Many of us are quickly approaching our busiest time of the year. Now is the time to buckle down and gear up. The old adage from Peter Drucker is "until you can manage time, you can manage nothing else." And as many of you heard me say at GROW! 2021 in New Orleans, being organized and prepared for success is a choice we all have to make. So, this week, I'd like to share with you a few tips to better manage your time.

Eat the Frog. As Mark Twain observed, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Tackle your most difficult tasks first thing in the morning, when research shows your willpower is strongest. Have an under-performing team member you’re dreading talking to, or a strategic plan you know you should map out but keep putting off? Procrastination only allows your problems to grow. Attack your biggest challenges first thing and you’ll carry that sense of accomplishment with you through the rest of the day.

OHIO, or Only Handle It Once. This is a tactic our executive coach Jim Cali has worked to instill in our ACE Peer Group members and it’s one our team has adopted ourselves. The idea is you handle on the spot any tasks you can rather than putting them off and letting them pile up. How many of you open an e-mail, read it, and close it, making a mental or physical note to add it to your ever-growing to-do list? You will be surprised by how much time you’ll save if you handle it now. 

Take an hour on the weekend to plan your week. This is something that I have watched Marty do as long as I've known him, and I would say it is his absolute best time management tip. Go somewhere quiet and think through what you want to accomplish in the days ahead and then rigorously block off the time you’ll need to do it in. This practice keeps both our professional and our personal lives organized and focused.

To make the changes you want to see this year, stay disciplined and you will see the results pay off. Later this week Marty and I will be sharing more strategies and tips for managing time and winning during the busy season in our next virtual workshop, Time Management for Landscape Pros. Join us online for three one-hour sessions to learn how you can maximize the opportunities the coming months hold without losing your sanity. 

Have a great week!

Vince Torchia
Vice President
The Grow Group