Time Management Skills

SET A TIMER: When using Facebook/Twitter/Browsing the internet. It’s easy to get drawn into things – fun pictures, interesting links, updates from friends and before we know it an hour has passed and we end up late or don’t get something finished that we wanted to. Sometimes these ‘time-wasters’ energise or give us the opportunity to play – the trick is to do it CONSCIOUSLY.

JUST 3 THINGS: Make a list the night before on a SPECIAL post-it pad of the 3 things you would be disappointed, annoyed or frustrated not to achieve the next day. This is of course prioritizing, so you’ll need to refer to your To-Do List/Plans. But what’s different here is your items could be anything from posting a birthday card to making that follow-up call to a potential client, writing that coaching article or renewing your car insurance. Non-work stuff CAN disrupt your day, your thinking and how you feel – and that’s why we include them on your post-it if they’re important enough. Then, you simply start EACH day tackling the first item on your day’s post-it. As soon as you finish the first item, tackle the next item. When you finish that (you know what’s coming here), start the final item. If you finish your 3 things with time to spare – great! You can choose to relax OR you can choose to take a look at your “To-Do” Lists again and tackle something else. Feel free to achieve more, but DO NOT add extra items to your day’s post-it.

EARLY BIRDS GET THE WORM: Get to all your meetings 10 minutes early. This tip is definitely counter-intuitive – but try it for a week and see the difference in how you feel! WHY? Much of our LACK of productivity comes from feeling stressed, overwhelmed or having a busy mind. We achieve so much more when we’re calm and have a mind clear of self-judgement. Use those 10 minutes to meditate, stare at the clouds or flowers, to reconnect with yourself or even to write your ’3 Things To Do’ for the next day. And – bonus – if you do hit roadworks or an unexpected delay, you’ll be on time!

KEEP IT CLEAR: Have ONE day a week with NO meetings or appointments. If possible, set it up so that you only check email at the end of the day (it helps if you check your email last thing the previous day). Also, avoid distraction on social media (you could set-up your posts to go the night before).

GET INTIMATE with YOUR personal time-wasters. Keep a notepad by your side for one day and note down how long you spend on what. Even better, watch your time over a week-long period with the Expose Your Hidden Time Wasters Template. WHY? Once you total up HOW MUCH TIME you’re wasting, you may get a shock – and choose to spend that time differently.

CHALLENGE the interruptions. This is possibly the best time management tip out there. 1) Ask the interrupter, “How important is this?” (You may be surprised by their response) and then 2) Ask yourself, “Is this interruption more important than what I’m currently doing?

PRACTICE FIERCE KINDNESS. You may prefer to chat with a friend on Facebook or a colleague at the water cooler but is this best for you? Are you going to end up rushed, late, stressed or annoyed because you didn’t leave enough time or forgot something? Real kindness is not just being sweet and nice – it’s also being fierce and strong when you need to be. Fierce Kindness asks, “Is this REALLY best for me right now?”.

MIND THE GAPS: Identify “Filler Tasks” on your To-Do list. A filler task takes less than 15 minutes to do and is perfect for the gaps in your day or to give yourself a break from bigger tasks. Often we fill short gaps in our day (less than 30 minutes) with time-wasting or distractions. Why not give yourself a boost by completing something instead!

LET GO Change Your Mind (or) Say No to ONE thing Every day It’s that simple. Try it.

DELEGATE: Find one new thing to delegate. Do YOU really need to do everything on your plate? Or could someone else – a child, partner, friend or co-worker – benefit, learn from or even enjoy doing one of your tasks? Give someone else the opportunity to learn something new or do you a favour – and reap the benefits.

QUIT WORK EARLY! You’ve worked hard today, you deserve it. Or maybe you HAVEN’T worked hard! Maybe you’re tired, grumpy, stressed out and overwhelmed! DO IT ANYWAY! Call a friend and pop over for a chat, or make a cup of tea and curl up with a good book. When we solely tie our rewards to hard work, this reinforces a societal belief that we ONLY deserve rest, relaxation and reward when we’ve earned it. Which seems OK on the surface, but actually removes spontaneity – and brings judgement into our work life.It’s OK. Finish early, and come back tomorrow refreshed and ready to go!