Sharon Kaibel – “You can use Schedulemailer to re-focus you on your goals”
Sharon Kaibel is a Productivity and Performance Trainer, Speaker and Coach, helping people to increase their influence, impact and results in their professional and personal lives.
1. Why does efficient time management make sense?
Kaibel: “Life is busy. And unless you’re organized and using sound time management principles, you’ll only achieve a small portion of your potential. Secondly, we want it all. We want success in every area of our lives, whether it be in our work, personal, relationships, spiritual and financial lives. Without the use of robust time management principles, you stand to miss out on opportunities and options if you don’t have the time to fit them in. Waste time studying and you won’t be able to take up the offer to join your friends for that social drink, without falling even further behind.”
2. What is the biggest mistake impeding efficient time management?
Kaibel: “People fall victim to the ‘activity trap’, ‘busy work’ and wasted time if they have no clear goal of what they’d like to achieve in a day, month or year. Equally as important is the need to have robust systems and strategies in place to help them achieve those goals. This includes having a solid time management system in place to ensure that what you intend to get done in a day, gets done.”
3. Where should I begin, if I want to keep my appointments better?
Kaibel: “Keeping appointments is critical to your reputation of being someone who is professional, respectful and organized. But when you’re focused on getting something done, it can be easy to overlook the time, causing you not only to run late but also suffer the associated stress of having to make excuses for your tardiness. Scheduling calendar appointments is fundamental to keeping you on track. Better still, setting reminders to alert you to the appointment in advance can give you the time to close out what you’re working on and get to your appointment. Appointments are also easier to manage if they are scheduled in blocks with leeway for travel in between, so you are not constantly in and out of the office. And give yourself catch up time after every second or third appointment (use this time to catch up on your reading pile when you’re on schedule).”
4. What are the basics for meeting all my deadlines?
Kaibel: “Plan your week and when scheduling appointments, be realistic about what’s possible, allowing leeway for the unexpected. Prioritized To-Do lists are a necessity, along with a system to capture thoughts and ideas. Set reminders for every task to alert you to what needs to happen when. These tools enable you to keep a clear mind to focus on the task at hand, and help prevent you getting distracted through the day. Trying to remember all your commitments is a recipe for disaster, particularly when you’re busy (find other ways to keep your brain active). Have all your electronic tools synced so you’re working from only one calendar, accessible from your phone, computer and tablet. Google’s Calendar and Gmail is a good option as a central system that is always accessible. A handy hint is to email yourself tasks when out and about – when you’re back in the office clearing your mail, you can transfer tasks to your to-do list. Email is simply a communication tool – why not use it to communicate with yourself.”
5. How can I strengthen my willpower to follow my plans?
Kaibel: “Have an accountability buddy to keep you on track (you can use ‘Schedule Mailer’ to create reminder emails sent to yourself in advance to re-focus you on your goals). Use a Vision Board to keep your goals visible and top of mind. Set aside ‘Reflection Time’ in your calendar each week to consider your progress made, plan for the next week and create necessary reminders. Creating an ‘Ideal Week’ can also help you stay focused – mapping all the things you need and want to get done to a weekly calendar. Include all regular meetings and work time; exercise commitments; goal achievement time; client facing and social time; administrative and email management time; planning and project time etc. This helps you see where your important things fit into your week, and can be used as a template when setting real appointments.”
6. What can I do if others complicate my own time management?
Kaibel: “Let people know your plans in advance so they are less inclined to impede your progress with unexpected requests. Negotiate timeframes on requests made of you rather than simply accepting other people’s deadlines. Don’t allow other people’s lack of planning to become your crisis. Be flexible when you can, but firm when you need to. Give people fair warning of your time restrictions, so they can plan around you accordingly. And set up other people for success by providing them with reminders to ensure they have plenty of notice on things you require from them.”
7. What is the difference between time management in private life and in professional life?
Kaibel: “You only have 168 hours a week and you’ve got to fit both your personal and professional commitments in there somewhere. Unless you live a quiet life with very few commitments, you need to be streamlined across all areas of your life. Being overwhelmed and over-committed in one area of your life WILL spill over to the other. The underlying stress will impact on all you do. Time management principles need to be applied across all you do.”
8. What personal price do I have to pay for more efficiency?
Kaibel: “Greater efficiency comes from personal discipline. Discipline is not a noose around your neck; rather, it’s a liberating force. Being disciplined to implement time management practices and strategies enables you to get things done on time, de-cluttering your mind and freeing up space in your calendar for other enjoyable things you want from your life. Time management systems may cost you money. Consider what your time is worth working on the things you are good at – and what time will be saved by the system you are spending money on. If it saves you more than it costs, it’s worth it.”
9. What success does a better time management yield?
Kaibel: “Better time management leads to personal satisfaction and a greater sense of accomplishment. Knowing you’ve had a productive day, having made progress on your goals is an enriching experience. And producing more in less time can yield massive financial return. ”
Further information:
Schedulemailer lets people know your plans in advance.