You are deep diving into a high value high priority contract, possibly sent by a C-suiter that is sucking up your time and soul. Let’s call it the “Lumbergh Contract.” The contract queue in your CLM continues to grow and your favorite stakeholders are pinging you for updates, redlines, and signed copies of their contracts. You are so deep into the Lumbergh Contract, you cannot remember what day of the week it is.
So, how do you get through this chaotic week without losing your sanity? Take a vacation. In the alternative, here are some tips to slay your busy week and crush your contracts.
Pause, and take a break. Walk away from the Lumbergh Contract. Drink some water, go for a short walk, reset and catch up on everything else you have been ignoring.
Don’t skip meals. Depriving yourself of nutrients won’t help the cause.
Flag the P0s and P1s. Ping their requesters and assess if their contract is truly urgent or if it can wait a bit. Tell them you are working on the boss’ contract and their patience is appreciated. Many will drop to P2.
Send off any approved contracts for signatures.
Take care of the familiar contracts like renewals next.
If a renewal doc looks a lot like the expiring one, do a doc compare first to see how much work is ahead of you. If nothing has changed, then you can read it quickly and approve. If a lot has changed, then you can give a realistic turnaround time.
Block time on your calendar to work on the big contracts. I call this “Focus Time.” This will prevent people from setting up calls in your Focus Time.
Be mindful of the slacks and email notifications, but resist the urge to respond as they come while you are reviewing the Lumbergh Contract. Reduce distractions.
If you are old school like me, list the top 5 hot contracts on a post-it and put it on your screen so you don’t forget about them while you lose yourself in the Lumbergh Contract.
Repeat number 1.
Even the best of multitaskers burn out without breaks and time management. No contract is worth that, definitely not the Lumbergh Contract. However, deals must be closed, bonuses must be earned. So, try these tips, crush the Lumbergh Contract and look fabulous doing it.
Cheers!