Ideally you’d spend a bit of time every day – maybe half an hour – getting ahead of the game.
Instead of reacting to the problems that are dumped on your desk this would be time spent on…
- thinking
- getting to the root of reported problems
- improving systems
- setting up a system for a repeating problem
- learning – e.g. excel, or technical aspects of your job
- coaching someone who works for you – improving your “machine of people”
- training someone up so you can delegate something to them
- planning
- working on strategy
- asking customers what they will be wanting in the future
- working on the system rather than in it
People who know about my captain of the ship story will recognise Vision Systems and People in the above list. Everything comes down to those in the end!
Block out half an hour in your diary and try to keep to it. Book other appointments around it, tell people you already have an appointment for that time, tell people you can’t be interrupted, or ask if they can wait 30 minutes will you’ve finished.
This isn’t skiving time, this is the best bit of your day. As you head for home you’ll think “That was a good day, I learned about Pivot Tables” or “I trained Fred up so he can do the figures from now on” or “I finally got to the bottom of that problem with the stock errors” – result!
Half an hour a day adds up to 100 hours = about three weeks a year. A lot of time!
