Just because you’re working really hard every day does not necessarily mean you are being efficient or effective, or developing your natural talents into skills that make you money.
It’s easy to become a “jack of all trades” as an entrepreneur or business owner, particularly when you’re a start up (and some businesses never progress beyond start up, as far as I can tell!)
The good news is, things can only get better …
NOW. Imagine your perfect ideal day, when you are being efficient and effective …
What are you doing?
Who are you with?
How much time are you spending working?
What are your natural talents and strengths?
How much value are you creating? How much time are you spending every day working to your highest potential and practising, developing and honing your talents and strengths into skills?
Trial and error, experience, books, training programmes, seminars and courses can be fantastic teachers, but it can take a long time.
Sometimes all you need is for someone who has already done what you want to do to show you how they do it, or maybe even just get someone else to do it for you (because your weaknesses are someone else’s strengths)!
Is doing your book-keeping, answering the phone, figuring out how to build your website, paying your suppliers really the highest and best use of your time?
(There are probably people who can do these things more effectively than you can, if you’re honest).
I recommend you measure how much time you spend each week doing what you are good at! You may be shocked by what you discover.
That is not to say that the other tasks are unimportant – simply that there may well be other people who are much more effective at doing those tasks than you. So, here are a few good time management habits that will help you …
- Choose a diary. I personally prefer my Moleskine diary and an A3 sketchpad, and an online diary like Google calendar or Apple calendar, or outlook are equally effective … the key is to do it every day …
- That’s why it’s important to have a really good system to prioritise your time.
- I recommend blocking out time in your diary or calendar to focus on what you are good at.
- Decide what you are going to stop, do, delegate to your team (or virtual team) or outsource
I’m taking out a whole day to write this blog post because seeing the big picture/ high-level planning/strategy, coaching, marketing, copywriting and training are where I’m naturally talented and by practising these things on a daily basis I can hone my God-given talents into skills.
What are your natural talents that could take your business to the next level that you’re overlooking because you don’t have enough time?
As Osho said, suffering and struggling are optional … but you have to provide them for yourself!
Here’s what Frankie said, after months of fruitless effort trying to get results in his business …
“When I contacted Graham, I was at the end of my tether with internet marketing…trying in vain to find someone who could actually deliver me some tangible results! I think my first conversation with Graham involved me shouting down the phone, not at him but just in frustration at everything that I had been through trying to get my Internet marketing to work. Thankfully, he didn’t take it personally and he agreed to a performance-related payment agreement, where I paid him half the cash up front, and half when we had achieved our target – 10 new Members for my Football Academy, based in Swansea, South Wales. As promised he over delivered. Not just in results – I gained 13 new clients within the space of a month – but in terms of professionalism, reliability and perhaps most of all…being the person who – finally – was able to not only help with the nuts and bolts of internet marketing but also the ‘sky view’ overall strategy of my business. I was amazed at how quickly Graham grasped what my business was about, without ever seeing it live in the flesh. He also helped me navigate through some very testing times in my business. He has been a fantastic model of excellence for me in the way he is so tenacious, results driven and yet professional and full of great human qualities. We have plenty of laughs and get stuff done. What more do you want?”
