We all can benefit from better time management habits in our lives.  However, its consistently using these tools and tactics to keep ourselves on schedule and accountable to the achieving the results that we desire.  Here are some key tips to consider as you evaluate your time management strategies:

1. Structure your telephone time.  Set up times to accept, initiate, and return phone calls.  The best time to accept incoming calls is just prior to lunch or at the end of the workday.  Initiate or return calls early in the morning, just before lunch, or at the end of the day to contact difficult-to-reach individuals.  Consider a phone call a mini-meeting, so be prepared with an agenda and all you will need to be successful.
2. Brian Tracy wrote a book called “Eat That Frog”.  It recommends doing the most unpleasant task as the first thing on your list.
3. Scheduling down time in your day helps to recover your mental and physical energy.  The book “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr will help you expand on this important concept.
4. Scheduling meetings with yourself is a good way to accomplish key objections.  How can this one idea help you to be more effective with your use of time?
5. Work with your body’s natural biological rhythm.  Are you a night owl or morning person?  If you wear out in the mid afternoon consider taking a quick nap to recharge your energy. 

Barry Demp is a highly-skilled Michigan Business and Personal coach focused on the areas of leadership, management, coaching, team-building, networking, business development, communication skills, relationship building, motivation, time management, life balance, and goal achievement. He specializes in working with business owners, executives, coaches, consultants, and high-potential professionals by helping them significantly increase their productivity, profitability, and life balance.  For more information or assistance, please contact Barry Demp at 248-740-3231 or visit www.dempcoaching.com.

Time is such a valuable asset to us all.  Consider what your time is worth to your business or family and then imagine the how you feel when that time is wasted on activities that do not give you a fair exchange of value.

Here are some tips to help you master your time management:

1. Where is your time going?  Do a time log on a daily, weekly, and perhaps monthly basis.  Write your tasks down exactly so you can find the real time-wasters.  Awareness of your actual situation is critical to improving how you use your time.
2. Create a new daily routine – 90% of all human behavior is habitual.  “If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting.”  “When patterns are broken new worlds will emerge.”
3. Prioritize and stay focused.  What one or two items on your to-do list must absolutely be finished?  What are your priorities today, this week, and this month at home and at work?  Share these priorities with others.
4. Reduce interruptions by creating stronger boundaries.  What are your ideas regarding the establishment of boundaries?  As a reference and helper I like the book – “The Power of The Positive No” by William Ury.

Barry Demp is a highly-skilled Michigan Business and Personal coach focused on the areas of leadership, management, coaching, team-building, networking, business development, communication skills, relationship building, motivation, time management, life balance, and goal achievement. He specializes in working with business owners, executives, coaches, consultants, and high-potential professionals by helping them significantly increase their productivity, profitability, and life balance.  For more information or assistance, please contact Barry Demp at 248-740-3231 or visit www.dempcoaching.com.

Mastering how to best utilize the 24 hours that we are given each day is one of the top areas that most people want to impact in their relationship with their coach. 

Why is it that some people seem to have a calm demeanor and create breakthrough results and yet the majority of us run around each day with too much of our to-do list still undone at the end of the day?

Over the next five weeks we will be offering to our followers and blog readers over forty time management techniques and tips that work.  Our challenge to you is that each week you select the one or two you tips that you believe will most help you.  Selecting only a few changes and making these adjustments over an extended period of time will result in a sustainable difference in your professional and personal life.  Please let me know how things are going by sending a message to Barry Demp.

• The 80/20 rule always applies – List two of your activities that produce the greatest results and eight that produce minimal results.  Consider doing more of the first two activities and less of the eight.
• Plan the next day’s activities in advance before leaving your office for the day.  Use tools such as online calendar, offline calendars, white boards, personal data assistance, smart phones, and more.
• Think geographically and avoid excessive travel time between appointments.  Use drive time to learn or use a “Bluetooth” device to talk with key people while traveling between appointments.  How else can you think geographically?  Let us know.
• Confirm all appointments ahead of schedule to avoid dead time.
• Work on your relationship skills.  Great relationship skills produce great results.