How to not get stuck in TIME SHMANAGEMENT

There are many clever time management techniques that can raise your effectiveness at work and home. I find that most of them are obsolete, when you don't have a super-exciting goal to look forward to, for which you are willing to MAKE time, not FIND time.

We all get inspired by different things - for some people it's about taking more time for themselves, focusing on health and raising a family, for others - starting new businesses or new projects at work, focusing on the next promotion or launching a new venture.

Before I outline the well-known techniques below, first, get clear on WHERE you are moving and WHY, or else these techniques turn into time schmanagement, an artificial way to motivate yourself.

 -WHAT DO I VALUE MOST? What am I not willing to compromise? My family, health, career, self-development etc. Pick yours.

-HOW DO I SEE MY LIFE AND WORK IN 10 YEARS? What is my title, who do I work with, what do I do, what is my contribution to the world, what does my perfect day at work look like? How's my health, how are my relationships and place I live in?

-WHAT ARE MY 3 SUPER-INSPIRING GOALS? A specific, measurable and timed goals that are deeply meaningful for you.  

 Once you are clear on your super-inspiring goals, you can use the top-10 time management techniques below with a peace mind - knowing that not only you are hopping on the speed-train, but that it's also taking you in the direction of your Career and Life Fulfilment. 

1.EAT THAT FROG. “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” Mark Twain said.

Before you even enter your workspace or open a calendar (or even the night before) - think about 3 activities/tasks that can bring you closer to your super-inspiring goals (you'll be eating those frogs like they are pancakes! ;).

Tackle it first. Getting it done will give you the momentum and sense of accomplishment early in the day. 

2. ORGANISE WORK AROUND YOUR ENERGY LEVELS. Productivity is directly related to your energy level. Find your most productive hours — the time of your peak energy — and aim to schedule your high-impact tasks for then. Do low-value and low-energy tasks, such as responding to emails or unimportant meetings, in between those hours.

3. SET TIME CONSTRAINTS. Parkinson’s law states: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. You become more productive when you allocate a specific amount of time to complete a specific task. So set deadlines even when you don’t need to. Scheduling less time to complete a task will force your brain to focus. Pomodoro app is often used for this purpose, I just use my phone or the google timer.

 4. URGENT-IMPORTANT MATRIX. Focus on tasks that bring you closer to your highest values.

• Write down your tasks in any random order
• Identify what's Urgent and what's Important. Mark your tasks with “U” for Urgent and “I” for Important.
• You can enter them into the Eisenhower Matrix to make it more visual. You can now prioritise them:
• Urgent & Important --> eat that frog
• Important, not urgent --> clear time in calendar to do it
• Urgent but not important tasks --> outsource or delegate
• Non-urgent and non-important --> bin

 5. DELEGATE OR OUTSOURCE TASKS. To delegate efficiently:

• Find the right person, who has all the necessary skills and is capable of doing the job
• Write down the tasks in a step-by-step manual, be as specific as possible
• Define success: be specific about what the expected outcome is and the deadline to have the task completed
• Clarity: have the tasks explained back to you and offer clarification when something is unclear, rewriting the specifications if needed

 6. PARETO 80/20 PRINCIPAL states that 80pc of your success comes from 20pc of your activity. Try to work out what out what that 20pc is. Skew your working day to give priority to those activities.

 7. MANAGE DECISION FATIGUE. When your are forced to make a lot of decisions - you end up depleting your willpower and suffering from decision fatigue. This hurts your decision-making ability: as the day wears on, you’ll start making fewer smart decisions. Invest your focus on big decisions and make quick calls on medium and small decisions.

In “10–10–10: A Life-Transforming Idea”, Suzy Welch introduces a simple decision-making system. When you have a decision to make, ask yourself the following three questions:

• How will I feel about this decision 10 minutes from now?
• How will I feel about it 10 months from now?
• And in 10 years from now?

8. SAY NO MORE OFTEN THAN YES. Warren Buffet said: “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.”

How do you know which things you should say no to? What if you are passing on a life-changing opportunity? Luckily, Buffet has developed a three-step rule to help you set boundaries and become better at decision making:

• Start by writing down your top twenty-five career goals. Once you’re done, circle the five most important to you
• The second step is to completely eliminate the other twenty goals. Go ahead and cross them off
• Say “no” by default to anything that doesn’t contribute to your top 5 career goals.

Start saying no to anything that doesn’t contribute to the goals you value.

 9. LET GO OF PERFECTIONISM. Aiming for perfection is a sure way to delay or never complete a project. Choose to chase “good enough” instead. In the words of Mark Twain: “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.”

 10. RECHARGE. Our body and mind need rest to function properly. Taking time to recharge is crucial to sustaining motivation, passion, and productivity. Quick breaks during a stressful deadline can help you maintain focus, renew creativity, and make you feel more refreshed when you return to your task.

Which ones stood out for you that you'd be willing to try? _______________________________________________________________________

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