I’ve known Steve for at least 15 years and Gail longer.

This week both of them confided, “I just can’t seem to get
control of my time.”

Steve said, “I’m so technology connected any more I can’t concentrate.
I look up and the day is gone.”

Gail, a busy trainer, says, “I can’t seem to get a full
nights sleep because I’m working late and then have to get up early and as wonderful
as the technology is I feel like not knowing how to use it is what is slowing
me down.”

I understand completely. I still haven’t learned how to
text. The idea of trying to read instructions off my I-phone scares me.

Ted, a management consultant I know was speaking at our
weekly group meeting. Here’s what he had to say:

“The things we have to
work with to make a profit are our knowledge, our ability to lead and our time.
That’s all we have.

You didn’t get where you are by refusing to learn. Your leadership
skills have made you a manager or an entrepreneur. But as you take on more responsibility
your proclivity is to keep trying to do all the things you did before and just
this one thing more.

That doesn’t work. You have to be ruthless with your time.

First, find out how you are spending yours. Take a piece of
ruled paper. On the top line write the days of the week from monday
through sunday. Drop down a couple lines and write in the time you get up. On
each succeeding line add the half hour i.e. 7:00, 7:30 and so on. Go at least a
full 12 hours.

Next week, note what you are doing each half hour of the
day. Be specific about tasks and whether or not they are revenue producing. Identify
tasks with a single word such as: Admin, E-mail, Report Writing, Meeting, Sales
Call, etc. If you are like most folks, you will find that you are engaged in
revenue producing tasks at best about four hours of the day.

To be more
profitable, get ruthless with your time. Use the same kind of form and put
together your ideal week. That is how you would spend the time if you were in
control.

The secret is that you are in control. You decide. You can schedule all
of your creative thinking in one part of one day and the administrivia in
another. You can cluster sales calls and
meetings and make the calendar and clock your friend. It is your choice.

Just get ruthless.”

Jerry Fletcher asks that if you, a friend or colleague have this problem that you pass this blog along. Visit his consulting site or speaking site for more information.