I am sure you have read your share of time management books, attended your share of time management seminars and workshops and have shared your own tips for managing time as well. But how many have you actually continued to use regularly?
Time management is simply a matter of discipline. The following three tips are no exception. I have used each of them with great success, but they do take some discipline. If you like them, please share them.
1. E-Mail is The Wrong Way to Start Off The Day. Face it, it’s most likely the first thing you do every morning when starting work, right? But, it is a bigger waste of time than you realize.
Create a no email/e-mail free zone first thing in the morning. Spend time instead diving into the biggest and ugliest task you have before you that day – especially on Mondays. If an email is so important that it needs to be seen first thing in the morning, there is a good chance you will already know about it through a phone call, text or someone sticking their head in your door that morning.
Focusing on the biggest and ugliest task first thing in the morning will give you great energy and satisfaction the rest of the day. Think about it… if you put off that call you are nervous about you will think about it all day; draining your energy. Just get it done!
2. Use The Evening to Plan. By planning your day the night before, including writing your task list, you will allow yourself time to think about those priorities over the evening. By the time you get to the office the next day you will hit the ground running. Tackling that big ugly task is something you will have already planned in your mind before you get to the office and it will be more likely that you will work on it first thing. This is a huge productivity gain.
3. Prioritize. The most important question I ask myself all day is, “is this the most important thing I can be doing right now?” That question assures I am working on the one thing that is going to give me the biggest bang for my buck.
What other tips on time management would you add? Please comment below…
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My Personal #1 Time Management Tip – Changed My Life
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