You Can’t Market Your Business as a Slave–Part 1

By BNI & Referral Institute - Oct 27 , 2008

By Weston Lyon

In a business world where speed wins, our technological advancements have served us well. However, technology can be dangerous to your productivity and effectiveness if you’re not careful. In fact, it can make you a slave!

There are 3 forms of technological slavery that cost you your precious time:

1. Answering the Phone
   
2. Surfing the Internet
   
3. Checking & Responding to E-mail

Instead of letting these techno tools rule your world, let’s take a look at how you can take control and be the master of your time:

Answering the Phone

We’ve all been conditioned to answer the phone as soon as we hear it ring. There are 3 problems with answering the phone like this:

• Answering the phone can interrupt your thoughts

If you’re working on a big project, brainstorming a new product or book, or just daydreaming to relax, don’t answer the phone! Your thoughts are way more important than whoever is on the end of the line.

• Answering the phone takes time away from important tasks

If you’re in the middle of something important, don’t answer the phone! An important task takes precedence over any phone call. Constant distractions spell
D-E-A-T-H for productive, successful people.

• Answering the phone can drain your energy

This may sound silly, but the person on the other end may drain your energy. Maybe it’s a telemarketer who makes you angry. Maybe it’s a family member asking for money (like that’s never happened to you). Whatever the case may be, don’t let this happen to you.

As you can see, answering the phone can slow you down and take your time if you let it rule you. Instead, here are some steps to help you become your own master:

1. Block time to answer your phone and call people back. It can be once a day or once a week. It’s your business, so you decide.
2. Tell everyone around you (family members, business associates, clients) when you’ll be answering the phone or calling them back. This can be done as a preemptive e-mail or phone call to important people. You should also include this information in your voice mail and e-mail signature.
3. Be a man (or woman) of your word. Once you set a time to answer the phone or call people back, don’t go back on your word. Your word is your bond.

There is no doubt you’ll be tempted at first to answer your phone. But stay focused on the task at hand and let people leave you a voice message.

It’s no big deal. They would leave you a message if you weren’t home or in the office anyway, right? Right!

Surfing the Internet

I’m guilty myself at times, but we have to learn to get off the Internet.

We use the Internet at home. We use the internet at work. Heck, I’ve even used my laptop in the bathroom to surf the Internet when I was swamped and needed a quiet space (not my finest moment, but true).

Here’s what to do so you can create more space in your life…without the Internet.

First, buy a digital timer. Next, put it beside you when you’re surfing the web and write down how much time you spend in cyberspace. Last, make a list of activities that take the same amount of time.

For example, if you spend 2 hours surfing the Internet every day, what activity can you do in that same amount of time?

• Can you finish your book or other big project?
• Can you meet with a client or referral partner?
• Can you go exercise?
• Can you continue reading your favorite novel?
• Can you spend time with your wife, husband, or significant other?
• Can you enjoy time with your kids?

What can you do with that time? No matter what you come up with, I bet it will be more productive, effective, and fun than spending time with your computer going cross-eyed.

The biggest slave driver, in my opinion, is e-mail.

We’ll cover that all by itself in Part 2 (click here to read Part 2).

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Weston Lyon is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on finding time for what’s important in life. To find out more about Weston Lyon and his business, go to www.creatingspacebook.com.