Don't bug me. I'm busy right now — trying to improve my time management skills.
I've found that I fit in with a majority of working adults (and high school and college students, for that matter) who rate below average at managing time on the job. I make to-do lists, but they aren't prioritized – leaving me free to knock out the few easy tasks every day and procrastinate on the rest.
How much time are you letting get away every day, every week on your route?
Do you spend too much time at some shops letting a tech bend your ear about his problems with the boss or at home?
Or do you lose time looking for a tool to show a customer because your truck is poorly organized?
Or are you wasting time in some other aspect of the day?
This issue of Professional Distributor has turned into an unofficial primer on better time management.
First off is Cornwell Tools dealer Danny Windings, who talks about some of his challenges with "working harder, not longer" in the cover story, starting on page 8. You'll also find tips from Phil Sasso on page 26 about using a few minutes here and there in a smarter way that can lead to the "big sale" without taking a two-hour sales pitch out of just one day. And on page 38, Nik Satenstein reminds you why better time management is better for you in the long run.