Remodeler: Where does the time go?

First – let me profess:

I, Kyle Hunt, am NOT a Time Management guru.

Every. Single. Day. I battle my productivity and am constantly working on how to squeeze the most out of my day. Some days I succeed. Other days I fail.

Is that the case for you as well?

I WILL say that over the last couple years I have improved my productivity and time management tremendously.

Here are two things that helped me improve:

STEP 1:

Task Dump – I have a running list that contains ALL of the items that I spend my time on. A portion of my list looks like this:

TODAY’S WORK:
-Review Outlook Calendar for today and week
-Check & Respond to Email Inbox

ACTIVE CLIENT WORK
-List of all clients

PROPOSALS
-List of all proposal I have outstanding

MARKETING/SALES
-Blog/Social Media
-Sales & Follow-up

MISCELLANEOUS:
-Organizing Paperwork, Office

FINANCIAL:
-Cash Flow Spreadsheet
-Quick Books (deposits, invoicing, accts receivable)

I print this list out at the start of the day and next to each item I jot down any Action Items that need my attention TODAY (if no action is needed on a certain item, I cross it off)

STEP 2:

I then create my schedule for the day – I actually print out a Daily Schedule Sheet and hand write the Action Items onto it.

Download the “Daily Schedule” template (it’s a PDF) I use here.

At this point I am confident that I have covered all of the Action Items I need to worry about and I have planned out my day.

This organization and game plan usually gets my through the day pretty well. I check things off as I go. My goal is to NOT transfer anything from today’s list until tomorrow… After all, as our buddy Ben Franklin told us:

“Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today.”

Remodeler, was this helpful?

My goal with this post was simply to share with you what has worked for me. I know from working closely with you guys that Time Management is an extremely important topic – and perhaps the tips and tools above will allow you to get more out of your day.

There are ALL SORTS of programs out there to help you manage your time, the bottom line is:

The best Time Management System is the one that works for you.

Get organized. Get more work done. Have happier clients. Have a healthier business (AND home life.)