Let's NOT Do Lunch...
One important aspect of “networking” is getting together with
colleagues
for a beverage or a meal. There is, however, a downside
to this tradition.
Bob Bly is one of the top copywriters in the business. Recently, he wrote
a piece called, “Let's Not Do Lunch.” Here's a summary.
Bob Bly seldom has lunch with anyone. His reasons include:
1. Bob finds going out to lunch to be an enormous drain on his limited
supply of time. He would rather be working.
2. When someone suggests “we should meet so that, in the future, we
might be able to work together," Bob contends that alternate technology
makes a face-to-face meeting unnecessary.
3. If someone wants to ask Bob for advice, phone or email works, as Bob
will gladly answer short questions at no charge. However, a question he
could answer in 2 minutes on the phone or by email would take an hour
or two at lunch.
Obviously, Bob Bly values his time as absolutely irreplaceable.
If he spends
2 hours having lunch with someone, that's 2 hours away
from client work
or his next book.
One More Thing: Bob suggests one of the best ways to NOT squander
your precious, limited time is to learn to say "NO."
"No, I can't have lunch with you... attend that meeting... serve on that
committee...."
Although his attitude may raise hackles or offend sensibilities, Bob
contends that's not his intention. He's not telling others what to do or
how
to live their lives. He's just saying what works for him – and why.
Bob is frequently asked this question: “How are you able to get so
much done...?”
Bob says it's simple: He's able to do all he does [many copywriting
projects, weekly email articles, columns, seminars, information products,
as wells as 80 published books and counting...] by valuing, conserving,
and protecting his time like it's gold in Fort Knox – and learning
the magic
of saying "NO."
Think about it: Could Bob Bly's approach make you more productive,
successful, and happy...?
For more time management tips and techniques, read Bob Bly's book,
Make Every Second Count.