One of the best things about being a FocalPoint Business Coach is definitely the support system that comes with the brand. I think that it is a huge key to our success. We have some amazing coaches with extensive backgrounds, plus we have the support of our own mentoring calls to keep us focused.

We did a coaching challenge on time management a while back and had a great response from all our coaches. Here are the most recurring themes our people came up with – I think this is a pretty solid list!

1. Prioritize your daily tasks and mark them as A (urgent), B (important), C (less important). Resolve to do all A tasks before B and C tasks. This tip is a Brian Tracy basic and it was suggested by Declan Loy. Anthony Beale expanded on the idea:

“Another way to get more from our time is to adopt a Brian Tracy method form his book eat that frog which is the ABCDE method of task assignment. An A Task is a task that has serious consequences or results if done or not done and should be completed 1st. A B task is a task that is important may not have major consequences right now but left undone will become an A task , a C task is a nice task that has no consequences, ie. a coffee break reading the newspaper talking with colleagues . A D task is a task that you need to delegate to a capable person and an E task is a task that needs to be eliminated in other words there are tasks that did serve a purpose at one time but they no longer generate a result. Always do an A task first, once all A tasks are done then do B tasks, never do a B task when an A task is left undone and never do a C task when a B task is left undone. By adopting these to practices you will definitely increase your effectiveness and use your time far more efficiently.”

2. Close the door. This is from Dulcee Loehn and – even though it is super simple, basic – I think it is one of the most important time management tips a client can get! Assign a time of day when you turn off your cell phone, turn off the instant messaging, close the door and work on the high priority tasks. FOCUS!

3. Block specific times for specific tasks. This is from Bryan Lockheart and Margaret Maclay. Once you have organized your ABCDEs, then you have to stick them into a schedule. I suggest the A’s and B’s get assigned to the closed door times that you designated in tip 2.

4. Eat Frogs first thing in the morning. I realize other sites may suggest a protein drink but FocalPoint Business Coaches have been trained by Brian Tracy and they know that frogs are way more productive. Here’s what Sid Howlett had to say on the subject:

“Use the first part of your day to "Eat That Frog". Brian Tracy talks about this strategy in his book of the same name. The concept is to tackle the highest priority task in the start of your day when you are freshest and most energetic. Complete the task in it's entirety before moving onto another task. If the task is of high importance, advise your staff that you must not be interrupted. Once completed, you will feel energized and enthusiastic to tackle more tasks throughout the day.”

5. The 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, was one of the tips provided by Anthony Beale: 80% of results come from 20% of the efforts, as long as 20% of the efforts are focused on high priority tasks.

 6. Delegate effectively. Mike Alpert pointed out that, while learning to delegate is an important time management tool, learning to delegate effectively is even more important. When delegating tasks to others:

•       Make sure the task is assigned to the person who can do it.
•       Clearly define the task with targets and timelines.
•       Ensure the task is do-able and that the tools needed to do the task are available.

 7. The 10/90 Rule was Jerald Cohen’s tip: taking 10% of your time to plan and organize can save up to 90% of your time later. A job that is planned out and organized will get done way more efficiently than one that doesn’t know where it’s going.