The weekend is over and you probably are having a case of the Mondays. In a recent study it was discovered that sales reps who spent more time in planning tended to be more successful. So how can you start planning out your day and week and have success results? Here’s how:

Visualize your long term picture of success and put it in writing. Review your goal frequently. Your goal should be specific, measurable, achievable and compatible with where you are right now. There should be an end date as well.

Write out a To Do list every day. Include items that can be completed.

Separate your To Do list into A, B and C categories in order of priority.
“A” items are important to your long term success (If you had nothing else to do today, these would be the activities that would affect your results and pipeline one month from now),
“B” are things you must do today as part of your job description (they may be urgent but not as important)
“C” are unwritten or unavoidable but necessary (administration, travel, personal)
“D” are things you could delay, delegate, or delete
Start with the A items. Don’t work on a C just because it’s easy to do. Also, break your A items into small manageable chunks, so they’re easy to accomplish.

Check off items as you complete them to give yourself a sense of accomplishment.

Block off time for major activities. This might include a block of time for working alone on major tasks. If someone wants to meet you during that time, say “I’m sorry, I already have an appointment.”

Don’t jam your day full of activities. Leave time for emergencies, special opportunities and thinking time.
Be your own manager. Ask yourself if you have met your goals, and what changes you plan to make to achieve them.
Do it now. People will often say “Call me next week, and we’ll book an appointment then.” Respond by saying, “Let’s save ourselves a call and do it now.”

Always plan time for balance; include family, fitness, recreation, social and spiritual activities.
Conduct a time study to see how you’re doing and where the opportunities for improvement lie. Many people are only able to spend one quarter of their time on top priority activities. Moving this up to one third of the week means almost 4 more hours per week on key activities.