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TWENTY ways to save time – part I

Tags: Be interesting | Meetings | Impact | Save time | Do more | Influencing

7th November

The most common grumble in business: “I don’t have time.”

So, in the next two Tips, I’ll show you twenty ways to change how you communicate, to free-up loads of time.

All are easy. All will save you time. But which will you do?

Here are the first ten…

  1. Don’t have 30- or 60-minute meetings. Instead, make them a maximum of 20 or 45. Even shorter, whenever possible
  2. Review last week’s diary, and identify all the things that took longer than they needed to. Then, make sure you don’t let them overrun next week
  3. Make sure every single one of your communications ends with a Call To Action. That way, there’ll always be actions! And…
  4. … If you can’t think what action you want someone to take as a result of a communication, don’t do the communication
  5. Start your prep with the Call To Action – ‘what do I want them to do after they’ve heard this?’ Then create a shorter communication, focused only on getting them to do it (less background; more direction)
  6. Have fewer face-to-face meetings. Have Telephone Meetings instead
  7. Stop emailing. Pick up the phone
  8. If someone asks you to prepare a communication for them, ask them upfront what headings they want in it. That way, you’re creating what they want, not guessing
  9. Decline meetings that you don’t need/want to go to…
  10. … Instead, consider meeting with the Owner 121; and give her your thoughts then. Much more likely to be listened to. Much less time spent

As I said above…

All are easy. All will save you time. But which will you do?

Action point

Identify which of these ten will (1) save you most time and (2) be really easy to do.

Then do it!

Andy's speaking at the UK's best sales conference this month. Other speakers include Sir Clive Woodward and Allan Pease. Fancy coming along?