Risk & Business Magazine Branch Benefits Consultants Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 14

TIME MANAGEMENT
BY : GARY KELLER , AUTHOR , FOUNDER , KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
BY : JAY PAPASON , CO-AUTHOR , MILLIONAIRE REAL ESTATE

3 Ways To Find More

Time In Your Day

Time is our most precious resource and we all need to be intentional about how we spend it . It ’ s too easy with all the devices , social media , and constant streams of information to fall victim to time-wasting traps that prevent us from accomplishing our most important work .

If you ’ re not a natural time management pro , don ’ t worry . Time management is a learned skill , not a born talent . Here are three easy ways you can identify or manage the worst time-wasters in your life , and win back precious time throughout your day .
1 . PLAN AND PRIORITIZE
When you know you ’ ve got a busy day ( or week ) ahead of you , it ’ s important to have a clear plan for what you need to achieve . Not
only does a plan keep you focused and on track , but getting it all down on paper can remove the sense of being overwhelmed or not knowing where to start . This is why we recommend time-blocking , and using your 66-Day Calendar to map the most important things to focus on ( the1thing . com / resources / 66-day-calendar /).
On Friday afternoons or Sundays , sit down and think about your big goals for this year . What do you want to achieve , both personally and professionally ? With those longer-term goals in mind , you can work backwards to figure out what you need to do this month to get there , and then what you need to do in the next week . Once you ’ ve identified the three ‘ Big Rocks ’ for the week ahead , you can plan out your schedule ( and you can use this system to develop a routine that will work for your specific situation ).
2 . WORKING ? WORK . RESTING ? REST
It happens to the best of us : we ’ re in the middle of a scheduled work block , and then , barely even registering that we ’ re doing it , we click open a new tab to check in on Facebook or email . We open the news , Twitter , or forums that we like , compulsively refreshing them — and losing our focus on the work we were doing .
Once you ’ ve identified the traps you usually fall into , you can take preventative measures to keep yourself out of them .
Put your phone away during work hours so you ’ re not tempted to check it and utilize programs like Cold Turkey that will block distracting websites from your computer for as long as you need to get work done . Build your Bunker , collecting everything you will need ( snacks , water ,
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