Time Management Tips from the Sales Pros – Part 1 of 3 (VIDEO)

A lot of salespeople and managers that I talk to on a regular basis often seek advice on time management and how they can better manage their time.

The truth is… it really depends. It varies depending on you, your individual style, your talents, and the way you like to process things. 

In this 3-part series, I’m going to share various time management tips and things to consider based on your style and what will work for you.

Today, I’m touching on is distractions. 

According to a Hubspot survey, 28% of us feel that distractions are a big time-waster in the workplace. And, of course, we agree. It’s the nature of the word and the definition of distractions.

But, everyone’s distractions are different, and everyone’s perceived distractions are different. 

One of the things I recommend is to create a journal to keep track of your day in the workplace for a week. It seems like a lot, and it can be. If you’re not disciplined, it can be easy to let this task fall awry.

However, if you’re able to document the things that come across your desk and come to your door, or the things that are really taking up your time during the day, you can identify which of these things are productive vs. not productive, will help you minimize these distractions.

One time, when working with a seller who was looking for opportunities to grow, we reviewed this journal and discovered that she lost close to an hour of productive office time every day in the break room. Every time she would walk past the break room, whether she was grabbing coffee or water, someone would stop and ask her questions. She’s a superstar, and people respected her input and wanted her advice, but we discovered that about an hour/week of time was spent doing this in the break room. 

So, she decided to literally walk a different direction around the office half the time to avoid these distractions at the break room so that she’s not pulled into these conversations. Yes, of course, she wants to be helpful, but not during her time to be productive. 

If you’re looking to eliminate distractions, start to identify these distractions by keeping a journal to help determine which distractions and hindering your own productivity.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series – coming next week!