#1004 Your Schedule is not my Schedule

Your goals are not mine, and your need to strike items off your list does not take precedent over mine. Would you agree with that? Would you agree that your to-do list should be your priority? 

I don’t think you could argue against that. Sure, a parent could argue that a child’s needs come first, and a caretaker could say the same for their infirmed charge, but in business, can we agree that you need to stick to your plan and get your stuff done?

Good. So why do you start the day by checking your email? Email, by and large, is a central repository for other people’s to-do list items that require your help.

You click on an email, and it asks you about X. 

You then look into X, opening up previous emails, pertinent files, or websites. You find the answer, hit reply, and the emailer gets to check that item off her list. But what about you? What about your list? What about your plan?

Have you ever gotten to the end of the day feeling you’ve been at it in earnest all day but haven’t accomplished much?  

The aforementioned email rabbit hole may be part of the answer.

Walk into your day with a plan. Write it down in advance. It can be as robust or sketchy as you desire but have one. 

Before starting the day, think about a few things you’d like to accomplish and write them down. Then decide what is the most important among them and begin your day doing something that will lead to the successful completion of that thing. Do it to the exclusion of all else until you are at a logical stopping point. Do it before you check email, scroll Facebook, or like my post on Linked. Do it before you agree to an early morning meeting or take a call.

Your schedule is your schedule IF you write it in advance. If not, then MY schedule will be your schedule as I set out to complete my big rocks and email you for help and answers to get MY stuff done.

Capisci?

Own Your Sales Gene…