In a blink

Our oldest daughter Kelsey turns 30 today. 30. As in years of existence.

How in the heck did that happen? In a mere blink ago she was banging her head on the coffee table as she learned how to walk. (A baby bike helmet seemed like a good idea at the time!) Another blink — her first day behind the wheel of a car. In what felt like half a blink — I was walking her down the aisle.

Time has a way of catching us off-guard, doesn’t it? And we don’t get it back. It’s very difficult to go backwards and undo something we did or even tougher... do something we should have done a long time ago.

The consequences of not being mindful of time’s fleeting nature can be painful and costly.

I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life but if there’s a theme around the regrets I do have it’s often “I wish I’d done XYZ sooner.”

I’m looking at the calendar and feeling time’s hand on my shoulder. We only have five more months in the year. I have a small handful of To Do items, changes in our business, relationships to invest in, and new ideas to explore that I keep saying...”later this year.”

It’s NOW later this year and honestly, I haven’t touched most of them. I have all the ready excuses. Super busy, full calendar of meetings, calls, and coaching, lots of travel days, got married, etc. etc.

Time doesn’t care about my excuses. It just keep marching on. And my “after in the year” window keeps getting smaller. Not only that — but my back of the napkin math suggests I’ve probably left $50-100K on the table because I didn’t master my time better.

How about you?

I’ve identified the three top priorities for me to complete before the end of the year. As you might imagine, they were the same three a few months ago. But here’s what I am doing to make sure the back half of the year is more intentional and fruitful than the first half.

1. I’ve blocked time on my calendar to actually have the head space and work time to get things done
2. I’ve outlined exactly what I need to do in each case and what success/done looks like
3. I’ve told our team what needs to be done and have promised to provide updates once a month so they can hold me accountable
4. I’ve set milestones in each project. I can’t say yes to anything new/more until I reach the 75% done milestones. I’m hoping by then the momentum and being able to see the finish line will keep my focus

Okay — your turn. You have 6 months left. What are you letting time steal from you and what are you going to do about it?

Drew McLellan, with Agency Management Institute, produces a weekly newsletter with updates, tips, and market information of value to marketing agencies, owners, and employees. If you'd like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.