A big tip for the New Year.
Review last year’s diary
Why?
Because there are powerful answers to big questions hidden in your diary.
Whether you use an electronic diary or a manual diary, open your diary now.
First a caveat. Ignore operational meetings as these should be functional and non-negotiable.
Now look at the activities and external meetings you scheduled and attended to last year.
Reviewing the last twelve months, classify these activities or meetings on the basis of whether they resulted in positive, neutral or negative outcomes.
Positive outcomes might include relationship building, social, professional or personal development, networking, winning new business, philanthropy or other positive experiences.
Neutral outcomes might include doing a friend or colleague a favour, conflict resolution, risk management, governance or other situations that you were drawn into but were neutral in outcome.
Negative outcomes might include meetings with no agenda, time-wasters, people picking your brain, being ambushed, heavy admin tasks, activities you shouldn’t attend to and relationships that are never going anywhere. In short, frustrating or negative experiences.
For the year ahead, commit to eliminating activities or meetings that resulted in negative outcomes last year. I acknowledge you can’t eliminate all negative outcomes, but if your instinct suggests ‘I’ve been here before’ cut it off at the pass and save your valuable time.
Aim high here.
After eliminating activities and meetings that previously yielded negative outcomes, now turn to dramatically reducing neutral outcomes. This is harder, but you must try. Challenge yourself by asking whether this activity can be delegated or dropped.
Be determined without becoming precious. Find a balance.
Your diary contains secrets to unleashing capacity into your life.
The answers are in last year’s diary.
Do the exercise.
Make changes.
Take control of your capacity.
There are only 168 hours in a week. You can’t increase time.
But you can change how you spend it.
Tick tick.
To start creating sustainable success in your business and life, download a copy of my eBook 'The Success Algorithm' which details my process to work less and earn more. You can get a free copy on the Giveaways page of my website. Plus some bonus videos from my Fourth Moon video series to reach your goals sooner!
All the best,
Darren K Bourke