nightmare appointments almost sent her to rock bottom. During those calls, she had been nervous about her lack of preparation and from not knowing where she was in her own sales cycle. All that should have been done did not get done because she kept telling herself she was "too busy" to spend the needed time on any one aspect of her business.
Diagnosis:
Different people have different styles when it comes to managing the activities needed to be successful in the business world.Jody was not one of those that was very good at "winging it" and felt much more confident when she had her ducks lined up. When she was forced to "wing it", the lack of control she felt easily derailed her process. Even though she understood this about herself, it seemed like there was always another phone call, another person asking for her help, or some apparently easy task that turned into a major "project". This tendency to try and tackle everything had led to a messy calendar, a chaotic / nervous thought process and a flurry of frantic activity that caused even more stress and anxiety.
Prescription:
Jody's recent strings of successes were a result of her determination to regain control of her weekly activities. Even the best tools and methods for setting priorities or "time management" are useless if they don't get used consistently. Too often we find ourselves driving the car while looking at the hood ornament and then run head-on into the big huge obstacle only a mile down the road. Try these tips:
Be brutally honest with yourself about how and where you spend your time. Business planning is important, but so is personal time.
Learn how to say "NO" in a nurturing manner. It's very difficult to keep everyone happy all the time.
Plan for contingencies. In a complex world, things are often not as easy or simple as they seem.
Delegate when possible. You can't control everything, so just let it go sometimes.
Resist taking on too many tasks or activities that aren't directly related to the achievement of your goals. You do have goals, don't you?
Sure, tomorrow is important, but so is next week and next month. Take the time to see the big picture and you'll find yourself getting out of "pinball" mode. Pick a system that works for you and that isn't so complex that it becomes a time waster itself.
Critical Thinking:
What is your go-to to regain control? Are you able to recognize when things are starting to get out of control before they get already there, or, do you worry about regaining control when all is already lost.
The Drill
Final Thought for the Morning:
"It's not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The real question is: What are we busy about?" Henry David Thoreau
"Some folks can look so busy doing nothing that they seem indispensable." Kin Hubbard
Your Top 3 Goals & Tactics for the Week
LAST WEEK: Update us on how things went last week with your stated Goals and GD Tactics.
THIS WEEK: Please share your Top 3 Goals for this week and the GD tactics you plan to deploy.
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