In this three-part series of articles (first article can be found here), we explore ways to teach your people effective time management, as explained in Brian Tracy's bestselling book Eat That Frog. Here are two more ways to get everyone in your company onto the same time management wavelength.

Reward “creative procrastination.”

It's no secret that most managers look down on procrastination. Some supervisors even punish employees who put off the work they're supposed to be doing. And in many cases, that's a good thing. Employees who put off hard tasks in favor of easier ones aren't eating their frogs, and that's not an example you want anyone in your company to be setting.

There are times, though, when a certain kind of procrastination is exactly what you want to see. When people are eating their frogs, they should be procrastinating on the tasks that aren't frogs.

Unlike ordinary procrastination, creative procrastination is active, deliberate, and achieved through an effort of will. It's a conscious statement of “no” to tasks that will distract you from your most important work; a decision to put them off until later, to delegate them to someone else, or to eliminate them from your workflow entirely.

Whenever you see an employee eating their frog, and creatively procrastinating on tasks that are less important, give that person a pat on the back, and show them you've noticed. This will give that person an energy boost, as well as some added motivation to creatively procrastinate and eat their frogs first.

Here's a story you can use: Many of the top FocalPoint Business Coaches use employee time management tools themselves. We “walk our talk” in this regard, and we're always working on getting better and more effective with our time management. We do a simple ABC exercise. Start with a to-do list every morning – or even better, the night before. Put a priority letter next to each item on the list; this is a “B” or “C” task, for example. Then, with a big smile on your face, cross out all the Bs and Cs. Focus only on the top-priority tasks. Everything else will take care of itself.

Recognize skills and offer chances to expand them.

You've learned throughout your own career that the more you improve your skills, the more effective your time management becomes. The better you are at a given task, the more quickly you can complete it, the higher-quality your work is, and the more you enjoy doing it. Thus, the more motivated you are to keep doing it every time it's necessary.

“When you know that you can do a job well”, Brian Tracy says in Eat That Frog, “you find it easier to overcome procrastination and get the job done faster and better than under any other circumstances.” This is just as true for your employees as it has been for you; so actively create situations in which they can learn new skills, and sharpen the skills they already have.

That means more than just throwing people into challenging assignments to see how they handle the pressure. It means assigning senior employees to mentor less experienced staff. It means considering the possibility that even low-level employees might do well in different positions or departments, and offering them chances to move into new roles.

Maybe some of your employees would benefit from a training course, or a field seminar. Others might do better in a more challenging position or one that focuses on a different skillset than they were originally hired for. Keep your eye out for people who might fit well into other roles. Check in regularly with your supervisors to find out who they've noticed.

Join us soon for the third and final installment in this series of articles, where we'll explore a few final tips from Brian Tracy's book Eat That Frog.

A FocalPoint Business Coach can provide you with tips like these, along with others which you will find throughout the FocalPoint Business Coaching and Training website. Our professional global Business Coaches will assist with making your customers and employees into passionate supporters of your business. All it takes is a little kindness, and a lot of attention to detail. Contact a FocalPoint Business Coach today.