Tim Ferriss Is The King Of This In-Demand Soft Skill: Here Are Seven Ways To Master It

Tim Ferriss calls it the key to his success. Leaders who are interested in trying to maximize their business productivity harness its power. And earlier this year in its annual Global Talent Trends 2019 report, LinkedIn cited it as one of the top five most in-demand soft skills employers seek. 

Their secret sauce? Time management.

Your ability to prioritize and focus your attention to tackle work projects is crucial. How and with whom you spend your time, and your productivity while doing so, demonstrate your focus and commitment to what—and who—matters most.

But this can be easier said than done. Here are seven ways to master the soft skill of time management:

1. Learn to say no.

Being agreeable and maintaining an open mindset are great for collaboration and adaptability, but can eat away at your available hours. Become more discerning with your time by asking yourself if what you're about to do supports your short- or long-term goals. If it doesn't, learn to say no. And this doesn't just apply to things; consider with whom you're spending your time. If your environment, which includes the people around you, is holding you back from accomplishing what you need to do, consider establishing firmer boundaries.

2. Do, Decide, Delegate or Delete. 

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of to-dos and requests, believing that everything is urgent and important, which seldom is the case. Instead, realize that not all tasks are created equal. Utilize a simple decision-making tool like the Eisenhower Matrix, in which you place to-dos in four boxes: Do it now for urgent and important items, Decide to schedule a time to do it for non-urgent but important tasks, Delegate it to someone else for urgent but unimportant things, and Delete items that are neither urgent nor important.

3. Batch routine tasks.

Some of the biggest time wasters are those everyday tasks like checking social media or responding to emails. Ferriss touts the importance of batching routine tasks by carving out specific times in his day for them—and then communicating that to others. For emails, he suggests employing an auto-responder message that says something like, "Thanks for your message. I check my emails twice a day, at 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. If your matter is urgent, please call me at 555-555-5555." This lets people know that you will respond, provides another way to contact you if something is really important, and more importantly, allows you to manage your time effectively.

4. Eliminate distractions.

It's hard to be productive when you have many things vying for your attention. The best time managers will turn off their social media notifications, click out of tabs on their computer and put their phone on airplane mode. You can also close your door or put on noise-canceling headphones. Do whatever it takes to remove distractions and help you focus on the matter at hand.

5. "Don't be a donkey." (Embrace mono-tasking.)

In a world where multitasking rules, Ferriss is firmly in the camp of mono-tasking. To illustrate this point, he cites an example in his book, "Tools of Titans," given to him by Derek Sivers, CEO of CD Baby: "Don't be a donkey." This is an allusion to the fable of Buridan’s ass, which describes a donkey standing halfway in between a pile of hay and bucket of water, unable to decide which to go to first. Eventually, the donkey falls over and dies of both hunger and thirst. The point, he explains, is that a donkey can’t think of the future. If he did, he would realize that he could go first to drink the water and then eat the hay. “Don’t be a donkey” is a reminder that you can do everything you want to do, but you need to focus on one thing at a time to make progress.

6. Get to know—and work—your own rhythms.

Would you describe yourself as an early bird or a night owl? Somewhere in between? Listening to your body can help you better manage your time. In his book, "WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing," Daniel Pink explains that each of us has a "chronotype"—a personal pattern of circadian rhythms that influences our physiology and psychology. We each follow a three-stage day that includes either a peak-trough-rebound pattern (if you're an early bird, or "lark") or the reverse, a rebound-trough-peak pattern (if you're a night owl). Pink found that regardless of your chronotype, you should do your most important work (whether that's creative or analytical) during your peak period and your second-most important work in your rebound period. And those mundane tasks? Don't allow them into your peak period—save them for your trough.

7. Don't forget to build in breaks to recharge.

To be truly productive, you have to also build in periods where you aren't trying to accomplish anything. No one can work nonstop, 24/7. Though it seems counterintuitive to productivity to schedule downtime, when you intentionally build in breaks, you allow yourself time to recharge and rest to tackle another day.

This article was first published on Forbes.com.

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Amy Blaschka is a ghostwriter and speaker who helps leaders communicate and connect better. Contact her if you or your organization could use her help.?

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