Time management, the one rule you need to know.

Unfortunately we all waste an enormous amount of time performing tasks that have little impact on our success or bottom line. We may look busy, feel busy, and may in fact accomplish some goal or objective, but upon analysis, did it have any real value? Or were you wasting time?

Have you ever heard this old saying, “get in front of the train” I have and I have used it frequently to urge action,  the right kind of action, let me explain.

We all know all to well what the big, important issues of the day are that are preventing our progress in some meaningful way. That’s the train. If we do nothing about these important issues and busy ourselves doing other matters and allowing the train to run us over, what have we accomplished? We allowed a disaster to occur, or we failed to make any meaningful progress in resolving important issues.

If we get in front of the train, what are we doing?

If getting in front of the train means dealing with the important issues, resolving the big problems, dissolving the barriers preventing success, preventing a train wreck from occurring, doing whatever we have to do to prevent the train from running us over, we will have used our time exceptionally well and will have solved the problem.

By getting in front of the train we are indicating that we are taking control of the issue even if not certain quite how and  preventing disaster and forwarding our mission.

Onward thru the fog, I usually follow up with after urging someone to get in front of the train.

Typically we may not be quite certain as to how we are going to stop this train, what the solution may be, but we know we have an issue, we know we must control it, and if we do nothing we know we will experience the problem continue.

If we get in front of the train and trust our own instincts and capabilities we will find a way to resolve the matter…that’s what business owners do best of all. Those that do not get in front of the train, watch the disasters pile up. those that do figure out how to resolve the issue.

Here is the problem, its not the difficulty of resolving a tough problem, every entrepreneur has the skill to figure problem solving out. It is the issue of time management.

We all spend way to much time being very busy either doing things that have no real impact on your success…housekeeping I call it, or we spend times on matters that we cannot control and thus are wasting our time.

If however we spend our time on issues we can and must control and which have a significant or an important impact on your business then you will not be wasting your time but using it prudently and appropriately.

So identify the issues you can have impact on, and which have serious consequences either good or bad, and get in front of that train, as that’s the train we need to stop before it turns into a train wreck.

Effective use of our time in the face of a very busy day with many demands, requires you to choose the issues you work on and make certain they are the right ones.

Just being busy is not the goal. Being busy dealing with important issues you can resolve is the best use of your time, lets make certain that’s were you are putting your efforts…lets get in front of the train and not watch it go by.

We must all learn what issues to focus on,  its the issues that you can control and that resolving will have a significant benefit to the bottom line of the company.

Get in front of the train as soon as you can…before it turns into a wreck….that’s effective time management. Call for help 413-549-2966.