Time Management is one of those things I know lots of folks struggle with, myself included. By no means am I a master, but I do strive to get better. Rather than beat myself up day after day, I created a process that gives me the space to manage my time.
Whether you are a sales rep, SDR, Customer Success, VP or Executive, this stuff matters. And by all means, one should incorporate their family into this.
I share these tips with you. If you have one that works, please share in the comments as well.
- Color Code your calendar – Red, Yellow, Green. For me Green is about revenue, Yellow could become revenue, Red everything else.
For family things, from kids’ activities, practices, date night with my wife, or Dr. Appts. Those things are in Blue.
And yes, I have built in “chill family time” in blue to make sure I am not letting something else take a priority over family. - Build in dead time to your calendar. I have 12-1pm every day blocked in Red as lunch. Sure, sometimes I work through lunch but I am in control of this time. Nobody can set a meeting during this time.
- 15 minute sprints – I do build in 1 hour each day, broken into 15 minutes. Each a separate meeting, and I do them all in one hour. So I can do the little things. Sometimes I get it all done in 15 minutes and then I have 45 minutes left. Sometimes I don’t get it all done, and then it just moves to the next day. This last part allows me to “exhale” and not worry about it the rest of the day.
Yes, sometimes I leave 15 minutes and meditate, or just think, write, or even get up and walk around.
- Afternoon off. Similar to Lunch, I have from 2pm-5pm on my calendar every Friday to go play golf. Do I every week? No, of course not, but again, if I don’t build it in, then I won’t ever try to make the time.
Please share what time management tips work for you in the comments below. And if you have any questions or need help with your own time management, please contact us here.
