marketing + sales: Could've, Would've, Should've: Where Does Our Time Go?

Time is a concept many people struggle with. I often hear people say that they're slammed, buried, drowning, in the weeds, swamped, running ragged—the list goes on. These are quite depressing statements, and even for me, as a management consultant, it is a constant struggle to avoid making similar statements.

Time management (or lack of time) is an issue most of us face. Time is the great equalizer. We cannot get more of it and it doesn't stop for anyone. Time does not care about how much money you have, where you live, your title, your gender, your race or your nationality. Time is consistent.

We cannot undo things that have happened in the past, and we can't change things that are going to happen in the future. The only time we truly "control" is right now. Does this mean we should avoid reflecting on the past? No, we should do this to some degree so we can improve our leadership strategy. Does this mean we should not plan for the future? No, we should be proactive; however, we must remember that a plan is, according to Merriam Webster, "something that a person intends to do." Notice the word "intend" as our best intentions can often be derailed by unforeseen circumstances.

As I study the integrated marketing communications of organizations, I often hear three common phrases: "We could've done this," "We would've done this" or "We should've done this." But what good does this do? This is like being a "Monday morning quarterback," the football fan who analyzes the game or team after the game is over and tells everyone what the team could or should have done differently. Anyone can look at things in hindsight and see things that could have been done more effectively. Living in the past, however, does no good.

Another thing people often tell me is that they did not have time to get something done. This is not true. What they should say is they did not make time to get it done. We almost always have a choice of how we use our time. If you go to a workshop that will improve your human relations skills but neglect to turn a big report in—that was your choice. If you take a day of vacation with your family but leave a big customer waiting for an answer—that too was your choice. We all have an equal playing field of 168 hours each week. The question is not if you have enough time, it is what you do with it. Do you make your 168 count?

A final thing to consider: How much of your time is influenced by technology? I often say that the smartphone is both the greatest helper and the worst thing ever created. Why? Much of our "free time" becomes "taken time," as we are often looking down and focused on some sort of mobile device. Everything we need is right at our fingertips. But, at what cost? Is it possible that some of us have lost the ability to think on our feet? Have we become more comfortable sending emails, texts and tweets than talking to someone on the phone or in person? Do we use these newer technological tools to "save time?"

Try this exercise: Write down two or three important things you need to spend more time on, and determine how much time each of these will take per week. Once you have this number of hours, find several things you need to quit doing in order to create time to do these new things. Think of your time as currency. Decide what things you need to "debit" from your account and what things you need to "deposit" to it. There is no better time to do this than now.

By Ryan T. Sauers

Ryan T. Sauers is president of Sauers Consulting Strategies. The firm consults with printing- and promotional product-related companies across the U.S. Sauers is working on his Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership and is the author of the top-selling book "Everyone Is in Sales," with another book in the works. Sauers is a Certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator, DiSC Practitioner and Certified Marketing Executive. He writes national feature articles in publications and speaks at many national conferences on such topics as sales, marketing, communications, organizational leadership and social media. Sauers is also an adjunct university professor teaching leadership and organizational strategy to adult learners. For more information, visit www.ryansauers.com.