Here are twenty essential questions you should get used to asking yourself about your daily time planning:
• Did I accomplish all of my high-priority goals?
• Did I reach or surpass all of my other goals?
• Did I invest as much time as I planned in persuading others?
• Did I contact every prospect that was on my list today? If not, why not? What prevented me?
• How much time did I spend prospecting for new clients?
• How much time did I waste procrastinating today?
• What is the most productive thing I did today?
• What is the least productive thing I did today?
• Of the things I consider a waste of time, could I have avoided them or eliminated them?
• How much did I spend doing something that will profit me? Can I devote more time here?
• Was today a productive day for me? For my company?
• Did I take care of all the paperwork I needed to care of?
• How many of today’s activities have helped me achieve my goals?
• How much time did I allocate to my family, friends, etc.?
• What can I do to improve the quality time I need to spend with my family/friends, etc?
• How much time did I allocate to me?
• If I could live today again, what would I change?
• What did I do today that I feel really good about?
• Did I send ‘thank you’ notes to the people who gave me business and to those who helped me secure that business?
• What or who wasted the greatest amount of any time?
Finally, And In Summary, Here Are Ten Common Time Traps To Be Avoided
• Desperately seeking what should not be lost – Become more organized
• Failure to do the job right the first time – Work to ‘Right First Time’ principles
• Procrastination – Get to the Point
• Unnecessary or unnecessarily long telephone calls – Be Succinct
• Unnecessary or unnecessarily long meeting – Be Rigorous
• Check lunches that last for two or more hours – Be Honest
• Negative thinking – Be Positive
• Driving time – Plan
• Unconfirmed appointments – Be realistic
• Laziness – Be diligent – Productivity = Results
Remember:
The most important word in time and self-management is………NO!