If you had 168 hours this week to crush your sales goals, how would you spend them?
Spoiler alert: you do. Every single one of us gets the same 168 hours each week—no more, no less.
Yet some sales pros seem to knock it out of the park while others barely make contact. What’s the difference? It all comes down to how you spend your time and focus your energy.
In inside sales, time management isn’t just important—it’s everything. Our world is one of dials, demos, and deals, where every minute is an opportunity to move the needle. Be honest with yourself: it’s easy to get stuck in the grind, spending too much time reacting instead of driving toward results.
So, how do you make the most of your 168 hours?
Start by taking Debbie Mrazek’s advice in The Field Guide to Sales (page 34 to be exact): tracking how you’re spending your time this week. Grab a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a time-tracking app and jot down everything you do.
Yes, everything—from calls and emails to coffee breaks and scrolling social media. At the end of the week, review your log with ruthless honesty.
Here’s a hypothetical log to get you started:
| Time Slot | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM | prospecting calls | High impact; booked 2 discovery calls |
| 9:00 – 9:30 AM | CRM updates | Necessary admin work; interrupted by a colleague |
| 9:30 – 10:00 AM | social media scrolling | Low value; |
| 10:00 – 11:00 AM | discovery call prep | Essential; interrupted by a call & distracted by request |
| 11:00 – 11:30 AM | took a break | Essential mental break, could have been 15 mins |
| 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | discovery call | Productive; progressed to next stage |
| 1:00 – 1:30 PM | lunch | Break |
| 1:30 – 2:00 PM | internal meeting | Could have been an email, interrupted by IT issue |
| 2:00 – 3:00 PM | outbound emails | Medium impact; some templates too generic |
| 3:00 – 3:30 PM | prospecting research | Prepped for targeted outreach; interrupted by IM chat |
| 3:30 – 4:30 PM | outbound calling | Productive |
| 4:30 – 5:00 PM | Planning for next day | Valuable for staying on track |
Ask yourself: Where did you waste time? What activities felt productive but didn’t move the needle? And most importantly, how much of your time was spent on revenue-generating tasks?
Once you have a clear picture of your habits, you can start making intentional changes. By carving out more time for high-impact activities and eliminating distractions, you’ll create a week that’s not just busy but genuinely productive.
Remember, time is the ultimate resource. The clock is ticking—make every second count.
Figuring out where I spend my seconds,
Lynn
ps: My log is in 15-minute chunks because inside sales distractions tend to pull me away from my intended activity… but I didn’t want to scare you. Want that version? Click reply and I’ll send it along.