You have 7 days in a week. “Someday” isn’t one of them.

Roughly half of Americans feel they don’t have enough time, a figure that has remained stubbornly unchanged for the last 15 years. Yet some people squeeze out more satisfaction and productivity day to day.

What is the secret?

The secret is diligent time tracking and vigilant management of each day’s precious hours.

But most people are resistant to this, probably for the same reason that:

People wanting to lose weight don’t want to keep a food journal.

Production workers don’t want to be measured (or keep track of their time) because they want to drag out the job longer to get paid more or not be accountable for their days work.

People wear a Fitbit to count steps because they really don’t want to be accountable for exercising.

Because time tracking will validate if the stories we are telling ourselves about being too busy are really true!

Here are some ways that will help you take control of the clock:

• Prioritize – tackle the tasks that demand the most concentration and creativity during the times you feel the most focused. This is usually the first thing in the morning. Don’t squander this time on social media or emails.
• Stick to a schedule – Scheduling is key for yourself, your team, and your production employees. Write down what you want to accomplish within a time frame. Block out windows of time for specific projects. Prevent interruptions by closing your door, silence your phone, turn off your computer monitor. Focus intently for 45-50 minutes and then take a break to recharge.
• End of day – spend a few minutes reviewing what you have accomplished for the day. End the day on a positive note – what you accomplished.
• Every Friday afternoon – think through the next week and review big-picture goals and deadlines.

Tools to track and manage your time:

• Todoist.com – lets users create tasks and set due dates and assign them to employees.
• Lauravanderkam.com – helps you determine where you’re spending your time.
• Quip.com – is an app that helps set “next action deadlines
• Toggl.com – for people and teams who use billable hours like time-tracking software
• Unroll.me – declutters your inbox by bundling daily subscription emails into a single email.

Make your time count this week.

Dan Lacy

Business Growth Coach