Known Ways To Get More Done

The further I climb in my career, the harder it becomes to get more things finished.?I have a lot less time than I did when I was starting off my career.?Sometimes I even miss the days of being a younger staff where you logged onto your computer, checked your email, and then started working on your small section of a project, and it was obvious what I needed to complete.

Getting the important things done can be difficult. Everyone has their own method, so I will share what works well for me or what I have seen clients successfully implement.??

?The Problem Solver?

I have observed many small businesses (I was guilty of this myself for several years) where the owner can’t prioritize and accomplish things because they are constantly solving problems. Does anyone relate to that???

?Usually, this is created unintentionally. As a business owner, you have to sit back and think if this is your organization.?

?If you have this problem, you have to change it immediately. If your team isn’t capable of solving problems, then you don’t have a good team and your business will never be able to scale.

?A tool we have found that is excellent for solving problems is using an issues list and working the L-10 meeting format from Traction by Geno Wickman. The issues list is super helpful as everyone has access via a google sheet link, so it is for everyone to add issues when encountered in your organization. We use the Fibonacci Sequence for identifying a priority?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number??

?So, it is clear what is a priority as we rate issues on a scale of 1 to 233 as opposed to on a scale of 1-5. It is crystal clear that a 233 is a higher priority than an 89. A rating of a four vs three might not be as clear to the team on how different they are in importance.

?The L10 meeting gives both you and your team dedicated time to Identify Discuss and Solve issues during a weekly meeting. It is incredible how many problems can get solved in a short period of time. If your organization is solving issues each week as a team, this will help move the needle positively. It also empowers the team and gives them permission to solve issues without you. Have other team members run these meetings and intentionally miss them from time to time.?

?See what the team solves when you aren’t there.

Blocking Days

I have found it helpful for me to try and set a theme around each day.??

?Monday is my administration day and internal meetings. I review our numbers, scorecards, talk to the team, and we as a group align on priorities for the week. It is essentially my day of prep for the week to make sure it goes smoothly.??

?Tuesday to Thursday are my days where I meet people for lunches, network, make calls, lead intro and discovery calls, and help the team work on items to improve the business. I also help with content, improve our offers, and work to improve our marketing and presence. These are my get shit done days, as I call them.

How to Delegate

?Delegating is a skill that is developed over time. Frequently business owners take a while to learn to delegate.

?Often on small teams, as new hires are added, tasks are delegated and not roles. It is challenging to delegate tasks as it will eat up a lot of your time. The person you are delegating too often sits idle until another task is given to them. It is a bad habit for both parties to get into.??

?Empower your team and delegate roles and not tasks. Think of how much more powerful your team member feels if they are responsible for a fundamental part and not just a single task or a few tasks at a time. They should know how their role helps drives the organization to its goals. As a result of delegating roles, you will have more considerable buy-in, the micro-managing stops, and each party is significantly more productive.

?Friday is my working on the business day and a flex day depending on my needs that week. I reflect on the week and work strategically on the business. Some days I may catch up on client items or proposals, while on other Friday’s I may work on the business all day. These buffer days give you some flexibility as business changes and aren’t the same week to week.

?Before each day starts, I look at my calendar and map out what I can realistically finish based on my schedule, and if time permits, I will list up to 5 items of priority. When I am swamped my focus is to simply add value to my calls/meetings and be present. You can’t conquer a massive list of things every day, which is okay.?

?In fact, “To-Do Lists” don’t work unless you like the feeling of never accomplishing anything and continually adding items to your list.

?At the end of each day, I try to review the following:

• Did I focus and complete my most important tasks? If not, why?
• I also ask myself, “What could I have delegated to someone else?”

Learn to Say No

?Often when you read about productivity from successful people, they say you must learn to say no.?

Highly successful people say no more often than yes.

It is essential to learn to say no but make sure you know how to do this correctly. When you tell someone “no” you can often piss off contacts or key relationships. Learn to say no in a positive way. You may let someone know that it is not a good time for you right now as you are hyper-focused on achieving goal XYZ this quarter. There are many ways you can do this without coming across as completely rude.

It is important though to manage your time, and as you become more successful, people often want your time.?

Focus on your goals and priorities, and learning to say no is often part of the maturing process. Many of our successful clients have a gatekeeper on their team that helps protect their time. Most people don’t have their cell phone number, no calls come to them without the gatekeeper answering on their behalf, and a few of them don’t even read emails.

Think about how often you say no and if you are protecting your time and priorities. If there is room for improvement, make the necessary changes.

?What are you doing to be more productive? This is a skill almost everyone has room for growth.

Companies also have room for growth and not just people. What is the culture in your organization?

Does it promote and encourage productive people, or is it a more of a command and control type approach with the boss telling everyone what to do??