Time

The Time of Your Life

Why do some people seem to get ten times more accomplished while others always seem to run behind schedule in everything they attempt to do?

Five years ago I worked ten to twelve hours a day, most often seven days a week. Then, over time, I learned how to accomplish more during a 5-day week than I had previously done working those long hours all week.

The change began when a consultant, Jon Erlanson, challenged me to stop working weekends. It took me about four months to finally stop sitting at the computer all weekend long. Then, it took another four months to cut out the long days. It was extremely challenging.

I was so used to spending every waking hour working it was difficult to feel normal when I wasn’t working. It was as though I felt guilty for not being at the computer.

One day I realized that I was reading my mail when I intended to make calls for potential new members for Elite Leads. I stopped what I was doing and pulled out my stack of lead forms and began calling to invite new guests to meetings.

That evening I outlined everything I had to do each month to make sure the meetings ran smoothly. Then I separated my tasks into several categories. First were the things that could only be done during working hours and then the monthly or weekly tasks. Next, I created a calendar and plugged each item into a specific area until everything was listed.

In the months that followed, I changed the calendar every month. I added and deleted tasks as I changed my priorities. Rarely does a month go by without having to add or delete items. It’s a great way to make sure everything gets done.