The Great Brain Dump: Time Management & the Glendale Auction Industry
In this Glendale auction article I will continue to discuss my secret of time management called the "great brain dump." Remember this is the idea of using a few blank pieces of paper and then going through notes, post-its, emails, letters, bills, files and past day-timer pages and writing down everything that needs to get done. Once down on paper then the items are organized into categories.
As I mentioned before, my categories are: projects/ Glendale auctions, phone calls, at the computer, goals, nice to-do's, errands, at home, follow-up, checklists, agendas and actions. These are the categories that work for my life and you can add and subtract from the categories to meet your own time management needs. In this article I will specifically focus on the at home, follow-up, checklists, agendas and actions categories.
So let's go over each of these categories one by one:
At Home: I think we can all forget to be as organized at home as we are at the Glendale auction office so I write down things I need to get done at home that are out of the ordinary - such as re-chalk the bathtub or take used clothes to the Salvation Army. I also made a little book like this for my husband and I write down things in the book I would like him to do at home and he too adds to my list.
Follow-Up: One of the most critical parts of making sure any time management system is working is to follow-up. If I have assigned an important Glendale auction task to someone, I write it in this section with a date and check on its completion.
Checklists: This is the tab where I record repetitive checklists that ensure I haven't forgotten anything. For example I have a "Glendale auction business trip" checklist that reminds me what clothes, shoes, files and business equipment to take. I have a "weekend trip" checklist that is along the same lines. I have an "uploading a Glendale auction" checklist that runs me through the steps of putting a Glendale auction on-line. This is very useful and provides me with a great deal of comfort knowing I have some back-up to help me remember the little stuff that is so easy to forget.
Agendas: This section is where I record items I want to discuss in upcoming Glendale auction meetings with clients and with my staff.
Actions: This is the section for just simple tasks like cleaning out files, hanging new education certificate and the like.
In order to make this system work though there are three rules you must never, ever break. First, you have to use the system. Every time you go outside of the system you water-down the effectiveness of the time management system, so you have to use it all the time - make the commitment. The second rule is the two-minute rule. If something is right in front of you and you can get it done in two minutes or less - do it and don't record it in the time management system. A good example is an email that you receive - if you can answer it right away - go for it and get it off your plate.
And the third and most important rule for time management success is to always have your day-timer and your notebook with you. You will be lost and not know what to do next. The piece of mind that this kind of time management system gives you is that you know you have everything recorded in one place. When you don't have the tools with you, you begin to feel out of control. So keep it with you at all times. To borrow from an old American Express advertising campaign "never leave home without it."
About the Author:
Deb Weidenhamer is President of Auction Systems, the Southwest's most active auction and appraisal company, as featured in TLC's newest reality show, AUCTIONEER$. Contact us for more information about Glendale auctions.
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