To be truly successful, a business leader needs to be dedicated and focussed. There are many distractions in the modern world and you must learn to avoid them if you want to be productive and achieve your goals.
It is so important to cut out time wasting activities and add things that help you with your goals! Did you know that it takes almost 25 minutes to get back on task after getting distracted? This can cost you hours out of every day if you aren’t able to stay on task. If you stay focussed and avoid distractions you’ll find that even your wildest goals are achievable because you’ll start saving so much time that was otherwise just going to waste.
Time-Wasting Activities
In an article for Inc.com, Chad Halvorson lists his seven time-wasting activities that everyone must cut out of their lives:
- Checking email constantly
- Waiting for things to be perfect
- Multitasking
- Inviting interruptions
- Being disorganized
- Failing to delegate
- Never saying no
Several of these items directly result in distraction from your task and cost you valuable time. Whether it’s constantly checking your email, or trying to multitask, or allowing other interruptions to pull you away from what you are trying to accomplish, every time you take your mind off your main goal, you lose focus for long periods and it takes that much longer to finish what you started.
Waiting for things to be perfect can be paralyzing! In the real world, things are rarely perfect, so waiting for that to happen can keep you from achieving your goals forever. Sometimes you have to accept that things are as good as they’re going to be and just go for it! Acting is almost always a better choice than doing nothing at all.
Likewise, failing to delegate can cause endless problems by forcing you to take on jobs that draw you away from your goals. If you can delegate tasks to people who are better suited to handle them while you focus on your top priority tasks, you’ll find that things get done quicker, and with less stress.
Stop Wasting Time
Email: Limit yourself to checking emails twice a day, three times tops. Schedule in those times on your calendar and make it part of your routine so that checking your email isn’t distracting from other tasks and other tasks aren’t distracting you from answering important emails.
Focus on one thing at a time: As much as we like to think we can multitask, the reality is that we can’t. Take care of one task at a time, make sure it is done right, and move on to the next task.
Organize: Take some time at the end of every day to set your upcoming schedule, clear your desk, and make sure things are properly sorted and filed so you aren’t scrambling and searching the next day.
Delegate: Hand off your low priority tasks to someone else so you can remain focussed on the high priority items.
If you feel you are ready to make some positive changes to your business model to get the most out of your company and your life, contact TMH Business Coaching today for a confidential, free, no obligation consultation to propel you forward. Also, please feel free to add yourself to our weekly coaching tips email!
