What is something we use everyday and how does it effect our careers? If you are ever caught in a sales slump, and you can't seem to find a way out, there may be a factor you are not considering: Your time management. Reps can be so preoccupied with what they are selling and to whom that they do not take into account the "when." As Hana LaRock writes in a recent Business2Community article, "if you can manage your time a little bit better, you may be surprised at the positive results you'll see when it comes to your sales."

What is Something We Use Everyday? Our Time; Manage it

The first step to improving time management is to sit down and evaluate your current way of doing things. Make a chart or pie graph that visually lays out each day for a week. Each hour, write down what you typically do during that time. Or, if you are retroactively doing this, write down what you did. This immediately highlights the activities that take up the most of your time. From what you see, are those the areas that really need your attention? Are you getting a good return on investment for those spent hours?? Be honest as to whether you are really being efficient with your days.

Hold yourself to task by creating to-​do lists based on your new strategies. "Everyone gets off track sometimes, even when distractions are minimized," LaRock writes. "When it comes to all the processes surrounding a single sale, there are many things to be done…To help you manage your time better and thereby increase sales, it's essential that you create to-​do lists to help you visualize what needs to be done and stick to it."

Once you've analyzed your time use and made changes, make sure to sit down again later and evaluate how those changes have affected sales. More tweaks here and there may be necessary. This type of self-​check is so important for reps, whose time is always strapped. By maximizing your time management, you make the path to sales success that much easier!

What is something we use everyday? Our time. There are few things more important than how we choose to spend our time. Don't waste yours.