I will be the first to admit that my biggest excuse for not
getting things done is: "I have no time." If I could have a dollar for
each time I've said that I would like to have more than 24 hours in a
day, I would probably be a multi millionaire by now. I was recently
reading a book called Zero to a Million in 12: The 12 Step Guide to
Making a Million Dollars in a Year by Leopole A. McLaughlin, III.
Ironically, this author was able to shed a very bright light on my
complaint. It seems that I repeat this often enough for it to have
simply been embedded into my brain as a fact. McLaughlin then goes on to
explain that time management is not simply about setting a to-do list
for which items keep getting bumped to the next day and then the next
and the next.
Managing your time is about creating time to get things done. Finally and the key component to it all is integration. If your to do list is all over the place, you will also be that way. Let's dive into this concept a little deeper and perhaps you will find time you didn't know you had.
First and foremost, and I know that I am not the only one who does it, we need to let go of the idea that there simply isn't enough time in a day. When we really sit down to take a long, hard look at the way we do things, we begin to notice where we lose time on a daily basis. For example, I personally tend to schedule things by half hours. Half an hour to read my emails, an hour to go pick up my kids from daycare, another half hour to have lunch, two hours to prepare a client's file. You get the idea. But the fact of the matter is that reading my email may only take me 22 minutes. So what happens to that extra time? Usually spent checking my friends' status updates on Facebook. How productive is that? Picking up my kids probably takes only 45 minutes to go and come back home. Where does the 15 minutes go? McLaughlin suggests scheduling by the minute in order to gain time. If you know ahead of time that sorting through your new emails and responding to them will only take you 20 minutes then schedule 20 minutes to get it done. This will keep you focused on the task at hand and avoid a waste of perfectly good time.
Secondly, I am sure that you have a very long to-do list and that more often than not, you are not able to get through the whole list before the end of your day. Those less important tasks then get bumped to the next day, where you will once again prioritise your to-do list and bump your less urgent tasks to the next day once again. A possible reason for this could be the constant interruptions that occur throughout the day and lead to an uncontrolled waste of precious time. Here's an example of time well wasted. Most people have smart phones and receive their emails as they come in. Being naturally curious, when the phone shakes or rings, we pick it up, see what's waiting for us and of course, open up our email to read it. It takes about two minutes to do all this, but if you are receiving 10 to 20 emails a day, you can easily be spending 20 to 40 minutes picking up your phone to check your email. Wow! What can you do with an extra 20 or 40 minutes?
Wait, there is more... Another reason most people are unable to get through their to-do list on a daily basis is that they tend to simply go down their list of priorities, tackling the most urgent ones before getting to those that can wait. This is a technique that can prove to be extremely time consuming in that you go from sending an email, to making a phone call, to drafting a letter, to running an errand and then back to your computer to send yet another email which is interrupted by your phone ringing, so you answer that call and then go back to your email. Are you dizzy yet? This is how most people go about their day. I am just as guilty as you. Until now! In his book, McLaughlin suggests the concept of integration. You see it is less time consuming to send three emails at once than it is to send them sporadically throughout your day. The same thing applies to phone calls and errands and pretty much anything else that you can think of. When activities are grouped together, regardless of their priority on your list, you will notice that things get done faster. Chances are you will be in a much better position to get through your list without having to bump too many things to the next day.
Time is a very precious commodity. So precious that you cannot even buy it. A minute that is gone, is gone forever. Most of us want to be able to enjoy having more time but we must wonder if we are actually using that time wisely. Can you honestly say that you have enough time in a day to get everything you need and want done? If so, hats off to you! If not, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your priorities and decide how you can gain time on a daily basis and put it towards the goals you set out for yourself and finally be able to achieve them. Plan your time wisely on a daily basis. Schedule your day by the minute, focus on the tasks you have scheduled to stay on time and do not waste your time idly. Make sure your schedule is well integrated it will allow you to get more done in the same amount of time or even less. Enjoy the time you are able to gain in following these simple suggestions but make sure you put it to good use.
Managing your time is about creating time to get things done. Finally and the key component to it all is integration. If your to do list is all over the place, you will also be that way. Let's dive into this concept a little deeper and perhaps you will find time you didn't know you had.
First and foremost, and I know that I am not the only one who does it, we need to let go of the idea that there simply isn't enough time in a day. When we really sit down to take a long, hard look at the way we do things, we begin to notice where we lose time on a daily basis. For example, I personally tend to schedule things by half hours. Half an hour to read my emails, an hour to go pick up my kids from daycare, another half hour to have lunch, two hours to prepare a client's file. You get the idea. But the fact of the matter is that reading my email may only take me 22 minutes. So what happens to that extra time? Usually spent checking my friends' status updates on Facebook. How productive is that? Picking up my kids probably takes only 45 minutes to go and come back home. Where does the 15 minutes go? McLaughlin suggests scheduling by the minute in order to gain time. If you know ahead of time that sorting through your new emails and responding to them will only take you 20 minutes then schedule 20 minutes to get it done. This will keep you focused on the task at hand and avoid a waste of perfectly good time.
Secondly, I am sure that you have a very long to-do list and that more often than not, you are not able to get through the whole list before the end of your day. Those less important tasks then get bumped to the next day, where you will once again prioritise your to-do list and bump your less urgent tasks to the next day once again. A possible reason for this could be the constant interruptions that occur throughout the day and lead to an uncontrolled waste of precious time. Here's an example of time well wasted. Most people have smart phones and receive their emails as they come in. Being naturally curious, when the phone shakes or rings, we pick it up, see what's waiting for us and of course, open up our email to read it. It takes about two minutes to do all this, but if you are receiving 10 to 20 emails a day, you can easily be spending 20 to 40 minutes picking up your phone to check your email. Wow! What can you do with an extra 20 or 40 minutes?
Wait, there is more... Another reason most people are unable to get through their to-do list on a daily basis is that they tend to simply go down their list of priorities, tackling the most urgent ones before getting to those that can wait. This is a technique that can prove to be extremely time consuming in that you go from sending an email, to making a phone call, to drafting a letter, to running an errand and then back to your computer to send yet another email which is interrupted by your phone ringing, so you answer that call and then go back to your email. Are you dizzy yet? This is how most people go about their day. I am just as guilty as you. Until now! In his book, McLaughlin suggests the concept of integration. You see it is less time consuming to send three emails at once than it is to send them sporadically throughout your day. The same thing applies to phone calls and errands and pretty much anything else that you can think of. When activities are grouped together, regardless of their priority on your list, you will notice that things get done faster. Chances are you will be in a much better position to get through your list without having to bump too many things to the next day.
Time is a very precious commodity. So precious that you cannot even buy it. A minute that is gone, is gone forever. Most of us want to be able to enjoy having more time but we must wonder if we are actually using that time wisely. Can you honestly say that you have enough time in a day to get everything you need and want done? If so, hats off to you! If not, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your priorities and decide how you can gain time on a daily basis and put it towards the goals you set out for yourself and finally be able to achieve them. Plan your time wisely on a daily basis. Schedule your day by the minute, focus on the tasks you have scheduled to stay on time and do not waste your time idly. Make sure your schedule is well integrated it will allow you to get more done in the same amount of time or even less. Enjoy the time you are able to gain in following these simple suggestions but make sure you put it to good use.
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