There is nothing I hate more than wasting time. I already feel like too much of my day is taken up attending to things that waste inordinate amounts of time (like eating, sleeping, and talking on the phone).
In addition to keeping a strict Daily and Weekly To-Do list, I’ve taken a few steps in my life to prevent the wasting of precious, fleeting time. Here they are:
1) Cancel cable subscription. Yes. I actually have no TV. 0 channels. I got tired of “vegging out” to mindless crap for hours of the day. Real, human interaction is much more entertaining, and scheduling my free time around programs or televised sporting events grew tiresome. So with that move I added at least 1-2 hours to my day.
2) Limit email checking. This involved two steps: a) I don’t actually click “check mail” or “send/receive” every five minutes I am in front of my computer. I was becoming OCD about it. b) I don’t open emails that I don’t have the time to respond to. Instead, I will block out a chunk of time in my day (usually twice a day) when I check my email and respond to emails. It’s good for keeping the communication lines open without being a slave to them. Of course, there will always be pressing issues that must be resolved immediately. The solution? Pick up the phone.
3) Stop surfing. No, not the hang 10 kind. I’m talking about surfing the world wide interweb, that most time-consuming, distracting, melting pot of useful and useless (and everything in-between) information that exists in our lives today. More people waste more time on the internet than anywhere else in their lives. So, I’ve stopped wasting time. HOWEVER, there are still sites I go to, and regularly, to check up things, such as the news, sporting results, and business-related advice. But I’ve had to become selective about where I go, because you can really lose time surfing around, following links, reading threads, posting comments, etc.
How do you spend your time? Better yet, how do you waste it? Want to stop wasting it?
Here’s a thought for all you contractors out there: Find one or two resourceful sites related to your business or helpful to your business, and stick to them. Want to learn how to grow your business, and get it straight from those who have been doing it successfully for years? Sign up at contractorblab.com, the first and only member-only site built for contractors, by contractors. The site cuts through the crap and gets straight to the heart of the matter: how to successfully and efficiently grow your business.
The site goes live October 16, but membership will be limited to 750 members to start. Go to www.contractorblab.com to sign up. Time spent on that site will never be wasted.
Good luck,
Ben
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