Marketing Coach: Live Out of Your Calendar NOT Your Inbox
Had a high-output day today after hearing my friend, personal productivity and goal achievement expert Michael Gidlewski present a seminar yesterday.
By the time you're done reading this post, you will get the secrets to create your OWN high-payoff productivity burst any time you wish.
But it takes more than wishing - it takes resolve and action.
One hint - It is simple but not easy.
Back to today. What made it so special? Imagine having a day where...
- You get IMPORTANT stuff done
- You have more FOCUS
- You FEEL better about what you accomplished
- And you accomplish more of what really matters to you and your business
In fact, it's very possible I accomplished more today (Friday) than in the four prior days this week combined.
After Michael's executive workshop, I got a better handle on what my key high-payoff activities TRULY were. I then put them on my calendar in specific time slots. And the screen that was under my nose all day was my CALENDAR, not my email INBOX.
Quick tips for you:
1. Plan your day - what MUST get done and WHEN?
2. Chunk your day down into blocks and assign specific tasks to those blocks - Phone calls, emails, client tasks, whatever it is YOU want to do that will move you closer to your GOALS.
3. Keep that damn calendar under your nose. All day. Make it your default screen. Hide, minimize or (gasp) close your email until "check email" pops up on your calendar.
4. Make note of COMPLETING your high-payoff activities. Check them off your task list or change their color on your calendar so you have a visual roadmap of achievement for your day.
So what's the big deal? What did I get done?
- Coaching call with one of my awesome clients in Canada
- Answered LinkedIn request for conversation with new prospect **
- Followed up with FIVE key prospects who were in various stages of follow-up mode by sending high-value article on referrals
- Wrote this blog post
- Connected with my 2 co-presenters for the Magnetic Marketing Seminar on 6/21 (if you're near Philadelphia, you're invited to register and join us - it's FREE.)
- Followed up with an editor of a financial publication about doing a podcast and speaking at several of their banking conferences over the coming year.
- Took care of some financial nonsense which I've been procrastinating on for 2 weeks. (I hate that stuff, thus keeping my bookkeeper and my accountant profitably busy!)
- Made one important prospecting phone call (the only thing I hate more than financial detail work is using the phone.)
- Connected with my Vistage Chair to ask him an important favor.
- Got a solid No from a prospect on the phone and ended the prospecting/sales process with her on a strong positive note. (Did I mention how much I hate the damn phone? Gotta use it, though...)
All together, I had EIGHT high-payoff activities on my calendar and knocked all of them out before 3pm. Changed their colors, made follow-up notes, and felt great about the results of the day.
** NOTE: You may have noticed that my second item was to respond to a LinkedIn request that came in via email. The reason I was able to do that was because of point #5 in this post - I did a "Money Pass" through my email inbox and the new prospect inquiry from LinkedIn QUALIFIED as a high-payoff activity so I proactively added it to my day in real-time.
The short lesson is: Live Out of Your Calendar and NOT Out of Your Inbox!!
p.s. For a smart support system and specific tools on HOW to do precisely that, check out my pal Marsha Egan's awesome program called INBOX DETOX.