Delete, Delay, Delegate or Do?

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Today’s Blog Post

Delete, Delay, Delegate or Do?

My friend Winston Bromley presented a seminar last evening for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs. It was entitled “Networking and Time Management for Business Owners”.

When I received his email the “Time Management” part caught my eye for sure.

Winston shared some of his personal reflections on the way that he organizes his life and business. Very interesting. Thanks Winston. Good stuff.

I came to the meeting a little late… duh! But thank goodness two guys came in later than I did. Not good for Time Management!

My business is growing steadily and branching out in different directions. This I am thankful for. These first three years have been “a challenge to get it all done”. Time is always in short supply and I need more of it.

In fact, if I can be honest, I thought I would have oodles of time in my retirement. I still have the same amount of time as I did before retirement – it is just used differently and seems to be scrambled at times.

Winston made a huge statement for me… to relieve the pressure that I have around me. Wahoo!

He said something like, “Forget the to-do lists!” or something like that – just as I was sitting down. Wahoo! I can feel freedom coming on Winston. Keep going! He said most people have it on a list and then never get to do most of it. The list is kind of way of getting the guilt off your shoulders from what I heard and lists work that way for me!

The funny thing is that I looked up just now and I have list hanging within inches on my nose. I made it that list three years ago. I got one thing on the list done. Oh Boy. But I have other lists as well.

What is Winston’s suggestion? I caught a few of them that will help me I am sure.

One is to write it down in your calendar… schedule the time to do whatever is on that list. By doing this you get it out of your head and recorded somewhere.

My wife does that all the time. She has two calendars – one in her purse and the other in a kitchen drawer. The one in the kitchen is the one that I know well… she tells me to look on the calendar when I ask her if we have anything on for next Monday or Tuesday – or three months from now. She is so organized!

Winston said if we write it down we can be more likely to get it done! Okay.. Okay… I get it.

Then he talked about things that come at you from all sides. Things like email and phone calls – or people asking you to do different things… right in the middle of what you are doing something important. Distractions of all sorts come our/my way.

This part was the best I think.

The Four Ds of Time Management… Delete, Delay, Delegate or Do. Very good. This is something that makes sense and I can likely work on.

It was very good until I realized there is one on that list that I cannot do. That is delegate. Way back in my working career I did that often. Now in the retirement mode it is different.

Who do you delegate to? Your wife? The Dog? The neighbour next door? Oh Oh – the buck stops here – it is me!

Then I can delegate this task to next Thursday. But that is Delay. And I don’t really like the task… so maybe I should simply Delete it.

So Delay is an option. Delete is not going to happen… with my wife looking on. Do is a possibility… But with so much happening… Delay is the best.

Now wait a minute! Wait just a cotton picking minute! I am doing all of that now. That is RETIREMENT! And that is likely why I don’t get much done – when it needs to be done.

Here is my list for these next few days. How would or could you help me?

* Meeting with a young couple today, meet a couple tomorrow… and another person next week…
* Haircut
* Prepare to conduct the Funeral tomorrow – (why did she die this past week… no time for this one)
* Show and presentations for Sunday
* Show and presentations for next Friday and Saturday
* Show and presentation for the weekend after that
* Complete 5 Teddy Bears, 15 Leaves, 15 Feathers for next week’s show
* Complete 5 Teddy Bears, 15 Leaves, 15 Feathers for next weekend’s show
* Draw more pictures for the International Web Site sale and market that is launched in two weeks time… that is taking wildly off in all directions!!
* A day off on Monday??? maybe…

Delete, Delay, Delegate or Do?

Oh Boy. Thanks Winston – you have me thinking. That is good – if nothing else!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Resource:
http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/009311.html
http://www.fa-mag.com/component/content/article/1-features/4422.html?Itemid=67
http://debbiemcneill.com/blog/archives/579