The Timesaving “Key” To Your Success

“What got you here won’t get you there.”

- Marshall Goldsmith

I have a habit that drives my wife crazy. When traveling, I accidentally keep the room keys to the hotels. Being the creature of habit that I am, I tend to stay at the Hampton Inn whenever possible. On a recent trip I decided to conduct an experiment. 

I attempted to use the Hampton Inn key from my previous stay in the door of my current hotel. I slid the key and was disappointed that it did not work. The problem was that I was trying to go through a new door with an old key! If you have ever tried to get to the next level by doing what got you to where you are, you can relate to this experience. What then is the key to your success that will save time? 

Who, Why, What
Whenever I get to a new level, I ask myself three questions:

1. Who is currently on that level that has the results that I want?
2. Why are they successful?
3. What do they do that I can duplicate to get the same results?

For example, early in my career I received a promotion to District Manager of a national automotive chain with responsibility over 16 stores. The district assigned had a history of poor customer satisfaction and always ranked at the bottom of the organization in this category. 

Initially, I attempted to solve the problem by doing what made me successful as single unit manager. This resulted in several weeks of frustration and embarrassment as our customer service scores ranked last in the company! I was so frustrated that I scheduled a meeting with my boss to ask him what he thought I could do to improve. 

Instead of answering my questions, my boss asked me the following: “Who has the best customer service results in the company? Why is he successful? What does he do that you could duplicate in your District?" 

After this conversation, I contacted the top performing district manager and discovered that we were doing many of the same things to improve customer service. However, there was one method of communication that he was using with his team that I had been neglecting. Although it seemed minor, I decided to give it a try. Once I implemented his strategy, my district went from dead last, to well above the national average in customer service results within three weeks! 

Asking the Who-Why-What questions were the keys that took me to the next level. Remember, what got you here won’t get you there! If you know of someone that needs the “key”, please forward this post using the share buttons at the bottom of this post. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For more information that will help you to save time, download my ebook.

How To Procrastinate

“There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.”

Brian Tracy

Procrastination is not necessarily a bad thing. Now that I have your attention, let me clarify my point by sharing the following illustration. Several weeks ago while visiting a friend in the hospital, I happened to pass the emergency room. While in the emergency room I noticed an interesting pattern. 

Patients were not being serviced in the order that they arrived. Those that had cold symptoms and minor bruises were forced to wait while the patients with major injuries were taken in immediately. 

There was a Triage Nurse on duty, whose job was to make sure that the injuries with the most urgency received the highest priority. This was not a first come, first served system. The emergency room is a reminder of the fact that your most important priority is not necessarily the first task that comes to your attention. 

Too many of the to do lists that I see are first come first serve. If there is a list of ten items, most people start with the first item on the list. The problem is that the first item may be the least important while item number ten could be urgent. So, how do you determine what is urgent and what can wait? Keep reading and you will learn how to procrastinate. 

Triaging
Triaging is a system for assigning priorities based on urgency. The nurse in the previous illustration is called a Triage Nurse because her main job is to prioritize. 

I truly believe that if you have more than three priorities that you really don’t have any. When I attack my to do’s, I place a star by the tasks that are truly urgent. The star tells me that if there was a power outage and I could not get anything else done, completing this task would make my day a productive one. For me, checking e-mail, checking voicemail, or sending social media communication is not urgent and does not get a star. I can procrastinate on these tasks because they are not priorities. 

Many of the people with whom I work have a habit of checking e-mail first thing in the morning. They react to a message and spend a significant part of their day putting out fires. The problem is that the truly urgent items take a back seat to something that is of lower importance. They either spend more time in the office or ignore what is truly important. 

If you embrace the process of Triaging, you will have more time for your priorities by procrastinating on those tasks that are not urgent. A failure to triage you will cause you procrastinate on your priorities which is never a good thing! So there you have it. If you know someone who can benefit from this week’s message, please share it using the social share buttons at the bottom of this posting. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For more information on How to Procrastinate, read my ebook. 

One Moment In Time

“Give Me One moment in time, when I am more than I thought I could be, and all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answers are all up to me.”

Those are the words of one of my favorite songs by the late Whitney Houston. They remind of the following conversation between my friend Donell and I back from my college days:

“Donell, what do you plan to do when you graduate?" 

"Eric, my dream is to be an officer in the Marine Corp and to marry my girlfriend. What about you?" 

"I don’t know. I do know this; I am going to the frat party on Friday night." 

"Eric, you really need to get serious." 

"You're right but the good news is that we are still young and we both have plenty of time to figure it out."

Several weeks later I received a call from Donnel’s mother telling me that he had been killed in a car accident. In the midst of my tears and sorrow, I heard a voice that said, "Eric you don’t have as much time as you think.” 

Time is our most valuable resource. Think about it, you can lose all of your money and recover it tenfold, but once you lose time you never get it back. Today, you will learn a tip that will help you to maximize your time, minimize your stress, and be prepared for your defining moment. 

Be Positioned 
When I refer to being positioned, I mean to be positioned in your passion. A recent Gallup survey concluded that 70% of Americans hate their jobs. In other words, most people spend most of their time, to doing something they hate to do. For many years I was a part of that 70% number. On the outside, I was a young, BMW driving executive of a fortune 500 company. On the inside, I dreaded going into work every day. I was so unhappy; I was ready to quit my job without having a backup plan. Everything came to head one day as I was talking to my father about my situation.

“Dad, I am about to quit my job to find something else. I am coming over to work on my resignation letter." 

"Eric, what is your next move?" 

"I don’t know, but maybe quitting will give me the time to find out." 

"Son, moving back home with your Mom and I is not an option for you so before you quit, ask your self the following questions: 1. What are you passionate about? 2. What does success mean to you? 3. If you could make a difference for anyone or any cause, what would that difference be?"

After talking with my Dad, I decided not to quit. Several weeks later, my company offered me a corporate training position which introduced me to my passion of public speaking. This experience taught me that when you get clear on your vision, you will find your passion. 

Once you have indentified your passion, you have taken one step towards being ready for your defining moment. Next week I will share the next step so stay tuned! 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you would like additional information on how to position yourself in your passion, read my latest ebook. 

Time Is the Only Thing You Can't Afford To Waste

This isn't a doom and gloom message. Doom and gloom messages have a moral tale to tell.

I don't. I just want to make you aware of a serious problem. It doesn't seem like a problem for you at the moment, but it truly is.

Here's the problem. Time is the one thing we can't get back once it's lost.

Your choices are increasingly limited and in other ways your choices are just increasing. Your decisions today could cost you time tomorrow.

You read Twiggs Time because you're interested in getting great information about managing your time. I hope I haven't disappointed you.

I strive to lead the industry in being on top of the trends, keeping an eye on the market shifts, and educating new business owners, seasoned executives and key members of their teams to ensure their success.

In keeping in line with my goals, I have recently published the definitive digital publication to help you make the most of your time.

I compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions from my clients and prospects. The questions from business owners, employees and corporate executives are consistently the same.

I decided to create a guide to answer these questions and more. This guide was designed to:

• Introduce you to the power of the list
• Show you how to plan and design a time management scheme
• Educate you on how to truly achieve success by prioritizing 
• Teach you the principles of effective preparation

Not knowing the lessons in this book could cost you the one thing that you can't afford to lose... time.

Download it to your tablet, or even your phone, and refer back to it as often as you need to, to begin building more effective time saving habits.

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

The Biggest Time Management Mistake You Can Make

Most time management problems are really motivation problems in disguise. Procrastination, lack of balance and a failure to delegate are merely symptoms of a bigger issue.  From my experience, the biggest time management mistake that you can make is not being clear on what you value. 

This lack of clarity will cause you to procrastinate, and spend time with the wrong people doing the wrong things.  So, how do you become clear on what you value so that you have more time and experience less stress? 

Your 90th Birthday
Close your eyes and imagine that you have traveled forward in time to a 90th birthday celebration banquet being held in your honor.  Who is in the room and what are they saying about you?  You are asked to speak and you make the following statement:  “I have lived a great life because I achieved my dream to ….” Whatever comes after the word “to” represents what you value. The people that you imagine as being in the room and the words they use to describe your life are also a part of your value system. 

Your Personal Mission Statement
The next step is to create a written personal mission statement. Your personal mission statement is a statement that summarizes the core values and beliefs that you discovered in the 90th birthday visualization exercise. It can be as brief as three words or as long as three paragraphs. 

Taking the time to do this will imprint your purpose and values firmly in your mind and serve as the guide for future decisions. For example, my personal mission statement is as follows: “To serve God, provide for my family, and to inspire current and future generations through my writing and speaking.” My daily actions and priorities are a reflection of this mission statement. 

If you feel that you lack balance in your life, there are two possible root causes:

1. You have not clearly defined your personal mission.

2. You have made choices that don’t line up with your personal mission.

Completing the 90th birthday exercise and writing out your personal mission statement will give you a clear picture of what you value and keep you from making the most common time management mistakes.   If you found this to be helpful, please share this message via your social networks! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. I have written an ebook that will help you to maximize your time so that you are ready for your defining moment. Get your copy now.