I recently re-read a book called Beating the Time Bandits: How to Transform Time into Success, Wealth & Happiness by Robert Hartung. Hartung shares excellent strategies and tactics for managing time, which he asserts is our most valuable asset. “Everyone, every day has exactly the same amount of time and it is up to each of us to use it or lose it”, he writes. Hartung also shares that we all battle any number of attacks by the notorious Time Bandits. There are 10 Bandits in all, and they include: Charlie Chaos, Paulie the Procrastintor, Paula Perfect, Donna Diversion, Johnny Junk (E)Mail and Debbie Disorganized.
Like many business owners, I often vacillate between agonizing over where my time is best spent, or not thinking about it at all (which is no better than agonizing over it). I can identify most deeply with a couple of Time Bandits, namely Charlie Chaos and Paula Perfect. Charlie Chaos robs time when we don’t have a written plan, and Paula Perfect thrives when we are fearful that we aren’t doing things absolutely perfectly the first time around. I also think that Donna Diversion is happiest when we’re hanging around on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn without realizing where the time has gone while we’re reading trending topics on Twitter or catching up with friends (or even business acquaintances!).
It’s easy to let Charlie Chaos and the rest of the Time Bandits steal us blind when we’re venturing into the world of social media to promote our businesses. Tweeting, following, posting, friending- we’re bombarded with information about the best way to do all of it. Getting sucked into doing everything in social media BUT promoting our businesses can be a full-time job!
In order to defeat Chaos while tweeting and posting and connecting, we need to have a written plan that includes our target market, our mission and vision, our marketing calendar and our strategies and tactics. There are many marketing pros who can help you develop a written plan if you don’t have one.
Beating Perfectionism takes an understanding that social media marketing is still relatively new and changing everyday, and we are all learning! Some of us certainly understand the ins and outs better than others, so it’s a great idea to consult with someone who can help, but it’s also OK to experiment and just be yourself. If you see a good idea that someone else is using, by all means, try it out yourself and see what happens.
And, ah, Diversions. Social media is full of them! The best way to fight those is to stick to your plan and calendar and decide how long you’ll be spending every day. I know several business owners who schedule in a certain block of time every day to concentrate on their social media planning and activities.
Who are your most feared Time Bandits, and how do you defeat them?