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05 Sep 2014

Three Tips to Improve Your Routine

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

If you’re living with the same routine and you’re not happy with the results, it’s time for a change! Here are three tips to get you on the right track:

  1. Prioritize

When you get a new email or someone comes to your office, do you drop what you’re doing to meet their needs? Do their tasks take sudden priority? Or do you keep a running list of priorities to determine when things need to be addressed?

If you’re spending your days juggling tasks as they come, it’s time to re-evaluate. At the beginning of each week – and each day – take note of what you want to accomplish and what goals you’d like to meet. Certainly there will be smaller tasks that need to be addressed along the way, but as each new need arises, ask yourself, “Is this task more important than what I’m working on right now? Does it take priority?” If what you’re doing is more important, then find a way to schedule that task for later in the day, tomorrow or next week.

  1. Write It Down

Keeping a to-do list can be a tricky task and you can’t let those post-it notes pile up all over your desk and expect to make sense of them later. Whether it’s a continuously updated notepad next to your computer or an updated calendar on your phone, sometimes you just need to write the tasks down. If something occurs to you that needs taken care of, write it down. There are few things worse than waking up at 2am and realizing you forgot something. Writing down tasks – large or small – will always help and, if you can schedule those things on your calendar, all the better.

  1. Make Decisions and Delegate

When tasks come your way and you have the time to address them, make decisions. Let’s face it, if you have 15 projects in various stages of development, you can’t put all your decisions off until next week. Sometimes you need more time to think about your decisions, but if you have the answer, take action as soon as you can. It’s too exhausting to try to touch everything once and then come back later. If you have an answer or a strategy as an issue or task comes up, share it.

Likewise, if you’re a business owner or executive, when a small task comes your way that could easily be handled by someone on your team – delegate! You should have members on your staff that are trained to act in your absence and can make smaller decisions without getting you involved in every discussion. Trust them to make the right choices! By delegating and making timely decisions, you can keep from getting overwhelmed while giving your employees the opportunity to shine.

If you’re having trouble getting a handle on these tips, it’s time to talk to your local Growth Coach: http://www.thegrowthcoach.com/locator.aspx.