Jan 26, 2022
Subtitle:
Time… it’s our most limited resource. The older you get, the more you’re responsible for, the more goals you have, THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS to be intentional with what you spend your time on. You can’t get everything done, so how do you make sure you get the highest impact things done (ps - not the most urgent things)? And inevitably, you can’t get everything done, so how do you be intentional about what DOESN’T get done? We dig into how to make the biggest impact with your time in this episode.
Summary:
On today’s episode we talk about how we spend our time on what matters. In order to do that, you first need to identify a few key things about yourself. It’s also important to remember that although many situations in the agency world may seem like emergencies, real emergencies are rare, and freaking out won’t help. Time management is not solely for business but rather it should be a part of all aspects of your life. Mindset and intentionality also play a big role in making time for tasks that may not be urgent, but are still important. We also discuss some of the practical tools we use for time management and prioritizing tasks. Time management is important, so let’s make it a priority for 2022.
Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:
For more tips, discussion, and behind the scenes:
About The Guys:
Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob:
Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:
Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken:
Show Notes:
[0:32] Bob opens the first episode of 2022 by asking the guys about how their years ended.
[3:52] Ken introduces this episode’s topic. “I think it's a good thing to rethink stuff. I know for me, it's like how do I spend my time, money, and resources more wisely, and do a better job this year?”
[5:06] Brad talks about one of his challenges with time management and asks the guys how they resolve their time management challenges. “One of my biggest challenges with time is that I've always got a squeaky wheel somewhere and it takes me away from what I need to be doing. That's probably my biggest frustration with time management. And I'd like to hear a little bit about how you guys get around that”
[7:01] Ken discusses a question he was asked that helps him prioritize. “What do you want to dedicate your life to? When it comes down to all the urgent things that come up, do you want to look back and have regrets? What do you want your life to be?”
[10:07] Ken talks about how often the “emergencies” in the business world aren’t real emergencies and how he has trained himself and his team to respond to those situations. “Freaking out, is not gonna help. You do what you can do, and you do it with a calm mind.”
[11:10] Bob mentions the importance of understanding yourself and how you function in order to achieve your goals for time management.
[14:10] Brad talks about how time management isn’t solely for business, but rather, “Your time management is really important to what you want your life to be as a whole, not just your business.”
[17:28] Brad asks the guys, “I feel like I wasted a lot of time. How do you guys deal with that?”
[18:58] Ken talks about the importance of being intentional about prioritizing tasks and having accountability to put some skin in the game.
[22:01] Brad discusses how he tries to protect his time and how that stems from his personality type.
[23:17] Bob talks about the challenges of protecting your time, “not just for yourself, but from other people in an agency world. There is a tyranny of urgency, not just in your own brain and anxiety, but your staff, your clients, everybody's pulling, saying, hey, I need this yesterday”
[23:54] Ken talks about what he’s done to create a culture of de-urgency in his business. “Freaking out helps zero people, right?”
[27:32] Bob asks the guys what practical tools they use for time management.
[27:38] Ken says that one of the biggest tools for himself is a coach. He also talks about how he uses the Eisenhower matrix to prioritize tasks.
[32:57] Ken talks about how, “The reality is, there has to be some sacrifice.”
[33:25] Brad discusses his project and time management tool, Asana.
[36:11] Ken talks about how to plan tasks according to your creative flow. “You have to know what time of day so then you can know how to time block your weeks.”
[39:44] Bob talks about the impact consistency and your daily morning ritual can have on your time management.
[42:44] Ken mentions a cycle by John Ortberg that describes how time management usually fails and how he breaks it.
“It starts with over commitment, and then it goes into fatigue, and then it goes into guilt and shame, and then that goes into quitting.”
[44:17] Ken wraps up by talking about how he uses his business’s morning standup to “help align everybody else around what they're supposed to be doing that day, rather than just leaving it to chance so it's more like a team game plan.”