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Make Appointments with
Yourself
In this fast
paced world, we are continually challenged to fit more work into
the same time frames that we all have. One of the most
challenging parts of "fitting it all in" is deciding what is
important and what is not.
Of all the
dilemmas I've experienced in my coaching practice, just about
every client has struggled with their time and life management.
Their “to -- do" lists have "to -- do" lists. So how do we get
it ALL done?
My first
question is why do we need to get it all done? Every one of us
has the same 24 hours in each day yet some people are much more
effective at achieving success than others. I believe that the
successful people are the ones who focus on the “right" stuff.
And yes, they don't get it all done. But they do get the “right
stuff" done.
So, the first
step in gaining more progress towards what ever goals you've set
for yourself in this life is to give yourself permission to not
get everything done. It is more important for you to focus on
what is important to you and to make sure that you are
incorporating into your monthly, weekly, and daily routines -
time and focus to get those things accomplished.
The second
step in working towards achieving any goal is to write it down.
It is said that only 2% of the world have written goals... And
it has been proven time and again that when you write a goal,
you are more likely to achieve it. So, deciding what you want
to be, do, or have is a key element to your ability to find
personal and career happiness in your life.
Once you
have written down those goals, it actually becomes more simple.
You can determine the action steps that it will take for you to
get where you want to go. You can also more easily identify
what might be blocking you. Again this gives you the
opportunity to work toward your goal, by eliminating or
minimizing those barriers.
The biggest
challenge that most of my clients have is in getting to the
items that are “important but not urgent." Because to attain
many goals, there are things that you need to do that are
developmental or build the infrastructure that will enable you
to achieve your ultimate target.
An example
of this can be a situation where someone decides they want to
run a marathon. Everyone knows you can not just go out and run
a marathon. You need to prepare and train for it. And you
can't just train two days before. So, to run in a marathon
then, you need to make time for the training in a routine way,
sometimes months in advance.
You can
apply this analogy to achieving a certain career goal, a certain
financial goal, or a community or interpersonal goal. You need
to make time for the building blocks. You need to understand
that life is a process, not a destination. This is where most
people fall down.
One of the
solutions that I recommend is to make appointments with yourself
to do the “important but not urgent" items -- the building
blocks that will get you to what ever life successes you want to
achieve.
Think of it
this way… We have all been in meetings, called by someone else.
When you go to a meeting, you can’t answer your phone, you can't
get any other work done, and you have essentially set aside that
hour to focus on the meeting topic of the day.
I'd like to
suggest that you apply this same concept to those important but
not urgent items that you have in your life. Set an appointment
with yourself.
This means
that you don't take phone calls, you focus only on the subject
at hand, and you avoid all distractions. After all, isn't this
what you do when you go to someone else's meeting?
The Note: A
word of caution here... If you start changing your behavior and
locking yourself behind the closed door without letting others
know what you are doing, they will come to their own
conclusions. It is best to let them know what you are doing,
and why. Most likely, they will support you in your efforts to
focus on those important but not urgent items.
So, let's
think about these appointments. A great example of setting an
appointment with yourself can be to read the trade periodicals,
or read about the latest and greatest innovations in your
industry. How many of us have piles and piles of that kind of
information that gets superseded by other more “urgent" items?
Another
example is physical exercise. This is something we all need to
do regularly, so that we can do those other things that are
important in our life. Making appointments with ourselves to do
the physical exercise, and locking it into the calendar, not to
be superseded by anything more urgent, will help you stay in
shape for the rest of your life.
Another
thought can be to set aside a certain time each week to
recognize the people who have contributed to your business or
organization or family's successes, and to take the time to
write a note or call them to acknowledge their support and
achievements.
Finally you
might want to consider making appointments with yourself to
return phone calls and to do them all in one block. Some of my
clients set aside their phone calls to return them at a time of
the day that fits well with their energy levels and their
sharpness. By making an appointment with yourself to return
phone calls you can effectively manage interruptions and
ultimately get your other work done in a more focused way.
So, as you
look at your monthly plan, which drills down to a weekly and a
daily plan, it is helpful to set priorities on the various tasks
that are on your plate. As you look at your daily calendar, you
will see the appointments that you have made with others and the
meetings you have planned to attend. You can now also set
periodic appointments with yourself that lead towards your
ultimate goals. And in the other time that is available, you
start working that ever present “to -- to" list, in the order of
priority.
The big
difference is now you'll have a few appointments in there with
someone you know better than anyone else – yourself!======================
Marsha Egan is CEO of The Egan Group,
Inc., a success coaching firm based in Reading Pennsylvania.
Contact her to schedule your next time and life management
program. You can reach her at
marsha@marshaegan.com or 610-777-3795. Visit her website at
www.marshaegan.com
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