Have you ever looked back on your day and realized you hadn’t completed many of the tasks you wanted to?
Time management is the worst these days.
It’s not that there is more or less time left in the day, but how much we put into it.
With so many things (aka distractions), we find ourselves having a difficult time completing our top five.
Or the infamous, “There isn’t enough time in the day!”
Have you ever caught yourself saying those dreadful words? I know I have before.
For the last few days I let the distractions consume my time.
So, how was I able to get back on track?
There is quote which I often look back on…
Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life. ~ Alan Lakein
I don’t know Alan, but what I do know is he’s right. If you want to master your life and your business, then you have to master using your time wisely.
What some people may think as being difficult, was rather an easy decision to for me to do…and that was to disconnect myself.
What’s The Answer Then
To ensure I got caught up with my tasks of running a home business, I disconnected myself from the things that did not contribute to me finishing my top five.
So that meant; no blogging, no reviewing emails, no visiting forums, no reviewing and reader other bloggers sites, etc.
It meant it was time to buckle down and get the freaking job done.
Amazingly enough, what would’ve taken me a few days took me a few hours because of how I decided to manage my time.
Although some of the tasks above do help my business, they were by no means helping me finish what I needed to get done.
So, I challenge you.
If you disconnect yourself, how fast would you be able to complete your top five?
I promise you, if you can leave the distraction factors out of the equation, you’ll be amazed how much you can really get done.
Also, the other thing which I mentioned above is to use your top five.
Your top five are the top prioritized tasks you need to complete for the day.
Nothing but nothing prevents you from finishing them. And, if you don’t finish them for that day, then you continue them the next.
Only then can you go on to the next task. This is what time management is all about.
Do you think you can do it?
If a busy network marketer can do it, then so can you.
What does time management mean for you in your business? Share you take on this…
Jerome Ratliff
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Loved this post Jerome. It’s an ongoing challenge to manage time and one that you can’t stop giving attention to or else one starts to drown very fast.
I like your simple, “tough love” approach. It’s what works.
Cheers
Marcus
~Marcus Baker~
Attraction Marketing Specialist
.-= Marcus Baker´s last blog ..Does Your Network Marketing Blog Vomit ‘BUY ME’? =-.
Hey Marcus,
It sure is a challenge, but one we must not give up on.
Jerome Ratliff
Hmmm, we are kind of on the same track today although mine did vary a little.
I checked my e-mail this am, then tuned out everything else to work on a “to do” list that had 7 sections with things to do.
I didn’t get it all done, but made a dent in it.
Plus managed to get the house to where it doesn’t look like a bomb went off in it! LOL
I like that top 5 thing…I’ll have to implement it.
Thanks for the tip!
Twila
.-= Twila Jacobs´s last blog ..The Best Of Success =-.
Hi Twila,
Times do crazy and sometimes that means we get as much as we can get done. This is why I make sure to work the top five to stay on track.
I hope it helps you like it has for me.
Have a rocking evening,
Jerome Ratliff
I can definitely relate to this post, Jerome!
I focus on my 5 tasks every morning before I move on to anything else.
I was talking to Josh Garcia about this yesterday — that’s how I was able to write a book in 3 months — a little every day.
.-= Derek Alvarez´s last blog ..You ever feel like all is lost? =-.
Great minds think alike Derek.
Very cool.
Jerome Ratliff
P.S. I love the book man!
Social comments and analytics for this post…
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Hey Jerome,
The internet is a big problem these days. But it’s unavoidable because I use it so heavily for business, haha.
Just gotta “Eat That Frog” in the morning man. My bad habit was checking emails first thing. I got a lot more done if I checked them later.
Wayne
.-= Wayne Wu´s last blog ..5 Magic Words That Will Get You A LOT More “Yes’s”! =-.
Well said Wayne…Eat the frog is the best way to put it.
Talk to you later,
Jerome Ratliff
I wrote a post about this last week because I always have to keep it at the front of my mind or I easily get sidetracked. I need to implement this policy. Nothing else until I get my main stuff done.
Very, very important.
Eric McMillan
.-= Eric McMillan´s last blog ..5 Habits/ Things Every MLM Marketer Needs To Get Rid Of Right Now =-.
Hey Eric,
It’s tough to do, but it does work. No matter how long it takes you, at least you’re getting it done which is much better than continuously pushing it off.
Have a good one,
Jerome Ratliff
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jason Better, Marcus, Wayne Wu, Eric McMillan, Twila Jacobs and others. Twila Jacobs said: RT @JeromeRatliff Network Marketer Stung by Time Management Crunch http://bit.ly/dsBbiy [...]
Hey Jerome,
This is a topic that I’m still mastering. But I know that I’m not the only one who is figuring it and mastering.
Whenever I get off track. I stop what I’m doing and analyze to see what I’m working on going to get me closer to my goal.
Thanks for sharing!
Chat with you later…
Josh
.-= Josh Garcia´s last blog ..Attract More Online Traffic By Simply Having a Winning Attitude… =-.
Hey Josh.
We are definitely on the same page. It happens to the best of us. If we can acknowledge it, that says a lot.
Jerome Ratliff
Hey Jerome, this is tough, but super important to avoid going in circles.
I’ve gotten more strict with mine lately and it’s been a huge help.
Now if I could just get my husband to understand that working from home doesn’t mean lots of free time to play all day…
What can I say, he loves attention and has been spoiled too long! lol
Awesome article!
Susanna
.-= Susanna Hess´s last blog ..Is Your Coach Hot? Smoking Hot Desire Leads To Network Marketing Success =-.
Hi Susanna,
I know what you mean. I have the same experience with my wife and kids.
I so can relate.
Have a great day,
Jerome Ratliff
“Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life”. ~ Alan Lakein
This is going on my wall!
Thanks for the inspiration,
Matt
.-= Matthew Pedler´s last blog ..MLM Companies – What’s Great And What Sucks? =-.
It’s definitely a quote to mount on the wall…
Have a good one Matt,
Jerome Ratliff
Words of wisdom… Great post, thanks for sharing your hard-won knowledge.
Alan
Hey Alan,
Thanks for stopping by…
Winners only, winners only.
Have a great day,
Jerome Ratliff
Hey Jerome,
You mention a topic that is close to my heart this week. Funnily I actually tackled a similar topic about email distraction.
Completing your daily tasks is a real challenge with these distractions. What does time management mean to me? Well, to answer your question – A WHOLE LOT! without it you get a lot less done and move forward slowly.
I am working on it…
Thanks for this post.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
.-= Wayne Vassell´s last blog ..What Makes Us Lose Focus On Our Business? =-.
It happens to the best of us Wayne.
At least we are acknowledging it. That says a lot.
Have a good one,
Jerome Ratliff
Jerome,
I can’t get enought
of posts that cover
time management. The more I write and
read about it, the more I am able to
improve my own
skills.
It’s always work in
progress.
Tommy D.
Hey Tommy,
Improving is key. And the more we do, the better we become.
Talk with you later,
Jerome Ratliff