3 simple rules to manage your time and promote business success. PART 3

Rule #3 - Always finish with a "WHAT NOW"...

We've all had them, meetings that you leave wondering, "why did we meet in the first place?" Nothing is more discouraging than sitting in long meetings that seem to be a waste of time for everyone involved, many things are said and nothing is accomplished. I have, to the best of my ability, done away with these types of meetings.

I've spoken with numerous people over the last several years that echo my concern in maximizing the use of their time. Meetings and conversations that seem to go nowhere, and many times, don't seem to ever end. Painful moments in time where, to keep pointless conversations going, you begin to say things like "we need to get together sometime soon!" when you really know you have no intention of really wanting to connect with them.

Complete each of your meetings with a "WHAT NOW" statement. Is there an action plan in place to establish forward progress? Who is doing what, and when? You'll find that if a "WHAT NOW" statement does not conclude most of your meetings, you'll find that the meeting attendees will dissolve from the table and wander into their respective corners like lost sheep. You'll lose any trackable progress and worse yet, your valuable time.

There are, of course, exceptions to this rule such as building relational equity with a client by taking them to lunch and talking about your families, or sharing information throughout the office in a staff meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page. In these circumstances, the meeting itself is the point and does not require a "WHAT NOW" conclusion.

As a rule of thumb, and as time management is concerned, if you cannot conclude most of your meetings with a "WHAT NOW" statement, you very well may have wasted you time.