Building a successful business in this fast paced world requires a very different concept of time and possibility. A strictly logical path of time management is likely to leave you left behind. Steve Chandler (pictured left) understands how crucial it is to maximize time through ‘non-linear’ prioritization methods.
Much of the method relates to understanding how to make immediate and valuable connections with clients and prospects in order to drive your business forward. Often, especially in the start up phase, nothing is a greater use of your time than purposeful client or prospect contact.
In order to prepare to do any task efficiently, it is crucial that you are in the right environment and state of mind. If you are not, you are likely to create an unprofessional impression and as stated in a previous article, first impressions based on ‘snap judgments’ are highly predictive of how future interactions and relationships will turn out.
The Mental Preperation for Time Efficiency Process
1. Physical environment preparation – Clear the area.
Remove all non-essential materials and get them as far away from you as possible. Put them in another room or somewhere where you can not seem them in the room. You can put them in their proper place only if it will not take any extra time. This is not the time for organizing.
Also close down and/or remove all non-essential programs and distractions and arrange all essential items in preferred position.
2. Clear the mind – Sit or stand straight with your shoulders back and head up. You can either close your eyes or have them open but looking slightly up and take 3 deep breaths. With each breath, clear your mind by focusing all your attention on your breath.
This will ground you into the present moment.
3. Praise and Prepare Yourself – Continue sitting straight and breathing deeply. State a positive identity and/or task based statement. E.g. You are a great (smart, skilled, talented etc) person about to do an outstanding (wonderful, professional, beautiful etc) job for the next 30-60 minutes on X (name task). Say it out loud and write it down in big letters and place it where it can be easily seen.
4. Clearly envision the outcome. Imagine with as much precision as possible, what you would like to have completed/created 30-60 minutes from now. To increase chances of success, rate the goal on a completion confidence scale between 1-10, where 1 would be very little confidence and 10 being extreme confidence. You should be at least a 7 in confidence. If less than this, reduce aspects of the goal until you are at a 7 or higher. Write down the goal next to your positive statement and your confidence score.
5. Priming the mind and emotions – Continuing to sit straight and breathe deeply, close your eyes again if you wish and create a mental mini-movie of you completing the task. See, hear and feel yourself moving forward through each aspect of the task until it is completed where you feel a sense of accomplishment, pride, strength or whatever emotion/s are right for you. Then imagine taking that emotion with you and keeping it as you reverse back through the completed steps until you come back to now. Do that up to 2 more times, moving forwards until task completion and back towards now. Each time you do this, amplify the internal perceptions and strengthen the positive emotions. When you have returned to the present moment for the final time, take another deep breath, open your eyes if they are not already and begin.
(This entire process should take no more than 2 minutes if writing which is highly recommended. Less than 1 minute if not).
To gain a deeper understanding of ‘non-linear’ time management and other methods of enhancing productivity and business success, my interview with Steve Chandler can be heard by clicking here.
