Shortcuts to help you make better use of your time
1. Shortcut tasks others can do better than you can
Consider tasks that others can do more effectively or efficiently than you can. First prize is to get others to do these things for you. Second prize is to find ways to do them more efficiently yourself. Either way, don’t keep doing these tasks the way you have been doing them. They are distractions from what’s more important.
2. Shortcut administrative tasks
Consider the things you must do to comply with non-value-creating requirements from your boss, auditors, the government or that ancient policy or procedure that no one remembered to cancel when it went out of date. In any case, while you probably do have to get these things done, there’s no value in doing them better than expected. Take advantage of any and all shortcuts here.
3. Invest in innovation in and around your core benefit
Benefits are the link between what you do and what your customers get. Strive to become ever better at delivering what your customers value most.
4. Invest to find, secure and serve customers
Delivering a superior benefit is necessary – but not sufficient – for success. The other critical area for investment is finding, securing and serving customers, on an ongoing basis.
Don’t follow all shortcuts to save time. Follow appropriate ones to free up time to invest in purposeful innovation and customers.
In the end, shortcut:
- anything that anyone else can do better than you can
- administrative/compliance tasks
so that you can devote time and resources to:
- innovating in and around the core benefit you provide
- finding, securing and serving customers.
For help in identifying shortcuts that will improve efficiency and enable you to make better use of your time, contact me by email or call me on +44 (0)20 7099 2621.
Terry Irwin is a management consultant with international experience in strategy development, business turnarounds, venture capital, M&As and project management. He is a founder director of TCii Strategic and Management Consultants and has helped a broad portfolio of international clients to achieve profitable, sustainable business growth.
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