- Geekmaster
- 2020-04-06 15:47:00
- 10 minute(s)
Efficiency is one way of adding minutes or hours to your day. Time flies – always. That makes time a variable that can be hard to control and monitor. And once time has slipped away, you never get it back. For companies, time lost equals dollars lost.
Most everyone would like to be more efficient . Just think, you would spend less time doing the things that you don’t enjoy and more on the things that bring satisfaction, happiness and profit.
FactsEffectively managing time is a skill that so many desire but so few have. According to a Gallup poll, 41 percent of American adults say they don’t have enough time to do everything they want to do.
"Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else." — Peter Drucker Share on X
The key is to be in controlling your time instead of letting it control you.
With a few time management methods, getting a couple of extra hours of work in every week isn’t that hard. It may seem like a challenge at first, but it’s definitely doable. Regardless of how busy your work day is, there are simple ways that can help you manage time more efficiently and ensure that you don’t lose sight of the tasks you need to complete.
With the right time management techniques, you can take control of your time , making your work efficient, productive, and relatively stress-free. When you better manage your time, you’ll be able to take on new opportunities and grow your business in a sustainable manner.
Being conscious of time will result in self-improvement and goal achievement.
ImportantSome people are actually very adept at efficiency. They manage every manageable moment so they have more time for themselves to do the things they love.
The following time management tips can help ensure you get your work done when you’re in the office, so you can enjoy your time away from work as well.
Stop Multitasking
There is basically no multitasking. We can not do two things simultaneously . What we consider as multitasking is actually our brain jumping in between different tasks.
As you can imagine this is extremely exhausting and leads to less productivity. You will actually never get more done through multitasking.
“Lost time is never found again.” — Benjamin Franklin Share on X
ImportantInstead, try monotasking. Keep your focus on one single thing at a time.
Focus on one task at a time. If you have chosen to do a task, see it through to the end – finish it. Avoid doing half work, which means abandoning your current task and doing something else entirely. That’s not only bad time management but also bad for your concentration. You’ll lose your momentum.
Multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus when needed.
Many people fool themselves into thinking they are good at multitasking. They fool themselves into believing they are getting more done when in reality they are accomplishing less and the quality of the work is poor.
Really efficient people know that concentrated effort with few distractions leads to better work product in faster times.
Being focused and highly concentrated is a type of deep work and this is actually the point where we can reach peak productivity and deliver efficient results .
WarningAccording to researchers at Stanford University, multitasking weakens our attention spans, makes us prone to distractions, and increases our processing times. Other studies show that multitasking can lower your IQ, because your attention is split, and might even damage your brain.
Always Think On Paper
Take a piece of paper and write down everything you intend to do. Then organize the piece of paper by asking yourself: “If I could only do one thing on this list today, which one thing would it be?” And then when you start first thing in the morning, start off with number one, and discipline yourself to work only on number one until it’s complete. Then move on to number two.
Learn To Delegate
Really efficient people are extremely good at delegating tasks to others who will perform them better. You can’t do everything by yourself , so cut yourself some slack and delegate.
WarningSo much productivity is lost when people take on more than they can accomplish. Don’t be inspired by CEOs and leaders who overload their schedules and burn the midnight oil.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” — Jessica Jackley Share on X
If you’ve hired talented, dedicated employees, one of the most impactful management tools available to you is the power to delegate. Look for opportunities to pass responsibility for specific tasks to others on your team . That’s what you hired them for, isn’t it?
If you want to grow as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to learn how to delegate.
When you know how to break down a task and empower others to contribute effort, you can choose the tasks most suited for you and crank through them in record time without distraction.
ImportantBe as specific as possible in defining the task and your expectations, but allow the person some freedom to personalize the task.
You can even outsource the work to an experienced freelancer and save money. Another way to get help is to “buy” time by obtaining goods or service that save you a time investment.
Less Is More
Basically, do less is another way of saying do the things that really matter. Slow down, notice what needs to be done, and concentrate on those things. Do less things that create more value, rather than more things that are mostly empty.
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is a critical part of time management. Even spending just a few minutes planning ahead can transform how you work .
ImportantOne of the worst things you can do is jump into the workday with no clear idea about what needs to get done. You’ll be surprised at how much more efficient you can be just by dedicating a little time to planning out the rest of the day.
"Focus on being productive instead of busy." — Tim Ferriss Share on X
Time management isn’t this elusive form of Black Magic that so few understand.
Warning Without organization, it’s difficult to see just what needs to be accomplished in the day and how important each of those things are to your long-term goals. Planning out your time in advance is the most important element of good time management.
Save your most important and challenging tasks for when your productivity is highest . Schedule simpler or smaller tasks for times when you’re less alert. Get a good sense before you start each day of how much time you’ll spend working on everything on your task list.
This allows you to work smarter, not harder.
HackYourTimeTime management experts recommend using a personal planning tool to improve your productivity . The key is to find one planning tool that works for you and use that tool consistently. Trello provides an excellent ebook which covers the topic.
Pareto Is My Motto
According to the Pareto Principle (i.e., the 80/20 rule), 20 percent of actions drive 80 percent of results. And the other 80 percent accounts for only 20 percent of results. Translated, this means that successful people know that the top priorities (or the top 20 percent) are going to drive the most important results. They delegate the rest.
Track Your Time
Know exactly how you spend your time. Knowing exactly where your time is going can help you make decisions about delegating tasks or buying software to speed up some lower-level processes.
ImportantDelineate a time limit in which to complete task. The time constraint will push you to focus and be more efficient, even if you end up having to go back and add a bit more later.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” — Leo Babauta Share on X
Time tracking is an extremely effective tool to help you gauge exactly how much time a single task takes you. With a simple timesheet tracker, you can quickly and easily clock in and out of various tasks or projects throughout the day.
Keeping a time log is a helpful way to determine how you are using your time. Identifying your most time-consuming tasks and determining whether you are investing your time in the most important activities can help you to determine a course of action.
ImportantMonitor your schedule. Be sure to schedule time blocks for high-priority items in order to accomplish your goals. Allow your schedule to be flexible. By managing your time this way, you’ll be able to look at what you were able to accomplish within specific time frames, which will help you plan more effectively in the future.
HackYourTimeThe Pomodoro technique was invented in the 1980s. It’s been widely adopted in the business world, and dozens of apps and websites have emerged to replace that kitchen timer.
Speed Is My Weed
The most important measure of time is speed. The most important quality that you can develop with regard to time management is a “sense of urgency.” A sense of urgency is the habit of moving fast when opportunity presents itself to you. Develop a bias for action. Fast tempo is essential to success. All successful people not only work hard, hard, hard, but they work fast, fast, fast!
Take a Break
Tired and overworked people don’t perform well. Really efficient people make sure they get rest and recuperation so they can perform at their peak.
ImportantWhen we rush from task to task, it’s difficult to appreciate what we’re doing and to stay focused and motivated. Allowing ourselves down-time between tasks can be a breath of fresh air for our brains .
Sometimes we get crazy because we want to be more productive and more efficient and manage our time better. However, sometimes taking a deep breath is the key to getting more done.
“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.” — Francine Jay Share on X
WarningPutting too much pressure on yourself will not result in efficiency but rather in stressing out. Taking a break is not only encouraged but mandatory in any modern surrounding.
Clearing your head will help you refocus . In fact, standing up every 20 minutes or so has endless benefits for your mental and physical health.
FactsOne Harvard study found that insomnia can cause the average worker to lose up to 12 days of productivity each year, while another study found that regular exercise helps improve concentration, sharpen memory, speed up your ability to learn, and even lower your stress levels.
Reward Yourself
Rewards can be a great motivator for good time management. Give yourself a small reward for every task you accomplish in the day. For instance, you could celebrate finishing up a report by taking a 15-minute walk outside. Rewards keep you motivated on the job and can help you achieve a better work-life balance.
Final Thoughts
Effort is often wasted when people don’t have a clear path to success. Impatience is the direct enemy of efficiency.
Everybody is different and also everybody needs different conditions for peak productivity.
But in any case, there is always room for improvement and in the end, that’s what is all about: being better than yesterday and living a satisfied life of which you can be proud of.
Important Be resolute. Be committed. Be professional about it, and follow through . A firm will to accomplish what you decide to accomplish will take you anywhere.
Life's gardeners pluck the weeds and care only for the productive plants. — Bryant McGill Share on X
The better organized you are in the factors that are under your control, the greater freedom and flexibility you have to quickly make changes whenever they are necessary.
Enjoyment should always be the goal. Work can be play.
This may sound like a pipe dream, but it’s more possible than ever in today’s world. Be curious. Be open to opportunity. Know yourself. Embrace your passions .
What tips and tricks do you use to better manage your time or your team? Tell me in the comments.
HackYourTimeThe One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan is a productivity book based on a simple premise: If you want more – more productivity, income, satisfaction, time – you need to go small and want less.
Geeknack’s Picks
[…] HacksAs you look closely at how you use time, you will notice patterns of behavior that can cause you to get in your own way. Then you would improve your time efficiency as explained in my post Five ways to use time efficiently. […]
[…] time must be managed well because your business is tightly coupled with the time at your disposal. Your results are directly […]
[…] Five Ways To Use Time Efficiently […]