More Planning = Less Work

As a MM, its easy to assume you don't have the time to plan properly. You deal with the squeakiest wheel in the moment and then move on to the next fire. Problem with this is that it keeps you in a constant state of work.

I've made an effort over the last 6 months to focus on planning the next steps of any project I'm working on days in advance. I then tell my clients exactly when we will talk next to review that next stage. So on Wed. I'll say, "let's talk next Tues @ 10:00 to go over ___". The result, my voice mail messages have gone down from 60-80 per week to around 15 per week. People are calling me less asking me questions about their projects because we're answering their questions before they have to ask them.

Always plan ahead. Make it your goal to set what you and your co-workers are going to work on, at least one day in advance, if not sooner. Do the same for your customers - make sure they know at least one day in advance what to expect. This allows you to truly manage time, which always gets you better results. And you'll be working smarter, not harder.