Productivity IN and OUT of the Field

Time Management & Delegation Guest - Naeem Zafar, CEO & Co-Founder, TeleSenseNaeem is a 7x entrepreneur and 5x startup CEO currently serving as the Co-Founder and CEO of TeleSense, an (Internet of Things) company creating real-time wireless sensing and predictive analytics solutions for the stored grain industry. Prior to starting TeleSense, he was the CEO of Bitzer Mobile, an enterprise security and mobility company that was acquired by Oracle in November 2013. Naeem started his first company at the age of 26 and soon moved to Silicon Valley. At this point, he is practically a Silicon Valley native, having founded, invested in, and advised 30+ companies. He teaches courses on entrepreneurship at University of California Berkeley & Northeastern University.

 

Willingness To SacrificeEntrepreneurship by nature requires sacrifices both in your personal and business life: be it sacrificing personal time to learn a new skill to help the business or the willingness to terminate a friend that was not a fit for said business. Hence, if there is little to no willingness to be flexible enough to sacrifice, starting a business should not be an option. - Kamyar Shah, World Consulting GroupQuality as job one. Top performers consider quality a priority over simply getting things done. They aren’t satisfied unless your clients and customers are singing your praises. -https://www.thehartford.com/Are you ready to take your day back?Benefits of Time Management Stress reliefMaking and following a task schedule reduces anxiety. As you check off items on your “to-do” list, you can see that you are making tangible progress. This helps you avoid feeling stressed out with worry about whether you’re getting things done.More timeGood time management gives you extra time to spend in your daily life. People who can time-manage effectively enjoy having more time to spend on hobbiesMore opportunitiesManaging time well leads to more opportunities and less time wasted on trivial activities. Good time management skills are key qualities that employers look for. The ability to prioritize and schedule work is extremely desirable for any organization.Ability to realize goalsIndividuals who practice good time management are able to better achieve goals and objectives, and do so in a shorter length of time.How can you become better at managing your time?Set goals correctlyUse the SMART method when setting goals. In essence, make sure the goals you set are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.Prioritize wiselyImportant and urgent: Do these tasks right away.Important but not urgent: Decide when to do these tasks.Urgent but not important: Delegate these tasks if possible.Not urgent and not important: Set these aside to do later.Set a time limit to complete a taskSetting time constraints for completing tasks helps you be more focused and efficient. Making the small extra effort to decide on how much time you need to allot for each task can also help you recognize potential problems before they arise. That way you can make plans for dealing with them.Take a break between tasksWhen doing a lot of tasks without a break, it is harder to stay focused and motivated. Allow some downtime between tasks to clear your head and refresh yourself. Consider grabbing a brief nap, going for a short walk, or meditating.Organize yourselfUtilize your calendar for more long-term time management. Write down the deadlines for projects, or for tasks that are part of completing the overall project. Think about which days might be best to dedicate to specific tasks. Remove non-essential tasks/activitiesIt is important to remove excess activities or tasks. Determine what is significant and what deserves your time. Removing non-essential tasks/activities frees up more of your time to be spent on genuinely important things.Plan aheadMake sure you start every day with a clear idea of what you need to do – what needs to get done THAT DAY. Consider making it a habit to, at the end of each workday, go ahead and write out your “to-do” list for the next workday. That way you can hit the ground running the next morning    Another way to gain more time is to delegate, but how do we let go?Decide What to DelegateStart with a small project, or one that doesn’t have to be completed in a specific way. Don’t assign your most critical, time-sensitive tasks, and leave ample time for mistakes to happen (that means don’t pass off something at 5 PM on Thursday. Most importantly, never delegate something you’re not willing to do yourself.Pick the Right People Choosing the best people on your team for the job is the key to effective delegating. Of course, select people who you’re confident can do the job well and who are self-motivated and comfortable working without constant supervision. But also take time to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your team (& yours, too!)Communicate Clearly Open, clear communication from the get-go is absolutely crucial to ensuring that the projects you delegate will be done well. Be up-front about your expectations, including timelines and deliverables.  It can be helpful to put everything in writing or provide people with a template or guidelines for the projectCheck in, but Don’t Be OverbearingOnce you delegate a task, give your team members flexibility on how they get it done (unless, of course, there’s a specific protocol or procedure). Check in periodically to make sure everyone is on the right track and to offer to answer questions as needed. Be Patient and UnderstandingJust be patient—as you learn how your team works best, and as they learn your expectations, things will get easier. Mistakes will happen. Be understanding, but also address problems when they arise, so that your team members can learn from them and do things differently next time.Share in Rewards and Give Credit Where DueBe sure to recognize and thank anyone who’s helped you out, and make your whole team (not just yourself) looks good for doing the job well. What is a common trait or characteristic that you have seen among the most successful people you know?Anything else you’d like our listeners to know?Reminder to share CONTACT INFO and say thank you

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