- NEW: Replays—Insider exclusive recordings of Office Hours sales discussions
- Downloadable prospecting letters
- One killer-good intro letter only the bravest of the brave send out
- A downloadable voicemail script
- 15 on-demand video sales courses
- Archived sales content searchable by sales challenge
Complete Story
02/28/2024
Time Management is a Bag of Flour
Source: Bill Farquharson, The Sales Vault, February 26, 2024
Time management is a bag of flour.
You are sitting at your desk performing a task of some kind and an idea comes to you. You write it down. Getting back to that task, you are reminded of a thought that came to you while you were driving earlier in the day. You write it down. The day’s production meeting starts and new procedures are introduced. That means you’ll have to put some time into learning a new workflow system. You write yourself a reminder.
This kind of innocent activity is common for most of us. Seemingly by itself, a task list grows until there’s no more room to write on the piece of paper. Suddenly, you are buried in to-do’s, each an additional mental burden.
While you are able to whittle away at some of these add-on tasks, you feel frustrated at the end of the day because you did not get to any of the original priorities you had established while planning your day.
Think of this scenario as a bag of flour dropped on the floor. At the center of this kitchen disaster, there is a pile, while all around in every direction is a cloud of white. In the end, only the mess in the middle is in any way salvageable. But you can’t get to it until you clean up around it.
Look, there is nothing wrong with capturing these fleeting thoughts before they whisp away, but we cannot let them derail our day as they do. Go ahead and write them down but keep them separate from the day’s agenda. With very few exceptions, nothing is as urgent as it seems. Most of these wayward thoughts can wait.
Let them.
Work your task A-List as you would normally. That will give you an important sense of completion before you move on to List B.
And hand me the broom, will you? There is some clean-up to do.
The Sales Vault, created by Bill Farquharson, is a subscription-based resource and sales community featuring a calendar packed with live workshops, on-demand sales courses, peer-to-peer discussion groups, and 35+ years of sales training content all searchable by sales challenge. Think of it as a sales conference where the seminars and workshops, full of instantly applicable ideas, are ongoing and more programs are added constantly.
The Sales Vault is available on a monthly subscription basis, normally at a no-brainer monthly price of $45/participant, but… GMA members can take advantage of an exclusive offer: FREE membership for 30 days followed by a discounted monthly subscription price of just $40/participant.
Bill has been a friend of GMA for many years and is, no doubt, known to our members as a top sales trainer and content creator for the graphic arts.
Other Vault resources:
Emerging Leaders Academy Kicks Off This Week
The inaugural Emerging Leaders Academy officially launches this Thursday, bringing together current and future industry leaders for a collaborative leadership development experience focused on building stronger teams, smarter organizations, and a more sustainable future for the graphic communications industry.
Read MoreHelping Print Companies Navigate Change With Confidence
As a valued Graphic Media Alliance partner, Printers 401K is helping print companies address workforce and retirement planning challenges through solutions designed to support employees, simplify decision making, and strengthen long-term business growth.
Read MoreA Simple Solution to Digital Distractions
In a world filled with nonstop notifications, endless scrolling, and constant digital interruptions, paper continues to offer something surprisingly powerful: focus. A recent blog post from Two Sides North America explores how paper can help reduce distractions and improve productivity in today’s workplace.
Read MoreAI Evolution: Fisher Phillips Announces First Keynote Speaker for 2026 Conference
Artificial intelligence continues to reshape business strategy, workforce planning, and operational decision-making. Fisher Phillips has announced the first keynote speaker for its upcoming AI Evolution Conference in Washington, D.C.
Read MoreOMG Someone Picked Up The Phone
Getting on the bid list of a company does not take a lot of work. Getting to speak to someone and bringing them a fresh idea requires the one element Bill Farquharson talks about in this week's Short Attention Span Sales Tip.
Read More