Personal Fitness Professional - January 2008 - (Page 19) [ PRODUCT PROFILE ] THE TWO-PHASE SYSTEM FOR BY RICK SIKORSKI TASK EXECUTION HOW A BUSY PERSONAL TRAINER CAN GET MORE DONE In a society where we can instantly communicate with someone 3000 miles away, the ability to manage and execute tasks is more critical than ever. I have developed the Two-Phase System for Task Execution, which has not only helped me get more done in my day but has also helped hundreds of Fitness Together franchise business owners get critical items completed more often. PHASE ONE: THE SEVEN-STEP TASK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 1. Purchase and label 13 manila folders, 12 of which should be labeled for each month of the year. The 13th folder will be labeled “Other.” 2. Make a master list of all the good ideas you have. Assemble the list without putting any thought into whether it should or should not be done. 3. Set the list aside for one whole day, giving no thought to your list. 4. Go though the list and put it through a filter. Ask four questions of each item on your list: Should I do it? Can I do it? When can I do it? Can I afford to do it? 5. Get rid of all the ideas on your list that did not pass your filter system questions. 6. Divide all your good ideas into bite-sized pieces by putting two or three ideas into each folder, January through December. Let’s say you started out with 46 good ideas and removed 12 of those that did not make it through your filter system. You are now left with 36 good ideas. Now put three ideas into each of your folders. Pull out the month you are in now and file the other months away. This will help you focus on three items instead of being overwhelmed by looking at a list of 36 items. 7. Undoubtedly you will have new ideas come across your desk. The “Other” folder is where you keep your master list and securely file all your new ideas for future reference. As new ideas come to you, write them down and put them through your filter. If they survive the filtering process, spread them out over the remaining 11 months of the year. PHASE TWO: THE EXECUTION CHECKLIST Once you have created the folders and divided these projects, it is time to get these new items completed using your execution checklist. We teach all our franchise owners to use this important checklist format to get more items completed. Divide your checklist into a morning session and an afternoon session. In order to create momentum and get started accomplishing tasks, divide both your morning and afternoon sessions into two main blocks of time: time to work on 10 minor tasks (defined as an activity that requires less than 10 minutes each) and time to work on two major items. The goal is to check items off your to-do list and execute tasks. The time that you dig into your folders is in the morning and afternoon session, which is devoted to major items (a major item is defined as anything taking longer than 10 minutes). One of the biggest challenges of fitness business owners is the feeling of being in quicksand. They work 10 or 12 hours, get home and feel like they have not accomplished anything. Each successful session, morning and afternoon, will help you to build confidence about your ability to execute tasks. The goal is not to execute as many tasks as possible but to execute tasks properly, so that over the course of a month, a quarter or a year, the end result is a healthy business continually making progress. The Two-Phase System for Task Execution will help you accomplish more important tasks faster than you ever thought possible. Rick Sikorski is the CEO of the Fitness Together Franchise Corporation (FTFC), which has been a leader in the fitness and wellness industry since 1996. For more information, please visit www.fitnesstogether.com. JAN-FEB2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 27 19 http://www.fitnesstogether.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM
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