Cut It Out

Do you typically find yourself out of time? Has your manager - or your significant other - complained to you about not spending time on so-called priorities? It's amazing how quickly time flies, especially when we are invested in a task. And since time is absolutely not a renewable resource, if it's not used wisely, it's gone.

Time discipline is a key career success factor. The better your discipline, the more successful you will be:

1) Watch out for last year's priorities. Often times we plan our days based on past priorities - not current ones. Take a few minutes to look at your professional obligations, and match your priorities to how your time is scheduled.

2) Watch out for the habitual activities. Are these things really necessary to do? Can you spend less time on them, with almost the same results? Are you doing them out of habit, out of a sense of personal fulfillment, or out of necessity?

3) Watch out for email and web-surfing. These are the modern day black holes of time. Every minute that is spent "checking email", surfing to news sites, or checking Facebook is a minute away from real priorities. If you are looking for an instant improvement in productivity, check your work email only 2-3 times daily - and do work in between. Leave web-surfing for later.

This week's action item: Choose at least one thing to either cut out, or significantly reduce. The great advantage of cutting out the unnecessary is that it makes room for the necessary. Typically, those who are successful in their careers don't make their luck - they make time for their priorities. And the same applies outside the office.

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Randall Craig is an expert on Career Development, Work-Life Balance, and Networking; to find out how his workshops, webinars, and keynotes can help your team or add to your event, contact him through www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com, or by email at editor@ptadvisors.com.

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Copyright © 2008 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.

Publication Date: July 29, 2008