A majority of my business coaching clients have shared their need to improve their own time management.

I’m sharing one EASY tip to optimize your productivity—as well as why you may be resistant to this tip—and why it just may change your life!

BUSINESS TIP: Only check your e-mail twice or three times each day, and give yourself a time limit on checking and replying.

(Of course, if you work in an administrative role, where your job is to check e-mails throughout the day, this tip does not apply.)

For business owners, C-level positions, and account executives, this tip is one the BEST ways to maximize your productivity and profitability.

You may be thinking:

• “But, I have to check my e-mail all the time, to get back to my clients quickly.”
• “I need to know what others need from me, so I can reply right away.”
• “My e-mails also present new ‘to-do’s’ for me, whether they are from my clients, boss, coach, associates/ etc.”

The problem with these statements is that they demonstrate that others’ needs are above your own priorities.

It’s NOT that these e-mails (and who they are coming from) are not important. At the same time, if you write out your OWN, goal-oriented business priorities, and carve out time for each of these priorities throughout the work day and work week—AND find yourself constantly making others’ priorities MORE important than your own… your productivity suffers.

JUST TRY IT, and see how it may change your life AND business.

ACTION STEPS for this week:

1. Look at your schedule, and carve out 2 – 3 times each day to check and reply to e-mails. Give yourself a limit each time.
2. Jot down a list of your own business priorities.
3. Now, next to each business priority, write down how long you believe that task will take (note: with larger projects, do your best to break them down into hour-long tasks)
4. Organize your list, by putting a number in front of each priority, based on level of importance
5. Take the most important tasks, and schedule them throughout your day. Be realistic of how much you will achieve throughout the day.

I’d love to hear how you do THIS week, with this time management tip and these action steps.

P.S. Did you know, on average, people check their phones 150 times a day (according to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer’s Annual Internet Trends Report)? The report found people check their phones an average of 23 times a day for messaging, 22 times for a voice call and 18 times to get the time.