Coral Your Time and Boost Productivity
A couple of years ago, I read an article in the paper about “time debt.” We promise more or overcommit to more time than we have to give.
I’ll admit, I’m a big offender in this . . . huge. No, not just huge, but “HU-ooGE” as Donald Trump would say (imagine the pursed lips.)
So after I read the article, I made a decision to be more accountable with my time.
Know What You’re Working With
The first step I took was to map out how my week looked and how much available time I actually had. I’m visual, so this was truly a schedule drawn on paper. I listed all of the things that I ideally wanted to do both personally and professionally: exercise, network, work on personal projects, etc.
What I quickly discovered is that I don’t have nearly as much disposable time as I thought I did.
After that shocker, I worked out what looked to me to be a reasonable schedule.
Track Time Spent
The next step was to track the time it took to accomplish tasks. Since I already kept a journal with running notes, this wasn’t too big of a stretch.
Again, it was sobering to find out that I couldn’t cram as much as I thought I could into a day.
However, as I kept on with the tracking, readjusted my expectations, and set more realistic goals, the amazing thing was that I actually found time. If I schedule three projects with realistic time budgets and one went more smoothly than expected, I might have a spare half an hour in my day.
Identify Time Stealers
Even with a clearly defined schedule, it is very easy to let time slip away if you don’t have a handle on the time stealers.
Don’t be afraid to set limits: If someone calls with a request, don’t hesitate to turn it down if it doesn’t fit in your schedule.
Have set time for emails and call backs: Rather than taking calls and returning emails throughout the day, schedule times to attend to them. Depending on the urgency of your business, once or twice a day should work for most situations.
Use a timer to control activity creep: Do you get lost in your RSS feeds, message forums, or industry news? Use a timer to keep yourself to the set time.
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 am
[...] No, not just huge, but “HU-ooGE” as Donald Trump would say (imagine the pursed lips…. Source: Coral Your Time and Boost Productivity [...]
May 24th, 2008 at 7:49 am
[...] No, not just huge, but “HU-ooGE” as Donald Trump would say (imagine the pursed lips…. Source: Coral Your Time and Boost Productivity [...]
May 25th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
The funny thing is I could actually picture & hear Donal Trump saying that!
Anyway, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a calendar on me. It’s gets difficult to say no to certain requests sometimes and cut conversations short, but you just have to! Nothing personal, it’s just time is scarce and things need to get done ya know.
Ricardo Buenos last blog post..Inspections vs. Appraisals