Mastering one’s self and your activity is a lot different from trying to lasso something as elusive as time, but self-management is a necessity and it’s the first place to start toward better time management.

Brad explains that managing one’s self takes three relatively easy steps:

1. Make a list at the end of the day of what you want to accomplish the next day
2. Prioritize that list
3. Allocate time

When you have completed that task, the next step is to master “planning”. Think of planning in terms of the 80/20 rule: Eighty percent “Do” and twenty percent “Get ready to do.”

In some ways, this is truly the easiest part. But, do you know how to prioritize the list? This requires that you have a clear plan of what your goals are and how you’re going to achieve them. Do you? If not, you must take the step to do this. Executing activities that don’t support your plan is simply going to be a means of efficiently going nowhere. Many of our clients find that the help we provide in getting clarity here is the difference between success and mediocrity.

Part of mastering the “planning” element in your everyday business operations is to recognize what YOU personally need to handle versus what you can DELEGATE to others.

Ah, yes. The “D” word. What a lot of business owners fail to do is to have a training program in place and a strong system in place so that when work is delegated, the person(s) know what is expected of them. Throwing things over the wall to employees who are not truly set up for success can be a cure that is worse than the disease! And success in this arena can be subtle – for example, making sure that the training matches the employees learning style.

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