The other day Chief Executive magazine featured a synopsis of an interview with Dana Cavalea, a top performance coach for athletes (including Derek Jeter) and CEOs.
He commented that the habits that have the biggest impact on athletes and CEOs alike are consistency, discipline, and conviction.
Establishing habits that can be applied consistently provide a level of confidence and conviction that provide forward momentum.
How can you apply this wisdom? Look at your typical day and identify your structured and unstructured time. The challenges arise especially during the unstructured time where you may wander into activities that detract from the results that you seek.
Consider time tracking for a full week. Include everything: your scheduled appointments, collaboration time, employee meetings, unscheduled phone calls, reading and responding to emails, time playing games, or surfing the internet.
No one is going to see what you record, so be honest. What will emerge is a blueprint of where you are most and least productive. This will provide you with clues to where you have opportunities to improve your productivity and ultimately, your results.
Don’t judge. You may feel a little sheepish when you see how your time is being used, but who cares? You have a chance to adapt and improve. Self-awareness is a wonderful thing!
Approach this time tracking exercise as an adventure. The outcome will most likely result in the discovery of pockets of time where you can structure some habits that will lead to improved results.
