Good morning!
It started with an email: “Dad, I want you to fly over and meet this boy I’m dating.”
My daughter, Madeline, was doing a semester at NYU’s London campus and had met Oliver James Taylor. They hit it off immediately.
Since she had never been boy crazy, Madeline’s request was taken seriously and I boarded an American Airlines flight early one Thursday morning for an 8am trip across the pond.
I remember settling into my seat and having one thought: “How have I gotten 5 day’s worth of work done in just three? How had I achieved that level of productivity?”
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of that week had been frantic. I jumped from task to task, stayed organized, prioritized my have-to’s over my want-to’s, and accomplished an impressive amount of work.
But how?
I had my answer before the wheels of the plane left the ground: Because I had to. I had a flight to catch. I had an immovable, non-negotiable deadline.
I learned an important lesson that day. I learned that by limiting the amount of time I had to work, I got more work done. I made good decisions. The things that didn’t get done didn’t need to get done, possibly ever but certainly not immediately.
Having met my future son-in-law, I returned to the states and began the practice of creating a hard fast stop time in my workday. Moreover, I was just as likely to end my day at 4:00 PM as I was at 6:00 PM.
By creating an immovable, non-negotiable stop time to your day, you will look at your task list and make better decisions. Working 12 to 14 hour days should not be a badge of honor to anyone. I’d rather hear of someone working six hours, getting the right things done, staying organized and prepared for the next day, and being completely focused on their family and loved ones (i.e. lead a balanced life).
Set an alarm on your cell phone today for 4:00 PM. When the alarm goes off, treat it like you are in high school taking the SAT’s: pencils down and go home.
Limit your time in the day and you’ll be amazed at the quality and quantity of work you accomplish.
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And if you want the quality of your work to explode into sales growth, join The Sales Vault at SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036
