12 Ways to Master Your Calendar and Manage Your Time for Maximum Results
(Entrepreneur) Getting more done is all about assigning sufficient time to work without distraction on what is most important.
Charles Darwin once said, “A man who dares to waste one hour of time
has not discovered the value of life.” Some people, and entrepreneurs in
particular, take that to heart. They strive to make the most out of
each and every minute with focus and purpose.
But, not everyone
works that way. Some people get completely freaked
out over time. As a
result, they procrastinate and start stressing themselves out. If you
fall into that latter group, use these 12 time management tips. Once you
do, you’ll become more productive and will no longer get rattled by
time.1. Know your goals.
Only engage in activities that
support both your short-term and long-term business goals. Guard your
time like a hawk and stop giving it away to things that don’t matter.
Your days should only include activities or tasks that will either
generate income or grow your business. For example, attending networking
events can be beneficial. But, if you’re not adding prospective
clients, collecting quality leads, interacting with other businesses or
discovering new vendors or service providers, then you may want to cut
back on attending these events.
2. Make and use lists.
To
become a master of time management start making and using lists. To
avoid making your life any more complicated than it is only focus on
creating these four types of lsts:
Your daily schedule: Create a calendar for your entire year so that you have, and stick to, a daily routine.
To-do lists: This
doesn’t have to be overly complex. This is your basic “things-to-do”
list revolved around your three or four most important and urgent tasks.
People-to-contact list: These are the people who have to email or call. To make this more efficient, prioritize this list alphabetically.
Conference planner: This
list contain notes or reminders on what you need to discuss with
prospects, leads or team during meetings or conversations.
These
lists work for me. You may chose to add or subtract to this list
depending on your specific needs. The idea is that you have a
regimented, regularly used list-making system so that you’re making the
most out of your time.
3. Follow the 80/20 rule.
This
concept, which is also known as the Pareto Principle, originated with
Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. The idea, as related to time
management, is that 80 percent of your results come from only 20 percent
of your actions.
For example, you review your to-do-list. It has
10 items on it that need to be crossed-off. Using the 80/20 rule, you
would tackle your first two items because those activities are giving
your the most bang for your buck.
Not only does the Pareto Principle help your prioritize your time
against your most important goals, it’s incredibly simple to apply. Just
identify and focus on the few goals or activities that are most
critical to your development or success. You’ll notice over time that
you’ll eliminate most items off your list, while increasing your
production.
4. Eat that frog.
“Mark
Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a
live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing
that that is probably the worse things that is going to happen to you
all day long,” writes Brian Tracy.
So,
what exactly is your “frog?” It’s “your biggest, most important task,
the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do
something about it.”
To help you “eat that frog,”here’s several suggestions from Tracy:
- If you have two important tasks to tackle, “start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first.
- Get into the habit of completing your major task in the morning while you have the most energy and focus.
- Take action immediately and discipline yourself “to work steadily and single-mindedly until those tasks are complete.”
- Start and complete even more important tasks. Doing so releases endorphins, which will help you form a “positive addiction.”
- Keep practicing this technique until you’ve perfected it.
5. Just say “no.”
Early
in my career I took every project from my clients then I could handle.
Eventually, my work suffered and I got burned out. I just didn’t have
enough time to properly manage all of these projects. The reason I took
on such a workload was that I didn’t want to say “no” to my clients. I
believe that they would get ticked-off and hire someone else.
Over
time, however, I realized that sometimes you have to just say “no.”
Instead of spreading yourself too thin, you should only take on
commitments that you know you have time for and that you truly care about. If
you’re honest and upfront about this, your clients, colleagues,
friends and family should understand and be willing to work with you.
6. Avoid distractions.
Here’s an experiment. Track the
number of interruptions you must overcome throughout the day. How many
times does a colleague or family member burst into your office? How
often do you stop working and check your phone or computer whenever you
get an email or social media notification?
Researchers
have found that work interruptions cost the average person six hours a
day! On top of that, it takes an average of 23-minutes to get back where
we left-off.
This will take some discipline but it’s imperative
that you eliminate these distractions. Start by closing your door while
eating your “frog.” Turn-off pesky notifications on your phone and set
aside specific times during the day for responding to emails and phone
calls.
7. Take fewer meetings.
We average 31 hours a month on unproductive meetings.
I would even venture to say that meetings are the biggest time
management culprit. Additionally, most people dread attending meetings.
While
there are times when you’ll need to host a meeting, you want to keep
them to a minimum and make them count. Instead, rely on email and IM.
This way you can spend more time on working on more important work.
8. Make use of time while you're waiting.
If you were to
track how you spend your time for a week you would see that there’s a
lot of wasted time. Your daily commute on the subway, standing in-line
at the store, sitting in a waiting room, or while on the elliptical.
Instead of letting this time pass-by, put it to use by thinking,
reading or listening to a podcast.
This is what the famous writer of legal thrillers Scott Turow did when writing his first novel.
During his morning commutes into New York City he didn’t kill time like
the other subway passengers, he wrote. Even if this was just 10 minutes
a day, that time that was normally wasted will amount to something
meaningful.
9. The 4Ds.
Filtering all requests using the 4D approach is
one of the most effective ways to manage your time by limiting
distractions, interruptions and time-wasters:
Delete (or drop).
Scan through your inbox looking for unwanted emails. You can
probably delete many without ever opening them. Simply put, if the email
doesn’t provide you with any value, delete it. This is particularly
useful when returning from vacation or business trip.
Delegate. If there is a task that can be handled by someone
else, then delegate it. Most administrative tasks can be outsourced. A
virtual assistant can respond to emails and make travel arrangements,
while a bookkeeper can keep your books organized. You could also ask an
employee to schedule meetings and copy agendas. The point is that
reducing the time spent on less important things can be used for
something more important.
Defer. Some tasks can be
performed later. For example, if you get an invitation to a wedding you
don’t have to book a hotel room when you receive the invite. It can wait
until you have free time this weekend.
Do it. Sometimes
you just need to buckle done and get it done. Going back to your emails,
if there is an urgent and important message from a client, read and
respond to the message instead of deferring it until later. Again, this
goes back to knowing your priorities.
10. Block your time.
Take
a minute and review your calendar for the upcoming week. Besides
important appointments or meetings that are set-in-stone, how much time
is left unassigned?
This is where time blocking comes in handy. It
ensures that there is only a little loose and unassigned time in your
calendar. Blocking also prevents you from taking on too many demands
from others.
Personally,
I use time blocking to create my daily routine. Every morning I carve
out specific times for exercise, getting ready, writing and responding
to emails. I then block out between eight am to noon for undistracted
work. In the afternoons, I set create blocks for naps, returning calls
or emails and hosting meetings.
11. Batch related tasks.
In
simplest terms, batching is merely working on a group of similar
activities at the same time. For example, instead of responding to
emails throughout the day, you read and respond to them at specific
times. This way you’re not interrupting your work flow
The reason
batching is such a powerful time management technique is that different
tasks demand different types of thinking. When you’re not switching
back-and-forth, you’re reducing startup and slow-down time, reducing
daily clutter, and improving your focus.
12. Take care of yourself.
Finally, it’s been found
that getting a good night’s sleep, exercising and eating healthy will
give you the energy, focus, and stamina to make the most out of your
day.
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