Hello ,

I can't believe we're already into the third month of the year - almost through the first quarter.

Spring is in the air and the days are getting longer and warmer.  I love this time of year its much easier to get out and exercise either during the day or after work.

Please could you spare a few minutes to complete this Time Management survey for me:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BR9R6ZC

As a thank you for your time - get 50% off a Time Audit session.

There are a few things coming up in the next month that I'll just give you a heads-up on

I'm giving a Thought Leadership talk for Financial Advisers later this month on the 25th March.  You can register for the talk on "How to Manage and Run More Effective Meetings".

In April I'm taking part in the Rapid Business Growth Summit in April/May - more details next month.

Top 5 Frustrations of Busy People

Even with the best intentions many people are not using their time in the most efficient or productive way.  Wasting time on things that aren't going to benefit achieving their objectives.  Getting distracted by everything and everyone.  Not understanding the value of their time and where it’s most productively (and profitably) spent.

Every week I’m helping people manage, deal with and reduce these frustrations.

Overwhelm - Sometimes you can feel as if you’re standing in front of a fire hose - there’s just too much coming at you at one time.  Either you need to turn it off or get out of the way.

• Planning and prioritising are the best ways to deal with overwhelm.  
• Get everything down on paper so you can get some perspective on what you really need to do, what’s important, what you can delegate.
• Create an action list and schedule in the important things that will make a difference, not the trivial or non-urgent. 

Distractions - working in a busy office, especially with the open-plan configuration that’s so much a feature of office layouts today, it’s too easy to get distracted by your colleagues, noise and the environment.  Ringing phones, conversations across partitions, traffic past your desk, technology, email, mobiles and social media.

• Book a meeting room or arrange to work from home if you need quiet undisturbed time.
• Manage the interruption - do you need to deal with it right now or can you deal wi it later?
• Respect other people in and around your space - if you're having a 'chat' do it away from where you may be disturbing others.

Trying to do everything - especially if it’s your own business or when you feel you can't afford additional staff or to outsource.  You spend your time juggling the different priorities of managing and running a business.

• Get a good team of people around you to support you and the business.
• Delegate clearly and effectively without micro-managing.
• Identify your skills, abilities and priorities. 

Relationships - whether at work or at home the relationships we have with other people can be a big source of frustration.

It could be your boss who doesn't listen, employees who don’t take responsibility or conflicts with colleagues - either directly or indirectly.  It can all add to stress, frustration and reduced productivity in the workplace.

At home you may take your stress out on those around you or you’re simply too exhausted when you get home to give them the time or attention they need.

Managing relationships can be difficult:

• Learn to communicate more effectively and more often.
• Listen to what people are really saying.
• Understand the importance of timely and appropriate feedback.
  

Never enough time - there never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done and more importantly time for health, exercise and family.  The frustration of spending long hours at work and missing out on time with the children in the evening or relaxing with their partner.

Make time! - be clear about work time and personal time and don't let one intrude on the other without good reason.  That way, the time you spend at work or with your family will be more productive and satisfying when you're not distracted by what’s happening elsewhere.

Plan in time for your health, to exercise regularly and getting away from the stresses of everyday life.

We all have a finite amount of time each day - make sure you’re using yours wisely.

Get in touch if you’d like help with yours.

Clare