1. Plan time to plan
Friday afternoon before leaving the office.
Sunday evening after dinner.
Get up early.
Whenever it is this time needs to be a projection of what you need to get done and how you want your week to go.
This time should be consistent and blocked on your calendar, so you feel more accountable to doing it. Make this time count.
2. Prioritize
Prioritizing is understanding the big picture and knowing the tasks that will get you to the goal faster.
Once you have completed your task list you need to determine what the most important projects are and rank them and add an action step. Read my Article: What is an Action Plan
Seek the reasons behind the tasks on your list and be mindful of where you invest your time.
Decide which are urgent and which can wait.
- Urgent and Important – Tasks that go here are your first priority and should be accomplished within the next few weeks.
- Important, but Not Urgent – Tasks that need to get done, but do not need to be done right away.
- Urgent, but Not Important – Tasks that seem urgent {like email and social media}, but really are not that important.
- Not Urgent, and Not Important – Consider deleting or adding to your “Someday” list.
Set a realistic time limit for each one because you will need to block an appropriate amount of time to accomplish it. This may mean breaking the project into small steps and spread it across more than one day.
3. Plan your calendar.
Block your meetings & appointments.
They can run over so add an extra 15 minutes, include travel time if necessary and if you are running the meeting, keep to the agenda.
Write everything down.
Some people like sticky notes. They can be easily moved as your time & priorities change and allows for some flexibility when batching your tasks.
Color coding is also an option.
Choose your medium.
Whether it is a paper calendar, an app on your phone or a combination of both it needs to be something you are comfortable with and have easy access to.
You may try out several different calendars until you find the right one and when you do make sure you keep a backup.
This should be a one & done in the sense that it should have capabilities to handle all occasions, meetings, appointments, birthdays, household chores, etc.
Set a time frame for each task.
Do not just set goals. Set a timeline and limits. This will help you feel less overwhelmed and keep you from burning out.
Stick to it – It is no good to do all these steps and then not follow through. Remember it is a tool, not something you should be controlled by.
Spontaneity is important. You have to have fun – you have to break the routine from time to time – after all life is short and you need to take the time to slow down and smell the roses so to speak so do not feel as though you have to schedule everything.
With that being said make sure that you regularly schedule play time.
Plan time for a fav hobby, read, date night, join a book club, exercise, and put it on your schedule. If you write it down it makes you more accountable.
Also – if you make a plan and it is on your calendar try not to break it. If you break a date because you would rather be in your pj’s at 7pm – then go on the date you probably need it more than you think. Socializing with friends is great for your mental wellness.
4. Biggest & most creative task first.
It is the start of a new day. You prioritized, blocked time, now it is time to get going.
Tackle the hardest thing first so you get a feeling of accomplishment. It will be the motivation you need to keep going.
5. Focus
Even with competing priorities, highly productive people focus on one thing at a time.
Single-focus work is an excellent way to gain and maintain momentum and feel accomplished and motivated to do the next thing.
Remove & minimize the distractions. Phone is silenced, turn off notifications, tv off, office door closed. Set a timer. Find your zone. If something creeps into your mind write it down and set it aside.
Eating a well-balanced diet, exercise and proper sleep will increase your stamina, and is good for living your optimal life. Allowing for mind and body to function at its peak ability.
6. Track your time
Write down what you do every day and how long you spend doing it.
This will be difficult however you may come to realize that there are things you can cut out of your day that is slowing your productivity. Also, it is important to know how long it takes to complete a task so you can better manage the load and block the appropriate allotment of time on your calendar.
Do not cheat yourself this step. Own it. You need to be able to make sure you are assigning yourself tasks that are measurable so if you do not write down and track everything you will never become an effective planner nor establish a routine.
Once you have a routine and have measured the importance of your tasks you can start to build the self-discipline and confidence to say no to the things you do not want to do but give yourself permission to saying yes. Say yes to new experiences, meeting new people and visiting new places.
7. Delegate & Eliminate
Just because it is done different does not mean it is wrong.
Assign tasks, you cannot get everything done yourself.
Work smarter, not harder.
• Can I eliminate this?
• Can it wait?
• Is there some way I can automate this?
• Can I outsource this?
An effective manager will delegate in a way that empowers & develops skills and ultimately drives results.
An effective manager will delegate in a way that empowers & develops skills and ultimately drives results.
8. Task Switching / Multitasking – do not do it!
Many believe multitasking saves time, but studies show that the opposite is true. What we are doing is ‘task switching.’ When we take our attention off one task to do another you have to refocus once you return to the original task.
Refocusing and collecting our train of thought in the end is a time killer and perhaps the job you have performed is not at the quality expected.
Multitasking can lead to lack of direction, feeling overwhelmed, disorganized and procrastinate and anxious. Being busy often means you are not being effective.
Be mindful of what you are doing and find joy in each task. Refer to my Article: How Being Mindful Made Me Happier
9. Batch Task
Group similar tasks together.
Perform similar tasks for multiple projects all at the same time. You can break down larger projects into smaller tasks and do them all at once.
Every time you switch projects you lose time & momentum:
Check emails/social media/text messages all at the same time of the day.
Prepare & schedule all your social media posts.
Online research for upcoming projects & posts.
Pay all your bills.
Schedule appointments.
When cleaning; rather than going room to room go from task to task, clean all bathrooms, dust every room, vacuum throughout, etc.
Pomodoro Technique:
I did not even know this was a thing. I just naturally work like this, but it is not natural to everyone.
1. Choose your task
2. Set a time to 25 minutes
3. Focus on that task for 25 minutes with no distractions
4. Take a short (3-5 minutes) break
5. Return to task w/new 25-minute timer
6. Do this 3-4 times take a longer break (15-30 minutes)
Start new pomodoro
This technique will give you a better understanding of how long
your tasks take which will lead to better time scheduling and efficiency and better productivity.
Distractions: Unless it is an emergency an interruption can be handled with: “can this please wait 25 minutes?”
When you reach your break – go ahead and answer that text, go pee, change your laundry over, make a cup of tea, have a snack, walk, and stretch. You will be amazed at what you can fit into that short break.
10. Communicate
No one is a mind reader! Not your boss, not your coworkers, nor your kids.
If you need help – get it! Asking for help is not a sign of failure.
When you communicate – be careful of your tone. Sometimes it is not what you are saying it is how you are saying it. Pick up the phone and call people.
Texting and emailing are a great form of communication however it does not allow the recipient to hear what you are saying. Emojis are cute and fun but they do not accurately represent emotions and they are not appropriate in the workplace.
Also – if you do not know – ask. You don’t know what you don’t know.
It is amazing the number of people who do not volunteer pertinent information. Just because it is common knowledge to them does not mean it is common knowledge to everyone else.
I had a boss that during meetings used to ask the same question multiple times. It was a little annoying to some, but every time he asked, he got new information that often allowed him to make better decisions that led to more success.
Every task on your list is not going to get done – it is ok…that is why prioritizing is so important and planning is key. Review your schedule often. Get used to asking yourself is this important, urgent, can I delegate it?
You will go through many types of calendars, to do list templates, you will write, rewrite, and rewrite again because…well…life…but please stick to it.
Find a medium (calendar, app., etc.) that you are comfortable with. There are a ton out there. Keep it simple. Keep it practical.