5 Ways to Find the Time to Manage Your Time

It’s the common denominator among us all: We get 24 hours each day. In our personal life, we are told to appreciate our time, not to take it for granted. In our professional life, we are urged to utilize every bit of it — to wisely manage it to obtain an edge against our competitors, and ultimately gain back more time in our personal life.

There is an entire genre of books devoted to the idea of time management. Phrases like “highly effective people,” “more done in less time,” “the four-hour workweek,” and “stress-free productivity” lure us in — if only we had the time to actually read them.

Time management is important in all areas of business, but it’s particularly vital in your role as an association sales professional. Whether you sell for an association, or you work with associations as a solution provider, you are often balancing multiple clients with a variety of products and needs.

Tiffany Teal is an Account Executive for Hi-Fidelity Group Inc., an association solution provider. She manages accounts for the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). She says effectively managing her time is the key to building and maintaining strong relationships with her clients.

“We sell a program, not just a product,” says Teal. “There is a life cycle with association sales and we often work with our business partners for years. It’s important to prioritize different programs and solutions to fit each partner’s needs. Being able to multitask isn’t really multitasking — it’s just distraction.”

To avoid that pitfall, Teal offers these simple tips to prioritizing your week.

1. Plan your Monday on a Friday 

Before you close out your day on Friday, look ahead to the following week. Check your calendar for deadlines and write out the goals you want to accomplish for that week. Keep these visible and revisit them at the end of each day to reassess your priorities.

2. Build a time block 

You are likely juggling multiple clients with several products and varying deadlines. To stay on track, try blocking out parts of your day to dedicate specific time to each priority. If you work with a variety of accounts, close out the emails that don’t correspond to the account you are currently working on.

3. Realize there's no such thing as equal time

Priorities shift from day-to-day and week-to-week. Working with more than one client means there will be times when one client demands more of your time than another. Prioritize what is important each day, while still giving attention to items that require less urgency. Triage your emails at the end of each day — it can be as simple as replying with a “thanks for your note; I’ll follow up tomorrow.” Your clients will appreciate your responsiveness, even if you don’t have an immediate answer.

4. Use visuals

Whether you prefer putting your pen to the paper to write a simple to-do list or gravitate toward online programs (at PAR, we use Monday.com), it’s important to use visuals to track your progress. At the end of each day, be sure to update where you stand in your organization’s CRM.

5. Find a program that works for you

There are countless books, podcasts, webinars and speaker series that provide road maps to better managing time. Each approaches time management with similar philosophies, but different skills. Find the one that works for you.

Have more time to dig deeper into the topic of time management? Check out a list of some of our favorite books at PAR:

• 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhig
• One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
• Best Self Series, bestself.com