As I write these words, I look around my desk and see:
- Two credit card bills which need coding and entry into QuickBooks;
- A love letter from the IRS detailing some missing document;
- A full-page ad in yesterday’s Boston Globe I saved as a reminder;
- An iPad which needs charging;
- Various pieces of paper with scribbled notes.
Also:
- Asana (an organizing program) is open on my desktop and contains a list of tasks due today and tomorrow.
- AF is waiting for this blog so she can post it.
- I have not had breakfast yet.
- I still need to stretch and put in some guitar practice time.
It’s only 7:45 AM.
The question is:
What’s the best use of my time right now?
Regardless of how the task lists ebbs and flows, that is the question to ask.
A lot.
It’s a question I will ask myself multiple times today. It’s a question some clients of mine write down and tape to their walls.
It’s a question designed to keep me on task and ensure that I don’t chase squirrels.
This does not mean, by the way, that I should always be focused on a work task. The best use of my time at this moment is to get organized. But once I’m done with that, the best use of my time is personal (breakfast, stretching, guitar, etc.). In the middle of the day, the answer that question might be to go for a walk and clear my mind. Or grab that guitar off of the wall behind me and practice a riff or two.
The point is to stop, ask, and then make an adjustment in order to match up the right moment with the right activity.
All the organization and time management in the world will not keep you on track. It’s asking and answering this question that does.
Ask it. A lot.
Time management is my favorite subject and there is a trove of helpful information in the form of videos, blogs, and live workshops inside The Sales Vault.
