Pounce on every day

We can’t buy it, retrieve it or get more of it. You know what it is? It’s time. The older we get, the faster it seems to pass us by. Ever notice how efficient you become right before a vacation? That’s because we’re time conscious and working against a deadline. We can make this happen every day if we “pounce on it.” This was an expression my former client, the esteemed CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, used to say. The secret is to adopt this approach every day. This can be done by working purposefully and with a plan. Remember, the goal isn’t to let things happen but to make things happen. This requires careful planning each day, prioritizing the important tasks and executing the plan with a sense of urgency.

Work on the Right Things: Peter Drucker, the business management guru, said, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” So, the question is, are you doing the right things? To determine this, consider the advice of Dr. Stephen Covey from his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.” He suggests categorizing your tasks into urgent, important and long term. For example, an urgent task might be to finish a proposal due at 10 a.m., while an important one might be drafting a job description for a new sales position. Once you’ve sorted your tasks, you can rank them by importance, ensuring to schedule time for the “important” tasks throughout the week.

Delegate It: Another extremely important question to ask yourself once you get your list sorted is, “Can someone else do these items instead of me? Can they be delegated?” Many owners feel they can’t afford to hire people to “do their work” but ask yourself, how valuable is your time? A common error I see with new clients is that they’re immersed in company operations instead of working to grow and increase profits. If this resonates with you, it might be time for a change.

Strategize Your Days: My recommendation is to plan your week ahead and review each day either in the evening or early morning. Your list should contain the must-do tasks, and once they’re accomplished, you can move on to the rest.

Avoid Distractions: In today’s high-tech environment, it’s easy to get distracted. To accomplish your critical tasks, it’s essential to carve out uninterrupted time during the day. While it’s necessary to remain flexible for emergencies, it’s equally important to establish a system with your team that allows you to maintain focus on your key tasks.

Decision Making: According to Tony Robbins, the renowned motivational coach, the difference between successful people and average people is that successful people make decisions. I find this to be true with my clients. Of course, it’s crucial to avoid hasty or emotional decisions. Still, many people delay even fairly simple decisions, leading to stagnation. If decision-making is a challenge for you, seek help, perhaps from a business-savvy friend or a coach, to help expedite decision-making and move your company forward.

Work with Urgency: People with successful, profitable businesses work with urgency but not in a frenzy. They move from one project to the next in a deliberate and systematic way. They work to finish what they start. They make solid decisions. They don’t waste time. Think about these things seriously, and certainly don’t waste time. There’s no instant replay. You are the star of your own show, so tomorrow morning when your feet hit the floor, if you want to “Harvest Your Potential,” like the Harvesters always say, pounce on the day and make things happen.