PRIORITIZING
PRIORITIZING :
Why You ’ re ( Likely ) Doing It Wrong
ONLY three hours a day .
According to one study , that ’ s how much time is actually productive in a person ’ s average forty-five-hour workweek . This essentially means that only 33 percent of your long , challenging workweek is actually spent doing the things that fulfill your role and bring more value to your company and yourself .
Maybe that ’ s why over one quarter of Americans work nights , and almost one third work weekends , to make up for lost time during a seemingly chaotic workweek . Or maybe that ’ s why most of us simply feel overwhelmed with work , and we find ourselves saying , “ There aren ’ t enough hours in the day .” So what makes each day chaotic and unproductive ? Improper prioritization .
Where It Goes Wrong Prioritizing time is one of those long-held goals that we , as professionals , struggle with daily .
Sure , it sounds simple , but putting the concept to work proves to be more challenging — and less effective — than we ’ d like . And more often than not , individuals with poor prioritization skills tend to waste time and lose value in their daily grind .
The biggest problem with prioritizing time is that you have to start with the most important task first . While that sounds great in theory , it doesn ’ t help you in instances where literally everything feels like a priority . And since it seems we ’ re constantly confronted with a pile of priorities — all equally important — efficiency becomes almost impossible .
Having worked with hundreds of business professionals , I ’ ve found that there are a few key things that prevent them from prioritizing properly . Here are three questions business managers should ask themselves to make priority a function of time and to get compound dividends on what they put into their businesses . “ Is This a Repetitive Task ?”
According to a recent survey , repetitive tasks consume 520 hours of an employee ’ s time each year . This puts a lot at stake regardless of where you fall on the organizational totem pole .
Take some time to recognize redundancies in your workday , and you ’ ll likely find yourself swimming in inefficiencies . Absolutely anything that you do that ’ s repetitive is fair game for delegation .
Delegate those repetitive tasks to employees . No employees ? No problem . Outsource them using a resource like UpWork . Even if you ’ re in a nonleadership role , you can unearth enormous value by having someone help you with basic administrative or clerical tasks . You could also simply hire help based on annual and predictable spikes in business or when you ’ re overwhelmed with monster projects .
Delegating repetitive tasks isn ’ t a luxury — it ’ s a necessity for successful professionals .
Dave Crenshaw
Dave Crenshaw is a master at helping business owners triumph over chaos . His latest book , The Focused Business : How Entrepreneurs Can Triumph over Chaos , is a smallbusiness best seller . As an author , speaker , and business coach , Dave has transformed thousands of businesses worldwide . Visit DaveCrenshaw . com
“ Am I Creating a Bottleneck ?”
No one should ever look up and find out he or she is the one holding up the line . But at any point in the day , you could be the one multiplying inefficiencies for your team or department . If you ’ re feeling the pressure of multiple priorities , there ’ s a chance it stems back to a bottleneck you ’ ve created .
Keep an eye out for hints like unread or un-responded-to emails , contracts or invoices waiting for your approval , or slow-moving projects . If you ’ re in a leadership role , check things like employee resource and technology needs . Employees can often be held in limbo because they are waiting for a problem to be serviced or fixed .
Take the time to acknowledge and address any part of your work flow that holds up the work of others . This awareness gives you a clear path to prioritize your own tasks , and it also gives you insight into what helps your employees stay on-schedule .
Never be the bottleneck . “ Can I Create Something That Will Work for Me When I Am Sleeping ?”
Sleep is an obvious priority , but that doesn ’ t mean you can ’ t also work while you rest . Being productive with absolutely no effort is a dream come true , and technology is making it easier than ever .
Invest in a process or tool that allows you to create more value — and time — in your day . Think of tools like computer programs , algorithms , and automatic tools . Even self-help articles like this one help you break down the basics so you can streamline problem solving .
Anything — or anyone — that keeps you “ working ” 24 / 7 / 365 is an invaluable investment for doubling your free time and building your professional value . Putting It All Together
To sum it up , there are three rules for prioritizing , creating value , and getting more free time out of each day : reject repetition , beware of bottlenecks , and invest in automation .
Asking yourself the three important questions posed in this article will make your priorities a true function of time , and give you compound dividends on the hours you put into work each .
www . DaveCrenshaw . com
FALL 2016
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