Time Management: Watch Out For The ‘Squirrels’ in Your Day!
What on earth can squirrels possibly have to do with time management and getting stuff done?
Well, a ‘squirrel’ is anything that suddenly takes your attention away from what you’re working on.
If you’ve seen Pixar’s animated movie ‘Up,’ you’ll know what I’m talking about. The movie involves a dog (amongst other characters) who in mid sentence will suddenly become distracted by a …
SQUIRREL!!
Whenever he sees one go by – no matter what he’s in the middle of, he shouts …
SQUIRREL!!
As I write this article, both hubby and I are each working at the kitchen table but we are distracted by a ‘squirrel.’ Our ‘squirrel’ comes in the form of a kitten we are temporarily housing.
Although we’re attempting to focus on getting work done, it’s difficult to maintain that focus when your big toe suddenly becomes fodder for this cute little thing … or any of the other silly antics the kitten gets into which grabs our attention.
This particular distraction can’t be avoided right now. But ‘squirrels’ come in many other forms – ones that can be controlled, so it’s best to watch out for them. Here are some examples:
· People walking by your office – make eye contact with them and the next thing you know you’ve got a full-blown conversation going on … SQUIRREL!!
· Email alerts – you know those dings and visual alerts that let you know yet another distraction has suddenly shown up in your inbox … SQUIRREL!!
· Telephone rings – you instantly reach for it to answer the call … SQUIRREL!!
· Text message comes in – and no matter what you’re doing or with whom you’re talking to, you instantly check it … AND REPLY!! (I guess that’s why it’s called instant messaging) … SQUIRREL!!
Get the idea?
These little rascals are seriously cutting into your productivity. They are the reason it’s taking you a lot longer to get stuff done than you thought it would.
If you need to work on something that will require your attention and focus, then …
Stop. Feeding. The. Squirrels.
· Close your door and post a note to let people know you NEED uninterrupted time.
· Turn off your mail alerts and quit checking your inbox.
· Stop answering the phone every time it rings.
· Text messaging is usually a personal distraction – you’ve got important work to do, so make THAT a priority and shut your phone off.
You know you need to do this – so, what’s stopping you?
I could go on and on about this subject, but I’ve got a little ‘squirrel’ that wants to cuddle with me right now.
Just for today, eliminate these distractions and watch your productivity soar.
Now, get on with your day!
Time Management Watch Out For The Squirrels in Your Day - To learn more about this author, visit Georgina Forrest's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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