Get More Done in Less Time for Success 4

Time is the commodity that can not be purchased and once it is gone it is gone forever.  Managing this precious commodity has a significant impact on navigating to success in both the short and long term. 

 Here are some of my coaching tips for managing this precious commodity:

 Schedule “thinking” time.

Scheduling time on your calendar for strategic thinking and/or important tasks (as if they are meetings with an important client or your boss) will improve your overall efficiency.  Blocking this time for yourself will assure you prioritize the “bigger picture” tasks that may get delayed or not done at all if just left on your to-do list.  Of course, if a critical issue arises and you need this time then make a decision about re-scheduling but respecting this time will make a big impact on your overall ability to get more done in less time.

 Are you doing the right things?

Sometimes we keep ourselves busy on all the wrong things.  Take some time to look at what is filling your days; is it what you are meant to do with your life?  In Michael Bungay Stanier’s short video, Eight Irrisistable Principles of Fun, principle number 7 is “Stop being busy.” This seems counter intuitive to the need to use all of our time wisely, but, “being busy is seductive.”  Are your actions moving you closer to your business goals and dreams?  Are there items you should delegate (see last week’s post)?  Are you avoiding the more challenging or unpleasant important tasks by staying busy on the less important easy ones? Click on the video link and take 5 minutes to watch it; there are a lot of other great messages and it will be well worth your time.

How do you get the right things done?

Once you have figured out that you are working on the right things, then prioritize the most important items and work your to-do list.  A couple key items that have made me more successful with this process:

• Write out the list; do not depend on your memory.
• Create tomorrow’s list at the end of today so you can review and then sleep on it; your brain will absorb it more and then you may make a few adjustments in the morning.
• Recently, I shifted this further to making a list of focus areas for an entire week and then breaking this down to tasks each day.
• Consider the timing that works best for you.  I knock off a few easy tasks to get some positive momentum going and schedule tasks that need more critical thinking or creativity in the morning when my brain is firing on more cylinders.  Know yourself and schedule accordingly. 

Plan your Internet and social networking time.

If I let it, hours can go by as I surf the web in search of some information but then get side tracked by some other “shiny object” on another site or reading the interesting tweets and updates on Facebook.  If you need to do some internet research then set your cell phone alarm for thirty minutes (or the appropriate time) as a reminder to move on to other priorities.  If social networking is important for marketing and relationship building in your business then deliberately plan your time for updates, possibly 30 minutes to connect in the morning, fifteen minutes at lunch and then another 15 minutes at the end of the day.  

How is your energy level?

Taking some time to rejuvenate is important and will pay off with more productivity at other times.  Balancing time to connect with friends and family, exercise, and sleep will give you more energy and clarity and improve your strategic thinking, creativity, and output while you are  working.   

What are some of your strategies for managing your time?  How do you prioritize to assure you are using your time as well as possible?  Please leave a comment so that we can all learn from each other. 

photo credit: ToniVC