Three Questions To Ask Yourself To Stay Focused

Three important questions. There are three important questions that you must ask yourself every day and throughout the day to keep focused and on track; always think in terms of the word contribution. The answers to these questions are the things that you can do that can make the greatest contribution to your business.

Question number one. Why am I on the payroll? What results are expected of you? What do you do that contributes sufficient value to your business to justify your income?

If your child were to ask you, Mommy, Daddy, why do they pay you money where you work? What do you do to deserve the money? What would you say? Every job, whether you own the company or work for the company is an agreement to perform a function that contributes a value of some kind. In exchange for the value that you contribute, you receive a certain amount of money. What is it that you do that constitutes real monetary value for your business? Throughout the day, you should continually ask yourself, Is what I am doing right now? The answer to the question Why am I on the payroll if it\’s not stopped doing it and start doing what is?

Question number two. And this is the great one. What can I and only I do that is done well? Well, makes a real difference. The answer to this question will change as the situation around you change. But asking and answering will help to keep you focused on the day. There\’s always something only you can do at each moment that is more important than anything else. This is a task that no one else can do. If you do not do it, it will not be done by someone else. But if you do, do it and you do it well, it can make a real difference to your business or to your personal life. What is it?

Question number three. What is the most valuable use of my time right now? This is the fundamental question in all of time management. Every exercise that you go through, every analysis that you conduct of your work, every key result area that you study is to determine the answer to this question. What is the most valuable use of my time right now? Every hour of every day and throughout each hour, you should be asking yourself this question. You then make sure that whatever you are doing at the moment is the answer. It is the most valuable thing you could possibly be doing.

Sometimes, after one of my time management programs, people will make a game of going around in their companies and asking each other. Is that the most valuable use of your time right now? It\’s a great question that enables you to focus and concentrate on exactly those tasks and activities that can make the greatest contribution to your life.

Use the TRAF system to handle paper TRAF throughout your business life. A never-ending stream of mail and paperwork and emails will pour into your office and flow over your desk and computer like a river. Your ability to manage this paper flow is essential to managing your time and concentrating your mental and emotional resources on the most valuable things you can be doing.

The first letter in the TRAF system is T, which stands for the toss. Immediately trash every piece of mail or paper that comes across your desk that is not important or relevant to your work. This includes junk mail, unwanted subscriptions, junk, spam, and copies of data that you don\’t need for your work. Always have a wastebasket handy or a delete button so that you can quickly get rid of unimportant, inessential material. Don\’t let it clutter up your life.

The second letter, R stands for Refer. Pass Along All Mail and incoming information an email to anyone else who can handle it faster or easier than you. Resist the temptation to deal with it personally just because you know what to do and are comfortable with it. Whenever possible, Refer it to someone else who can take care of it for you.

The third letter in TRAF is A. Which stands for Act. Take action on critical letters, and pieces of information in essential emails immediately. These are vital tasks that can have positive or negative consequences if you don\’t act right away. If you cannot take action immediately on an important task, get a read file folder or a computer file and put that piece of information into this action file for attention as soon as possible.

And the last letter, F, stands for File. Put away those papers and materials that you will need later. But before you do, always ask if I need this information at a later time. Can I find it somewhere else? If the information is easily available elsewhere? Toss it fully. 80 percent of the letters, documents, and emails that you file will never be needed or looked at again. And each time you decide to file something, you\’re creating work for someone else or even yourself who has to do it. Only file things that you are sure that you will need again and that you cannot find somewhere else.