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What's Your Biggest Time Waster at Work (and what to do about it)

Whether it's email, staff interruptions, or boring phone calls, you can dramatically reduce the cost of these time wasters by leveraging this simple time tactic...

What is your biggest time waster at work? Is it:

A. Phone calls?

B. Meetings?

C. Email?

D. Staff interruptions?

If you are anything like the 353 U.S. business owners my company Maui Mastermind surveyed you're likely answer is "email" (57%), followed by either "phone calls" or "staff interruptions" (tied at 17% each).

Regardless of which of these four time wasters currently costs you the most, all of them can be minimized by using a powerful time tactic. This time tactic is simple to apply and will dramatically reduce these costly interruptions and keep yourself focused on your most valuable activities.

Create a Focus Day

A "Focus Day" is a specific day of the week where you carve out a 3-4 hour block of time in which to work on your highest value activities without interruption.

This could be sitting down to write up that key proposal you've been procrastinating on; or scheduling a top customer visit; or meeting with your leadership team to create your coming quarter's 90-day action plan.

The key is that during your Focus Day you schedule out, far in advance, a definite appointment with yourself, blocked out on your calendar, and that you don't stand yourself up.

For example, one of my business coaching clients Brian sets aside Tuesday's as his Focus Day, blocking out 8-11am for his high value producing work.

I personally set aside Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays as my Focus Days (yes I feel taking three Focus Days each week best serves my company and helps me create the most value I can for my organization.) If you were to look at my Outlook calendar you'd see a recurring appointment I've set up called "Focus Day" from 8-12 on each of these days through the year 2020.

When you have a Focus Day, every non-Focus Day becomes a "Push Day". Your Push Days are all the other days of the week that you use to just "push" your normal projects another step forward. Focus Days help you create long-term impact on your business; Push Days help you keep your day-to-day operations rolling forward.

Your Focus Day gives you a large block of time that you can rely on to be interruption free.

Here are a few more suggestions to make this technique work for you learned by watching several hundred business coaching clients over the past decade apply this strategy in their business lives:

Avoid the first or last day of your work week for your Focus Day. Too many urgencies need your attention on those days. So if you work Monday through Friday, avoid using Monday or Friday's as your Focus Day. As a general rule you'll find it easier to honor your Focus Day commitment if it comes midweek.

Enlist your team's help. Communicate your need for help to your staff so they understand both what you are doing and how it will help the business succeed. When your team understands how important Focus Days are to the company's ability to achieve its goals, they will rally to support that effort.

Consider suggesting your key team members to take their own Focus Day too. You'll quickly see the positive increase in production this will bring.

Control your environment. Get out of your office and away from distractions. Interestingly enough, productivity expert Gloria Marks, a professor at the University of Irvine, California, shared in an interview with Fast Company that one of her keys to getting focus time was to stay out of the office. "I stay home," she shared, explaining that it is the best way for her to avoid a steady stream of interruptions. Maybe you can't stay home, but during your focus time could you work from a quiet conference room? How about a local café? I often head to the lobby of a nice hotel here where I live in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

Bring only the key project(s) you want to work on for your Focus Day. One component of willpower is controlling your environment to best support you. Leave the other work and distractions behind. That way, you couldn't work on them even if you wanted to.

Focus on creating value. Remember that Focus Days aren't about being off by yourself--they are about focusing on your top value producing activities that truly create results for your company. For many people this can mean meetings, phone calls, or critical e-mail. It's not time off or time away from the hard work; the key distinction is that on your Focus Day you are primarily doing your value producing activities.

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Direct Mail Service

Direct Mail Questionairre

Direct Mail

Direct mail is described as sending information about a special offer, product or sale announcement, service reminder, or some other type of communication to a person at a particular street or electronic address. Historically direct mail has existed in the form of printed materials, but CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, fax mail, email, and voice mail are also used in direct mail campaigns. For example, America Online experienced a highly successful campaign through mailing out CD-ROMs to prospective customers. Direct mail permits high target-market selectivity; it can be personalized, it is flexible, and it allows early testing and response measurement to take place. A highly selective and accurate mailing list often determines the success of direct mail efforts to enhance response rates and control costs.

It’s targeted. Mass advertising (TV, print, radio, etc.) can be expensive and isn’t always an option for small businesses. But direct mail can focus on a smaller group of prospects who are more likely to respond to your offer, giving you more bang for your buck.

It’s personal. With direct mail, you can address your customers by name, speak to them individually, and appeal to their interests. And when customers feel that you understand their needs, they’re more likely to respond.

It’s flexible. From letters to postcards to brochures, a wide variety of inexpensve and easy formats are available for your direct mail campaign. You can add impact by including a special offer or free sample in the envelope.

It’s tangible. Direct mail allows you to physically place your message in your customers’ hands and encourage interaction. Along with an engaging message, you can make an unforgettable impression by incorporating elements that actively involve the customer, like stickers, samples, and coupons.

It’s measurable. Direct mail is one of the few media channels that give you the ability to track the success of your campaign. It’s as simple as counting the inquiries you received or counting the number of coupons redeemed. By tracking and analyzing your results, you’ll see what’s working and can make adjustments to future mailings if needed.