Last month, we had our leaders choose the Time Management Tips they most wanted to focus on moving forward. See below for their top choices!
- Eliminate half-work. “In our age of constant distraction, it’s stupidly easy to split our attention between what we should be doing and what society bombards us with,” writes James Clear. “Usually we’re balancing the needs of messages, emails, and to–do lists at the same time that we are trying to get something accomplished. It’s rare that we are fully engaged in the task at hand.”
Clear has dubbed this “half–work” – You’re writing a report, but stop randomly to check your phone for no reason. “You’re never fully engaged in the task at hand, you rarely commit to a task for extended periods of time, and it takes you twice as long to accomplish half as much,” adds Clear. Clear has found that the best way to overcome half-work is by blocking “out significant time to focus on one project and eliminate everything else.” - Instill keystone habits. Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” coined the term “keystone habits.” Simply put, they’re habits that transform your life, such as exercising, tracking what you eat, developing daily routines and meditating. They replace bad habits and solicit other good habits. As a result, you’re healthier, more focused, and better suited to manage your time.
- Just say “No.” You can only handle so much. Be protective of your time and energy!
- Do less. This is a tactic from Leo Babauta. He started the blog Zen Habits and it’s definitely a must read. Doing less doesn’t mean “less is more.” It means “less is better.” This is achieved by slowing down, being aware of what needs to be done, and concentrating only on those things. Once you do, make every action count. As a result you’ll be creating more value instead of just fodder.
- Create a time audit. The first step you need to take is finding out where your time actually goes. You may believe that you only send 30 minutes on emails, but in reality that task is eating-up an hour of your day. The easiest way – download an app like RescueTime or Toggl to track everything you do for a week. With this information, you can then make the appropriate adjustments.
- Spend your mornings on MITs. Mark Twain once said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” This is an effective time management trick. You usually have the most amount of energy in the AM. And you can use that feeling of accomplishment to get through the rest of the day.