How and where you spend your time sends a direct non-verbal message about what’s important to you and what your brand is all about. Have you ever heard of the phrase “walk the talk?” People believe what they see, not necessarily just what you tell them.

For example: If you say that spending time with customers is your most important priority and core to who you are and what your brand is all about – yet you spend all of your time in internal meetings and making process improvements, what are others likely to believe?

I urge my branding clients to analyze how they spend their time to make sure that it is working hard to build their personal brands.

  1. First, how do you spend your time today? Take a moment to look at the meetings you go to, how long you spend on emails, the tasks that fill your day, and the people and groups you interact with. Now, compare these time commitments to your goals and the brand you want to create. Ask yourself: Where am I consistent? Where am I not consistent? Where do I see gaps? What important or minor insights do I have about how I use my time?
  2. Second, how much time are you spending on emergencies and urgent tasks that pull you away from growing your brand? Unless you’re a crisis manager, aim to be deliberate about how much time you invest in actively building your brand compared to dealing with crises and doing tasks that must be completed. For one week, monitor how you use your time. Are you maintaining the right balance?
  3. Finally, what are the activities, meetings, events and other tasks that are important to building your brand? Make a list of the activities that you think you should be taking part in so that you can build your brand. Are there key events? Meetings that you cannot miss? Time spent reading or analyzing material? So for example: If you are a technology thought leader, how much time are you dedicating to sharing your knowledge on social media?

Ultimately, your time is a precious commodity and critical for you to manage. You can influence your circumstances even though they may not actually be within your control.

Increasing your skill with time management, minimizing distractions, being proactive, and bringing value wherever you show up will all contribute to your brand.