Leadership Strategies For Business Development

How many hours do you spend at work?

Now, how many of those hours are spent on staying focused and productive?

If you’re like most busy professionals, an honest assessment will show you spend very little time on bottom-line results.

Numerous reports and studies focus on the rule of 80/20, stemming from the work of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto.

His 80/20 rule, often called the Pareto Principle, is how evolving research has found that, in general, 20 percent of efforts lead to 80 percent of results. (Indeed, many software management reports have discovered an even more disheartening finding of 90/10.)

Imagine the extraordinary results if you can devote dramatically more than 20 percent or even 30 percent (and more!) of your time to staying focused and productive!

A major cause of lost time and productivity is what I call Overwhelm. We are overwhelmed by too many meetings and unanticipated interruptions.

We also suffer Self-Imposed Overwhelm that distracts us from our goals. We spend too much time with our cell phones and email. We suffer personal stress. We don’t avoid stress traps.

Here are three keys to planning your day for higher productivity.

KEY ONE: Find Your Peak Energy Time and Use It!

What time of day do you have the most energy? For many people, it’s mornings.

I find myself freshest and ready to go in the morning, so I protect my Peak Energy Time by scheduling those hours for my most important work.

I block out the time between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. each day for focused work and long-term planning.

Instead of forcing myself into a time frame when I am most resistant to creativity and action, I take control by establishing my own time frame for my most productive hours.

My stress levels plummet when I’m in control of my Peak Energy Time, eliminating procrastination, helplessness and the resulting frustrations that can erode focus and productivity. Block out at least two hours during your Peak Energy Time.

• An Early Morning Person? Block out two early hour mornings.
• A Mid-Morning Person? Block out 10:15am – 12:15pm
• An Early Afternoon Person? Block out two early afternoon hours.
• A Mid-Afternoon Person? Block out 2:45pm – 4:30pm.

Regardless of the time of day you schedule as your Peak Energy Time, there are two productivity skills you must use to maximize your results.

1. Adopt the 100% Responsibility Rule. Recognize that you are responsible for your time. Take pro-active steps to stave off interruptions during this period to maintain control of your time.

2. Protect your Time Boundary. No one else will protect the boundaries of your scheduled Peak Energy Time. You must be responsible for protecting Your time boundary.

KEY TWO: Make Time for Marketing! If you skip creating time each day for marketing yourself, your services or your products, you skip out on success. Period. No professional can afford to leave marketing by the wayside.

Carve out an hour – better yet, two – during your day for marketing. Use that time to connect or reconnect with clients, learn, research, expand your reach. You must nurture your own future or miss out on a profitable, productive career and lifestyle!

Here are a few ways to spend this crucial time of your day … for you:

Recommended Reading

• The Key Elements of Effective Leadership Strategies
• Do You Know These Five Virtually Unknown Traits Of Effective Leadership Strategies?
• To Be Effective, Leaders Really Need Stamina To Achieve Success Over Time
• Real Leaders Are Not Afraid To Help Their Employees Develop Their Own Leadership Capabilities
• Leadership Development Mastermind Groups Benefit Business Decision Making
• An Perfect Combo For More Successful Business Outcomes
• Increase Your Influence As A Leader

Technorati Tags: 80/20 rule, high productivity, Pareto Principle, Productivity, ruth klein