Managing Your Travel Business: Four Stress-Free Time Savers
by John Hawks

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Test different time management systems if you want - but pick one, and stick with it.

When I walk into any office superstore these days (Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, etc.), I'm like a kid in a candy store. I always drop by the calendar display to check out the latest Filofax/DayTimer/FranklinCovey books and pages. Regardless of which system you swear by, the key is picking one calendar - even the simple dollar-store variety will do! - and start planning your time in writing.

Set your priorities daily - and stick to them.

Keep your time planning simple. You don't need a day planner the size of the Oxford English Dictionary in order to be organized. If you start with a blank index card each evening, and write down your three big to-do items for the next day (e.g., "Confirm M/M Smith's Bermuda cabins," "Draft and send email to prospects with Carnival specials," and "Make appointment for senior center presentation"), then you're set. Along with simplicity, the key is consistency -- starting the habit of planning your day, and then sticking to that plan no matter what happens.

Learn the difference between what's important - and what's merely urgent.

In the world of travel, it's very easy to get sidetracked with "fires" that break out in the typical day. The mailman brings tour documents for clients with the names misspelled, your phone rings with prospects who want you to do lots of "free" research for them (even though they've never done business with you before), your email box fills with cruise discounts and OSSN email and messages from someone in Nigeria who needs your help moving cash back to the United States. As you look through your growing to-do list each day, remember that there's a big difference for your bottom line as a home-based travel agent between what's urgent (timely, but not critical) and what's truly important (e.g., daily or weekly blocks of time for marketing emails and mailings).

Carve out blocks of time during your day for uninterrupted work.

Here's an honest truth: You don't have to be immediately available to your clients 24/7/365. Schedule blocks of time in each day when you will focus on productive work - not checking the email that just came in two minutes ago. Return your phone calls during certain hours, instead of taking calls while you're trying to lay out a new cruise flyer for a big group. If you've ever wondered how some home-based agents sell $250,000, or $500,000, or even $1,000,000 or more a year in travel, this technique is one of their trade secrets. If you spend enough time in focused, targeted sales efforts, you can soon hire someone to handle your calls and emails!