Time is Not a Renewable Resource

Some people say that time equals money. That may be true, but I think that as a recruiter time is actually more precious than money.

Time is a nonrenewable resource. Some scientists and anyone who has watched Donnie Darko may disagree, but in my experience, time is linear. Once you’ve spent it, it’s gone forever. Thus, your biggest asset is your time because you can never get it back. I think humans are great time wasters and then one day sit down and wonder where it all went. What causes this and how can we overcome it?

The biggest time waster that I see today in recruitment is Social Media, namely Facebook and LinkedIn.

All forms of social media are a blessing and a curse. As they bring the world together and allow us to connect with people all over the world, they have also created a massive attention and perception problem. Social Media is addictive and it is designed to be. Just like a gambler at a slot machine, it stimulates the same part of your brain, the reward system. As a headhunter, it's easy to get lost in the pages of LinkedIn, connecting with people, scanning profiles, but not actually getting anything done.

Constantly refreshing your news feed for the next update. Searching for something that isn't there. The result is a bunch of drones locked into their phones/computers/tablets, creating a false virtual world. The average person spends over 2 hours a day on social media (and I think that's an understatement)... Imagine the advantage a recruiter could have if they could cut that out of their day.

The worst part of this, though, is not only the false perception we create around us, but the amount of time we waste. It’s become normal to spend hours checking social media. Social Media = The Norm. But does checking your Facebook or LinkedIn 20x per day get you ahead? Make your more productive? Increase your sales or earnings?

No. Naturally, this takes us away from becoming our best selves (as recruiters and as people) and performing at our highest capacity. We are being robbed of our most valuable resource - Time. I think it's important we understand that social media is not a necessity, but rather it supplements your day. Meeting people, calling people, and interacting with people will always be more memorable and important. The most successful people I know use these tools as exactly that: Tools. They do not let them hinder them and eat away their precious time.

So, I've come up with a few ways to take your time back (without completely abandoning Facebook, Instagram, and especially LinkedIn)...

(1) Remove Facebook & Facebook Messenger from your phone

Both are designed to be addictive and stimulate you. Each notification just invites you back to the land of procrastination and takes you away from being productive. It's as simple as that.

(2) Use LinkedIn Productively

If you’re like me, and randomly log onto LinkedIn, scroll through the news feed, click into random profiles, and read random articles... Just stop. You'll rarely find anything that benefits you there. Target your approach. Make a plan. Be productive on LinkedIn - it is and can be a powerful tool.

(3) Say No

Say no to the negative. Whether it's a person, a mindless task, or a meeting. Don't say yes to appease someone else. Ask yourself: Will this get me ahead? Don't meet people for the sake of meeting people. Ensure it's a good meeting, with a targeted outcome. Learn to say no to people - it frees up a lot of time to focus on the important things.

(4) Track Your Time

What gets measured gets managed.

Download a time management app. This showed me that I was wasting around 2-3 hours per day on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn — which shocked me and inspired me to write this blog.

(5) Set dedicated Social Media blocks...

Dedicate a set time to check all of your social media once or twice per day (this might be the hardest part for you). This requires a ton of discipline but is the most valuable tip of them all.

It sounds extremely basic and many will shrug this off, but I highly recommend treating this post as serious. If you’re like me, and at the end of a “productive” day, you confusingly wonder to yourself: What did I really accomplish today? It happens much too often...

I've tried this for one month and have seen fantastic increases in productivity. Try this for one month and see how much more productive you are - keen to hear the results.

(Bonus tip) Be the Recruiter you want to be

Lastly, stop making excuses and be the headhunter you want to be. Admire your colleague who is always on the phone, negotiating deals? Be him or her. Want to be the big biller in the office? Mimic the biggest billers traits. Use your time wisely, do more, and work hard. It'll pay off.

Taking control of your time will only allow you to work smarter and ultimately be more successful. Time is your biggest asset, so don't waste it.