15 July 2021

Most of us spend our time being reactive, we pride ourselves on being able to think on our feet, but we know deep down that if we had time we wouldn’t have to “think on our feet” as the problems would not have happened.

Some of the most effective people that I know are on the front foot, they always seem to know what’s going to happen next and be ready for it, you can be like that too.

The first step is to make sure that we're doing the right work. We need to be focusing on the tasks that move our business forward. In this book is a simple screening and prioritisation process to make sure that the important work gets done.

To be the most effective requires you to use your time in a planned process, that I call Time Batching. This is where we set time within our diary to work uninterrupted on what is important, it’s like making an appointment with yourself.

If you are meeting with an important customer or supplier, you don’t answer your phone or let your team ask you questions; you give them your focused attention. After the meeting is complete you then follow up anyone that needed you. This is the same process you need to apply when you have important work you need to do.