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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of Image Group International, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies, and hacks for the new tech world. Here, you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques, and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image, and reputation.

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Hello, and welcome to my personal branding masterclass. I'm thrilled to have you here today. And of course, before we get any deeper into the subject  that we're covering today, I'd love to stay connected with you on social media. My Twitter, or X, is Jon_Michail, my LinkedIn is Jon Michail, and you can find me as Image Group International on Facebook. Now let's jump into today's topic. One, that's not only essential but often misunderstood and I've named the time is a luxury mastering self management for ultimate productivity.  But here's the twist. Time management is really about self management. And think about that for a second.  Managing yourself is the first step towards managing your time effectively. This episode is about how self management and time management are intertwined and why mastering this is crucial to your personal brand and its perception.  Before we get into the strategies though, I want to drop a little truth bomb. Time management isn't just about getting more done. It's a key part of your personal brand and your reputation. Your ability to manage time reflects on your reliability, efficiency, and credibility. All the key ingredients of a powerful personal brand. Steve Jobs once said, it's not about working harder, but certainly working smarter. And that my friends is the essence of what we'll  today. And I'll start with why time management reflects on your personal brand. So let me ask you something. Do you often feel that there aren't enough hours in the day?   I see this all the time with my clients as professionals juggling a hundred tasks, meetings, emails, deadlines, social media, family commitments, et cetera. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But here's a crucial point. I want you to understand  the most successful people. I'm busier than you. They better at just managing their time. Why? Because they value it knowing they can't ever get it back. So please let that sink in. You can't ever get back your time. So it's important that we put it to good use. It's not about the hours you put in, but how you manage those hours. People like Melanie Perkins, for instance, the founder, co founder of Canva  or Richard Branson or Elon Musk or anyone else you truly respect. They have the same 24 hours as you. What sets them apart is how they allocate and protect their time. And this ability contributes the strong and  unmistakable personal brands.

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Now I'd like to share the top five to focus on.  Let's start off with number one. Setting priorities. What's urgent versus what's important. All right, so let's start with the first big strategy, setting priorities. One of the most common mistakes I see in professionals, including leaders, is treating everything as urgent. But let me tell you something, not everything is urgent. And here's a framework that has been around for decades, but it's still incredibly, incredibly, And it's called the Eisenhower Matrix. U. S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower is credited with saying, What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important. The matrix breaks down tasks into four categories. One, urgent and important.  Two important, but not urgent. Three urgent, but not important. And number four, neither urgent nor important. So if you draw up a matrix, you write those things I've just shared with you, the top four, you'll be able to see exactly,  where to place some of your tasks. Most of us, we're not overwhelmed, Phil.  You know, uh, obviously, A little bit out of control. If you're overwhelmed, that's what overwhelmed generally would mean and focus on what's urgent because it demands immediate attention.  But what about what's important? These are the tasks that have the potential to move your career forward or improve your personal brand and its perception. And remember, I am saying it's perception yet we tend to push them to the side. So my tip  is this. At the start of each day, ask yourself, what are the most important things I need to accomplish today?  The key is focusing on importance over urgency. It's not about doing more. It's about doing what matters.  Number two, the power of task batching and protecting your focus. Now let's talk about batching tasks. This is one of the most effective ways to keep your productivity high. If you're someone who consistently switches between tasks, let's say, , writing an email, preparing for a meeting, and then jumping into a creative brainstorming session, you're what researchers call is,  a task switcher.  And by the way, I've been guilty of that as well. So according to research from the American Psychological Society,  constantly switching between tasks can reduce your productivity by up to 40%.  That's because you're forcing your brain to recalibrate every time you move from one task to another, draining mental energy and slowing you down.But here's a solution.  But in batching tasks, you've got to group similar tasks together and complete them in one go. For example, block off specific times in a day to handle emails or dedicate uninterrupted time for deep creative work. This helps you to stay in the zone, minimize distractions, and ultimately get more done in less time.

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And I'm sure your mind also will be very happy with that because you're putting less stress on it. Number three, the myth of multitasking. Why you should avoid it. Now, on the subject of task switching, let me bust a popular myth. Multitasking is a productivity killer, not a booster. You've probably heard people brag about their ability to multitask. Right.  But studies show that multitasking not only reduces productivity, but also increases stress. And who needs more stress? According to research conducted at Stanford University, people who multitask regularly perform worse on cognitive tasks compared to those who focus on one thing at a time. So if you want to be more productive, and by extension, improve your personal brand's perception, because you'll be seen as obviously a capable leader. Ditch multitasking. Focus on one task completed, then move on to the next. Number four, taking breaks. This is counterintuitive and is the secret to productivity. Now I know what some of you might be thinking, I'm too busy to take breaks. But here's the thing, taking breaks can actually Make you more productive. There's a technique called the Pomodoro technique. Maybe some of you have already heard of it. It's based on the idea of working in 25 minute bursts followed by a five minute break. After four cycles, you take a longer break. Usually could be around 15 to 30 minutes. And why does this work? Because our brains aren't wired for extended periods of focus. Studies show that taking breaks helps prevent decision fatigue and keeps you sharp throughout the day. So yes, take that break. You're not slacking off, you're just actually recharging. And finally, number five is learning to say no. Protecting your time. Now, , let's talk about something that a lot of professionals struggle with. The power of saying no. If you're constantly saying yes to every meeting, every project, and every social,  invitation, you're stretching yourself too thin.  A big part of effective time management is protecting your time. And this is crucial to your personal brand. Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors of all time, said this. The difference between successful people and really successful people Is that really successful people say no to almost everything saying no doesn't make you difficult It makes you discerning. This is also part of your personal brand, especially in an era of social media  , people have become less discerning. You want to be known as someone who values their time because, as we said, time is a luxury. Because when you say no to something that doesn't align with your priorities, you're saying yes to something that does.   And This issue is, of course, an issue that a lot of people go through it.

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In my experience as a coach, I've had the experience with a lot of clients that have gone through this particular  challenge. So let me share with you a quick story about one of my clients, Robert, by the way, this is not his real name, who was struggling with time management.  He was a rising executive, but constantly felt overwhelmed. Like he was always playing catch up. His work life balance was not existent and it was done to take toll in his performance. And of course his reputation. This is the key here. This is what,  perceptions all about it. Uh, you know, it affected his reputation because of his, way of being. So we worked together to reassess his priorities, implement task batching and crucially help him learn to say no to unnecessary commitments. Robert had a, uh,  always been liked. And of course, he saw it in his mind that if he says no, he's going to be disliked. And he obviously didn't want to be disliked. But within six months, his productivity soared and more importantly became known as a focused, reliable leader. So with a little bit of work, You can get there. And of course, he was seen as someone who gets things done. And as a leader, that is essential. So time management wasn't just about getting more work done for Robert. It was about rebuilding his personal brand, as a high performing trustworthy leader, because he was missing a lot of opportunities due to his image perception issue. So as we wrap up today's episode, remember this. Time is your most valuable asset. You can't buy more of it, but you can learn to manage it better. And when you do, not only will you be more productive, but you'll build a stronger, more intentional personal brand in the process. And  that's it for today's session. So thank you for tuning in to today’s episode. If you found these insights helpful, be sure to rate us on Apple Podcasts and subscribe for more valuable content. If you need my help in your journey, please contact Patricia at patricia.bosa@imagegroup.com.au. Thank you for tuning in, until next time, cheers!

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence, and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for personal coaching, seminars, and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.