Time is synonymous to Life, isn’t it? If you say, you have spent X years for something, means you have devoted X years of your life to that thing!
It is an irreplaceable resource. Effectual use of Time will increase your efficiency.
OK, I know all this… but how… how would I use my time effectively? What is it that I can follow to commit to it? I am an average person… so I can implement it only if the system is simple.
Here is the answer… the few simple steps that will help you save your time the way you dreamt.
Daily Touchstones:
- Monitor your time on daily basis. Keep track of the actual flow of your days for 15 days. Categorize time spent activities by the activity type.
- Observe where your time is utilized by viewing Time Record Summary and Daily Time Record.
- Setup your ideal daily routine and establish the habit of daily priority setting.
- Identify the time-stealers and adopt Anti-time-stealing techniques to deal effectively with the time-stealers.
Anti-time-stealing techniques:
- Break down the projects into smaller chunk of tasks. Learn how to eat the elephant…. one piece at a time.
- Set priorities to stay focused. Set goals to accomplish no more than 3 of your most important tasks (MITs) – these tasks should be the biggest rocks, if climbed successfully; lead you to nearer to your set goal.
- Remind everyone involved of the priorities – this will align everyone.
- Learn to say “No”: Don’t say “Yes” to everything and everyone that come to you.
- Delegate whatever you can
- Identify common pattern of tasks. Organize such tasks to be done together. It should be part of your permanent daily schedule.
- Talk about time saving ideas with others… surprisingly you will find a few more ideas than you already know.
- Make “Beating the Deadlines” a top-priority. Just Meeting the deadline should not be acceptable!
- Organize yourself to accomplish a thing from start to end. Don’t fragment your time.
- Reserve a day of quiet time for yourself in a week. Use “Do not disturb” sign for uninterrupted work.
- Make effective use of secretaries or receptionist to screen out time stealers.
- Consolidate email, chat or telephone time. Set fixed time for answering the calls or answering your emails. Your Chat window should not enjoy “Available” status for all the time.
- Eat that Frog! – don’t put off unpleasant tasks.
- Use your idle time to read through Blogs or listen to inspiring music.
- Eat light; stay tight. Eliminate alcohol from your weekdays.
- Understand that work from home is no brainier.
- Learn to tolerate ‘Excellence’ everyday, procrastinate perfection for the next day.
- Use your prime time for the MITs.
- Make a habit of keeping a capture tool to capture your great ideas and to save them for later use.
- Follow the 80/20 rule. Plan for 20 percent of your time so that you can act effectively for the rest of 80% – Gone are the days of first acting and then thinking.
- Audit your Time Record – Criticize yourself mercilessly.
- Focus on “What” not “How” Things should be got done; doesn’t matter how.
Manage your time wisely, live your life effectively.
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