QUESTION: Mike, you often talk about working in time blocks. I’m having real trouble sticking with them. I have a four-hour marketing time block on Wednesday afternoons. What are some of the do’s and don’ts for making time blocks work?
The Do’s and Don’ts of Time Blocking
A four-hour time block is too big, especially if you have never done time blocks. Let’s say it will happen from 1:00 to 5:00 PM – I am just making that number up. You want to do marketing from 1:00 to 5:00 but have too much to do this afternoon. I cannot market from 1:00 to 5:00, but you can market from 1:00 to 1:45. The do’s and don’ts with time blocks; if you have never done them, don’t make one longer than an hour.
You are going to do a marketing sprint, a half hour, 45 minutes, no longer than an hour, where the only thing you do is what you prescribe for that time block. It could be I am going to update my database, or I am going to make sure – I hate these things because they are admin tasks that should be delegated – or I am going to check my email, and I am going to do it in these time blocks versus all day long continuously. I will do a time block of recruiting calls from 9:00 to 9:45. I will sprint through those, and then I will allow myself to do other things from 9:45 to 10:00.
Setting Effective Personal Goals with Time Blocking
One of our clients, Gerard, who is also one of our coaches now, won’t let himself get his first cup of coffee until he has talked to five people. He says I love coffee so much. I talk to five people pretty quickly, and my day is off to a great start because I have hit half of my daily number. It is the little things like that.
Committing to Your Time Blocks
With time blocks, you want to have a very specific action, and you want to have it for a limited period of time. What I advise is to try 45 minutes and commit to it. If you are on a roll at the end of 45 minutes, keep going unless you have another appointment.
The second rule is once you are in that zone, you and your subconscious have to know that this is an appointment, and unless somebody gets like violently ill in your family and you have to take them to the doctor, something outrageous occurs, you must stick to that time block. If a hiring manager says I would like to talk to you now, are you available? You say, no, I have an appointment. It’s 100% true. Are you available 45 minutes later? That is how you will get out of it.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you grow your recruitment business:
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3. Join me at our next event
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4. Work with me and my team privately
And if you ever want to get some 1:1 help, we can jump on the phone for a quick call and brainstorm how to get you more leads, more placements, and more time. https://get.therecruiteru.com/scale-now
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