Smash Your Goals by Mismanaging Your Time

Despite my best efforts to ward them off, I occasionally become the butt of a joke among my colleagues at No Limit Agency*. Week by week, inevitably, something I say or do leads to a moment of hilarity.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not complaining. I love a good joke. And, if I’m being truly honest, I bring most of it on myself.

This was proven to me recently when I was made aware of a video that drew a parallel between the great Ringo Starr and me. Yes, as you probably suspected, I did play the drums in some fairly epic bands in high school (this was before the days of Facebook, so don’t bother looking for photos). But, to my chagrin, the comparison stopped short of surmising that I would have fit in well as a Beatle (though I maintain I would have).

Perhaps you’ve seen the video (I hadn’t). Unfortunately for me it’s not a new take on Yellow Submarine or a reimagining of the Magical Mystery Tour. It’s a video of Ringo throwing a bit of a diva-like tantrum, telling his fans he’s simply too busy for their affection.

“I have too much to do,” he squawks in his trademark Octopus’ Garden style baritone, (while way too often spouting the phrase ‘peace and love’—seriously, watch the video). “Anything sent to me will be tossed.”

While the video is certainly chuckle worthy, it hits home for me for another reason. Turns out, I occasionally project that same tone of dismissal. Stressed and searching for sympathy, I sometimes (often) vocally lament my lack of ability to accomplish everything I need to before closing my laptop for the night. It also turns out that those around me aren’t fans seeking autographs, and don’t find my rants amusing.

There’s a noble reason behind all of this: I care. Hang around me for more than a day, and you might even say I border on being a workaholic. I’m highly motivated by success, and, for me at least, a key part of the metric behind success is effort. It’s a pretty simple equation. Work hard, stay dedicated and good things tend to happen.

But, part of that equation also must include understanding how to prioritize. Each day, I have to answer a critical question: What work should I do—in what order—that will make the greatest positive impact on my clients, our agency, my career and ultimately, my life?

That’s where my inner Ringo comes in.

It’s really hard to justify spending time on things that don’t directly lead to checking off the laundry list of deadline driven items on my plate each day. How can I possibly afford to learn how to better service our clients, much less teach others on our team? How can I justify the time needed to finish earning my CFE designation and further advancing my knowledge of franchising? How can I budget time I don’t really have to meet with our clients, face-to-face? Why am I taking the time to write this column when it results in critical “checklist” work on my plate being put on hold?

The answer is simple: long-term vision.

I believe that’s the other key metric in the equation of success. The short-term demands are always there--nagging at you, questioning your time management, telling you there won’t be time to accomplish what you have to do if you take the time to do the impactful things that could be pushed until tomorrow.

Don’t listen to them.

If you choose the checklist path, like my Troy Starr persona, those “tomorrow” things will never get done; you’ll stagnate and never truly achieve the goals you set out to achieve.

But, if you make time to step back and assess what’s truly important, I promise you’ll find new clarity.

Make time to plan. Make time to reassess that plan. Make time for face time. Make time to learn and to grow. Make time to invest in yourself and in your success.

Make time to realign your priority list.

Take all those things you don’t really have time for and move them to the top. Then, and only then, can you truly shed the role of doer and become an impactful creator instead.

I implore you (with peace and love): Don’t lose sight of the long-term.