What do you do if your clients have common time-wasting habits?

Identifying time-wasting habits in clients can be as simple as paying attention to common behaviors that slow down progress. Look out for things like frequent rescheduling of meetings, excessive back-and-forth in emails, or delays in providing feedback or approvals. These habits often result in missed deadlines and unnecessary delays. By recognizing these patterns early on, you can take steps to address them and keep your projects running smoothly.

Encourage clients to track their daily activities for a week, noting where time is spent excessively. Suggest using time-tracking apps or journals for accurate assessment. This awareness lays the groundwork for effective habit change and time management strategies.

Setting priorities involves determining which tasks are most important and need to be tackled first. To identify priorities with clients, start by understanding their goals and deadlines. Then, work together to identify key tasks that will help achieve those goals. Encourage clients to focus on completing these high-priority tasks before moving on to less critical ones. By setting clear priorities, you can ensure that time and resources are allocated effectively, leading to more efficient project management and better outcomes.

Encourage clients to use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on urgency and importance. Additionally, advise them to delegate or eliminate non-essential tasks to free up time for high-impact activities.

People can easily get overwhelmed when prioritising tasks. Something I’ve been doing for a few years and also recommend to my clients is…Creating a ‘not now’ list. Straight away it eliminates what’s important and what’s not. The Eisenhower matrix priority tool is great for weekly and months reviews.

Time blocking is a simple but powerful technique for managing your schedule. With clients, suggest setting aside specific blocks of time for focused work, meetings, and communication. By assigning dedicated time slots to different tasks, clients can better organize their day and avoid multitasking, which can lead to inefficiency. Encourage them to stick to their time blocks as much as possible, reserving flexibility for urgent matters. This helps clients stay on track and make progress toward their goals without getting overwhelmed by distractions.

Time blocking is a game-changer. Encourage clients to allocate blocks of time for focused work, breaks, and even personal activities. Suggest using digital calendars or apps to visually represent their schedule and set reminders for transitions between tasks. Additionally, advise them to be flexible and realistic in their time allocation, allowing for unexpected interruptions or adjustments as needed.

Encourage clients to create a distraction-free environment by decluttering their workspace and using tools like website blockers or noise-cancelling headphones. Additionally, suggest implementing time management techniques like the "2 minute rule" to quickly handle minor tasks and stay on track with priorities.

Encourage clients to delegate not only tasks but also decision-making authority whenever possible. This not only frees up time but also fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment among team members. Additionally, advise setting clear expectations and providing adequate support to ensure successful delegation.

Identify the income generating tasks as soon as possible. Prioritise those tasks to drive more income into the business which will provide more space to delegate non income generating tasks.

Wasting time on minor tasks might not only be the result of a person not knowing how to prioritize, thus a lack of ability, but the symptoms of someone avoiding tasks, can also root in hindering beliefs like: - perfectionism - fear of failure - the obligation to please others - etc. I think it's important to take a look at such possible causes and not only teach the client how to organize themselves.