adopt effective time management habits

Getting a grip on management

Here’s a fascinating fact about kettles. As you put heat energy into a kettle of water, the temperature goes up steadily, just as you’d expect. However, when it reaches 100 degrees, the temperature stops going up even though you’re still putting energy into it. It’s like it’s hit a glass ceiling. The reason? Well, the water uses the heat energy to transform into steam - to become bigger, better, and able to do some real work.

I see something similar happening in business all the time. Managers and business owners work hard on their business, growing it and developing it. But many seem to hit a glass ceiling. They find themselves working at full capacity, often reaching overwhelm as they work all hours. They think they can hire people with specialist skills to give the business an extra shove, but often this just adds cost and achieves little, sometimes with the business even slipping back.

In other words, the energy going in is just not lifting the business. It’s as if it’s hit a glass ceiling which its just not possible to see through properly. So what’s the answer?

The trick is to look through the glass ceiling and see where you want to be, and to expand into something that you may already have seen, or that’s different in a powerful new way.

Its vital for all proprietors to take some time, to step back, and look at the future of their company. The time spent seeing where they want to be, and how to organise and manage the way there, will be richly rewarded.

Look through the glass ceiling, and watch your business go through the roof!!

With best wishes

As we’ve been talking about learning new habits of effectiveness it’s as well to bear in mind that when establishing a new routine that requires a behaviour change, quite often there are a number of setbacks along the way.

How you react to these setbacks will ultimately determine the degree to which you adopt effective time management habits.

There are three things to consider when dealing with setbacks and they are:

Lapse…….. Relapse …….. Collapse

A lapse is a slight error or slip; it’s the first instance of backsliding into your former habit. It’s a discreet event like not concentrating on the Top 3 or setting aside time to plan. A Relapse occurs when lapses string together for a continued period of time. A Collapse arises when a relapse becomes permanent, and all hope of getting back into the groove is given up altogether.

While some bounce back and use the slip as a signal to increase their commitment. It is all too often the case for a relapse to cause a negative reaction which festers until the desired behaviour is given-up completely.

There are two ways to manage this. The first is to realise the importance of consistency when establishing any habit and commit to avoid and prevent slips all together. The second is to respond to any slip by immediately returning to the desired behaviour.

For some people, a lapse might cause them to feel as if they have no reason to go on with the habit – or they can start again. But the truth is quite different. It’s important to appreciate this point because it will make habituation easier over the long term.

When you lapse, instead of thinking it’s really not worth going on with the habit because there are too many distractions, challenge yourself to try again, and immediately recommit yourself so your lapse doesn’t turn into a relapse or a collapse?

Obviously you should try …and of course you can.

The point is this - even when you’ve slipped, you are still in control. Only you can decide to get back on track, or, postpone your re-commitment and have your entire effort collapse. The choice is yours.

But try and you’ll be that much closer to becoming a competent business owner and entrepreneur.