By Kevin Price, National News Editor, US Daily Chronicles.
I am frequently asked about the things I have done to pursue the New Rich and Lifestyle Design. Obviously there are many steps involved, but one of the most important and really among the easiest, is monitoring my time. I have been working on developing systems in my businesses for years. One of my favorite and one I still practice, is timing my business activities. I do not do it all the time, but I do such pretty frequently. If I am working on an article (like this short one), I get the timer going. I do this for several reasons:
- My ultimate goal is a Four Hour Work Week. Although a “Four Hour Work Week” is a metaphor for just a dramatically reduced work week, I am working towards getting that number lower. I own or partially own several businesses. My fastest growing business (which would be a perfectly acceptable full time income for most) is now only requires four hours of work each month. Monitoring the time I spend on business activity allows me to get closer to my goals.
- Keeping track by timing forces me to stay more focused. There is something magical about monitoring how long it takes for me to do something. I become focused. Going into an activity with the timer on makes me want to be more efficient. It makes me avoid multi-tasking, which always leads to reduced quality and actually makes all things take longer.
- I not only time my activities, but often use a stopwatch to mix things up. A stopwatch makes me get aggressive about getting things done in a quicker time frame. I am selective about how and when I use it. That kind of pressure can often undermine the quality of what you are working on, but it can be a useful tool in select circumstances. I also like to use a timer for those activities that needs to be done, but I do not want to do. Rarely does all of a project have to be done all at once. And some things are so daunting, the thought of starting them makes them seem insurmountable. 30 minutes on your taxes, 45 minutes on the garage, whatever. It is a great way to simply get things done.
- Timing your activities is very simple. You’ve got a timer on every computer (simply put “timer” in a Google search). Also, when I want the pressure of getting things done in a specific time frame, I get Alexa to help me. “Alexa, please set the timer for 25 minutes.” Then we are on!
Make sure you record your timing, especially if you are trying to get serious about a Four Hour Work Week. The only way you will know if you are making serious progress, is if you monitor your activities. Practicing integrity in this process if really important as well. Work to be accurate. Record it. If you have not even begun to pursue this process, create a baseline. Start timing all your regular activities. And then, on occasion, after you develop systems to reduce or replace your efforts, cross it off. I have been able to transfer entire work activities to third parties. There is nothing so satisfying as moving entire activities from your daily work ledger to someone or something else.
Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business show, which is nationally syndicated on the Biz Talk Radio Network. He is the author of the soon to be published book, “Making New Rich Books Work for You. Schedule for release in February 2018, learn how to get this instant classic for only 99 cents.
