Be On Time, Every Time

“Your delay will lower your demand.”

I would like to introduce you to Larry the Late. He is the most consistent person in your organization. There are only three things that are certain in life: death, taxes, and Larry being late. If the meeting starts at 8:00 am, he will arrive at 8:15. The project that is due on the 26th of the month will get to you on the 27th. When you are traveling to an out of town conference, Larry will board the plane right before the flight attendant closes the doors. Do you know Larry? If you looked in the mirror, would you find him? 

Larry has unknowingly created a brand for himself. He has become known for poor time management, lack of urgency, and not being organized. Larry is actually good at his job, but his procrastination speaks louder than his performance. What Larry does not realize is that he has been passed over several times when higher paying positions have become available. His delay has lowered his demand. What can you do to make sure that you don’t end up like Larry? Below are three nuggets that will help you to be on time, every time.

Ownership
In all of my years of leading people, I have heard every reason in the book as to why someone was late to a meeting. I have never heard anyone tell me the following: “Eric, Sorry I was late, I need to leave my house earlier the next time.” Most people blame traffic. The key to being on time -- every time -- is to take personal ownership for all of the factors under your control. If I was late, traffic was usually not the real reason. The reality was that I did not leave my house early enough to anticipate that there may be an accident on my route to the office. If I had left an hour before my scheduled meeting time instead of 30 minutes before, I would have made it. Once you realize what you have control over, you can make the necessary adjustments. 

Key Placement
Have you ever been ready to leave your house only to discover that you have misplaced your keys? I have the following two part solution to this problem. First, designate one place in your residence for key placement. It helps to identify a place that you have to pass before you leave. Several people that I work with have created a special key holder by their exit door. 

Next, you must discipline yourself to place your keys in your designated place every time. Whenever you misplace something, the first question you are asked is “Where did you have it last?”. The fact that you don’t know adds to your stress and frustration. By applying the discipline that I just mentioned, you will always have the answer to this question. This little habit will save you lots of time and mental stress. 

The Half Tank Rule
I was rushing out of my house to attend and important meeting. I was behind schedule so every minute was critical. As I started the car, I realized that I was within ten miles of running out of gas and my destination was thirty five miles away! On this particular morning, there was a long line at the pump. The time I spent at the gas station made me late for my meeting. 

This experience forced me to implement the “half tank rule”. Here is how it works; whenever my gas gauge is at or beyond the half way point, I find the closest gas station and fill up. Not having to get gas in the mornings will save you least 15 minutes and take you from tardy to timely.

Taking personal ownership, focusing on key placement, and implementing the half tank rule are three nuggets that will help you to maximize your time and minimize your stress. Stay tuned for next week’s tip. If you found this week’s tip to be helpful, please forward this post using the social share buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

Have a Competitive Edge Without Competing

Getting caught up in the rat race is a sure way to waste time. The rat race is an unhealthy competition based on the incorrect belief that there is a limited supply of resources in the universe. The rat racer believes that success must come at the expense of the competition. I am reminded of the famous story of two store owners named Joe and John that were in a daily battle for sales and customers. Their businesses were across the street from each other, and if Joe got a sale, then John would try to get two. 

One night, Joe had an encounter with a Magic Genie. The Genie informed him that he would be teaching him a lesson by granting any request he had with the condition being that John would get double of whatever he asked. If Joe asked for wealth, John would get double the wealth. If he asked for a new customer, John would get two new customers. After much thought, Joe made the request to be struck blind in ONE eye! This humorous illustration teaches us that an unhealthy competition can cause you to lose your VISION and waste valuable time. How can you have a competitive edge without competing? 

The best way to gain a competitive edge without competing is to find someone who has the results that you desire and duplicate their processes. In professional football, the team that wins the Super Bowl is usually the most copied team in the league. The other teams observe their practices, playbooks, and processes because they realize that the fastest route to success is to duplicate a proven system. I recommend the following two areas as great avenues for duplication:

1. Coaches
Having regular conversations with a coach who is an expert in your field will save you valuable time. There are two important keys to consider when looking for a coach. The first key is to find one that has the results that you desire. Think about it, if you aspired to start a business, hiring a coach that has successfully started twenty businesses would save you valuable time and keep you from making expensive mistakes. Secondly, make sure the coach demonstrates a pattern of continuous learning. Many successful coaches are also clients of a coach that they seek emulate. You would gain the benefit of their mentor’s knowledge and experience as a bonus. 

2. Colleagues
Whenever we see a colleague succeeding in an area that we aspire to, the normal reaction is to try to compete with them. Instead, we must apply my WHO/WHY/WHAT formula by asking the following questions: Who is consistently the top performer in your company or market? Why do they always produce the best results? What do they do that you could duplicate, to get a similar result? The best way to find out what the top performer does is to ASK them. I apply this formula whenever I go into a new business situation. It has saved me valuable time and kept me from “re-inventing the wheel.”

Seeking out a coach and learning from a successful colleague will save you valuable time and give you a competitive edge without having to compete. If you found this week’s tip to be helpful, please share it using the social media buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Focus Forward

“Failure is in my history, but greatness is in front of me.”

This past weekend I was watching Back To the Future starring Michael J Fox. In this classic movie, Michael’s character Marty Mcfly, and his scientist friend traveled through time in their DeLorean automobile time machine. If they were unhappy with their results, they hopped in the DeLorean and went back in time to make corrections. Their DeLorean gave them the opportunity for a “do over” if they made a bad decision.

Have you ever made a hiring decision, and after 30 days, wished you had a DeLorean to hop into? Or maybe you gave a sales presentation, but were unable to land the account. What about the time you interviewed unsuccessfully for that position and had regrets about how you answered the questions?

I have experienced each of these setbacks and can relate to the regret that you feel when they occur. When you hang on to the regret you waste time that should be invested in moving forward. The question becomes, how do you maintain a forward focus in spite of a painful past?  The answers below will help you to make better use of your time and experience less stress.

Inquiry
The inquiry I am referring to is with you.  Whenever you experience a setback, you should make an inquiry by asking yourself the following question: “What did I learn from this experience?”  Next,  make a list of your lessons learned and anytime you are tempted to beat your self up, refer back to your list.  Noted philosopher Edmond Burke said these very famous words: “Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."  Focusing on the lesson will position you for future success and keep you from repeating the same mistakes.

Improvement
The second key to maintaining a forward focus is to commit to daily improvement. Every day you should do something to get better at your craft and move towards your calling. For example, I have a daily reading schedule that results in me reading three books a month. If I had a major setback three months ago, I don’t dwell on it because I realize that I have read nine books since then. I am smarter today than I was three months ago based on what I have read.

According to modern medical research, the cells in our bodies completely regenerate and renew themselves every 11 months. This means that you are a new creature and the mistakes of your past were performed by the OLD you! Referring to your lessons learned list and committing to daily improvement will help you to maintain a forward focus and make the most productive use of your time.

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner