Beware the barrenness of a busy life style
Socrates 470BC-399BC Greek Athenian Philosopher
For most of us, the holidays are the busiest time of the year. Make simple changes starting today to truly transform your work and personal life. We all wish for more time in the day. There is no better time than NOW to incorporate these tips to increase productivity, reduce stress and gain time!
How many times have we read articles on time management or referred to checklists only to put them in the “I’ll get to that later” pile? STOP! Actually incorporate these tips into your life and reap the benefits of effective time management.
- Decide what you really want– Write your goals down on paper. Make certain your goals are clear, specific, time sensitive and measurable.
- Use a priority 5 list– Every day, before you leave the office or go to bed, write down the 5 most important tasks you want to accomplish the following day. Having your priorities in order reduces stress and will provide direction, organization and more time.
- Stop Multi-tasking– I have repeated this one over and over. Multi-tasking is gone. It is unproductive, results in errors and is a huge time waster. Single-tasking will increase your productivity and quality of work.
- Focus– Place relentless focus on the task in front of you. Avoid interruptions, apply “thought-stopping” and FINISH the project you have in front of you. (More information on thought-stopping)
- Turn off the noise– By turning off the noise you implement a “do not disturb” philosophy. Set your phone to silent, turn email notifications off (you can really do this so the pop-ups don’t show), turn off the music or tv in your office. Remove yourself from any potential distraction.
- Design your office to inspire– Create a relaxing environment. Design your office to inspire you by adding comfort. I like to adorn my office with family pictures, candles and soft lamp lighting. Use items that work for you! You will increase focus, engagement, motivation and production. However, you may have to kick people out of your comfy cradle!
- Create an SOP for your day– This really works! Take time to record everything you do in your day and assess time values. Refer to your SOP (standard operating procedures) daily and track your time on each item. This will give you a clear view of where your time is spent and how you can improve your time management. The trick is to be totally honest with yourself. If you spend time on emails, phone calls and idle chit-chat, implement ways to reduce wasted time by creating time-blocks.
I have incorporated these tips into my day and found a drastic change in increased productivity, less stress and additional time. This time, instead of putting this article in your “I’ll get to this later pile”, write down the tips and keep them in a spot where you can look at them daily. Go a step further by incorporating all or some of the tips into your business and personal life. By doing so, you will achieve the same results I have. Who doesn’t what more time, less stress and increased productivity?
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More on Time Management:
Learn Common Mistakes You & Your Team May Be Making In Time Management
Put Time On Your Side, Not On Your Back
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