Every once in awhile I run across a new website or a new tool that really hits a chord with me and I need to sing its praises. Two weeks ago I discovered www.rescuetime.com and I recommend this to everyone who is an entrepreneur, a person with numerous insatiable interests, and a business that is not moving forward at the pace you would like. For those who fit into that category, time management is more than just a business technique that should be focused on; it is one which must be mastered if you ever hope to be successful! You start your day with great intentions to work on your business and then, thanks to the internet, get distracted by your many interests. The day goes something like this:
Today, like every day, you begin your day by vowing to make those sales calls that you know are critical to keeping every business moving forward. You sit down at your desk to work and you always begin your day by quickly checking your e-mail. You fire up your computer and the internet opens to your home page which is your favorite news service. Oh, that’s an interesting headline…you will just take a peek at it. What’s that? There is a reference made in the article which you know nothing about! So you look it up on Google…half an hour later you emerge from your little side-trip. No sales calls yet, but you are a little more knowledgeable about the world. So now it is time to get back to your e-mail. You read your e-mail and respond efficiently to the pressing items. Then your eye begins to flow to all of the updates and on-line newsletters to which you have subscribed. You begin to read. Again, all interesting information, however you continue to read and research miscellaneous items for the next two hours. By this time you need to meet with clients, fill your orders, prepare quotes, or do whatever is your core business function. This takes you to the end of your day. Once again, no sales calls were made.
Rescuetime.com is a free download that allows you to track where you spend your time on-line. It is like holding a mirror to your face. You can set rules, such as no more than 30 minutes on the news per day, and the program will alert you when you have hit your limit. You can set goals, such as 2 hours of concentrated sales calls, and the program will block any distracting websites during that time if that is what you desire. The program graphs where and how you spend your time and you can use this information to chart a plan of action for your future. This is a program which helps you to reclaim time that is lost to your varying interests and helps you to focus on the business tasks at hand. If I have described you, and you are looking to move your business forward to the next level, I recommend that you give it a try. To your success!