Carrying on with our Big Story’s “joy” theme, if there’s one thing sure to suck joy out of a day, it’s coming to the realization that a mere 24 hours is not enough to get everything done. We’re here to help you with that. While we can’t sell you a watch that goes to XIII, we can help you make the best of seeing your current watch count up to XII twice.
With the following tips, you might just find yourself with moments to spare at the end of the day — enough to load your bearded dragon into an Original Beardie Bag and take him for a stroll. Enough to lie back and stroke a purring mound of fur perched on your lap. Or enough to make it to the dog park with your Chuckit! before sundown. Oh, there’s joy in that. Read on to start stealing time.
I
Keep a time journal and write down what you do and the percentage of time you spend on each task and responsibility, suggests John Manning, president of the leadership consulting firm MAP Consulting and author of The Disciplined Leader. Analyze the results, and do your best to eliminate trivia from your life. — fastcompany.com
II
Schedule play breaks to minimize the time spent letting your mind wander while you stare at your computer screen. Take periodic breaks to refocus, but set a definite ending time, says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder. You’ll have something to look forward to and you will know when it’s time to get back to work. — fastcompany.com
III
Eschew surplusage. Keep your marketing message short and effective and save time in the process. Pro copywriters avoid bogging down their messages with overly long sentences. But how long is too long? Exactly 17 words, says author Rudolf Flesch in The Art of Plain Talk. And be sure to mix things up with shorter five to 10-word sentences.
IIII
Treat information consumption like an addiction. Unsubscribe from everything you don’t need that’s overloading your email inbox. Next, free yourself from the compulsion to know everything. Put a cap on your personal Web surfing. Schedule email, social media and IM collection during limited periods of the day. If so, you could have “Open for Email” hours listed in your email signature. Finally, turn off the notification feature that causes your cellphone to ding around the clock.
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V
Keep a to-don’t list. OK, just about everybody regularly creates “to-do” lists. But Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, wonders whether you have a “stop doing” list. Think of all the harmful, unproductive (or even less productive) behaviors you engage in … and put them on your list. Let your “stop doing” list help you focus on the things you need to do to make your business great.
VI
Let your staff whine — for four minutes flat. What do you do when a staff meeting turns into a bitch session? Roll with it, but keep it to four minutes. As Steve Erred writes on lifehack.org, “When I’m in a coaching session with someone, it’s pretty obvious if they’re in a bad mood. When that happens I say to them, ‘Right. You have four minutes to bitch, moan and whine all you want. When the four minutes is up, there’s no more moaning, deal?’ Then they let it rip for four minutes. … The key is not to pause or think. When you’re done you’ll feel lighter.”
VII
Develop a mantra: Never let a forgotten phone torpedo your morning again, by developing a Leaving the House chant, advises Flyte Blog founder Rich Brooks. “For me it is ‘keys-wallet-cellphone!’ Makes it easier to not forget the important stuff,” he told Amex’s Open Forum for small-business owners.
VIII
Propose solutions. Stop asking for opinions and start proposing solutions, says Timothy Ferriss in The 4-Hour Workweek. Begin with the small things. If someone asks, “Where should we eat?” or “What movie should we watch?” or anything similar, do not reflect back with “Well, what do you want to do?” Offer a solution. Stop the back and forth and make a decision. Practice this in both personal and professional environments. Say, “I’d like to propose…”
IX
Pretend your to-do’s are doctor’s appointments. You would never consider skipping a doctor’s appointment, right? Give your daily to-dos that much importance. “And if you list not only what you need to do, but when and where you will actually do it, you are much more likely to cross it off that to-do list,” says Heidi Grant Halvorson, a social psychologist and author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals.
X
Practice the art of non-finishing. “Starting something doesn’t automatically justify finishing it. If you are reading an article that sucks, put it down and don’t pick it back up. If you go to a movie and it’s worse than The Emoji Movie, get the hell out of there before more neurons die. More is not better, and stopping something is often 10 times better than finishing it.” — The 4-Hour Workweek
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XI
Cook dinner with a Crock Pot, and end your day with a hot, nutritious meal,
ready and waiting for you at home.
XII
Ask for the earliest appointment at the dentist, hairdresser or doctor. Less chance of delay.
XIII
Make your free time count. Define clear stopping points at the end of the day, so when you’re with your family and friends, you’re really with them, advises Tony Schwartz, author and CEO of the Energy Project.
XV
Take notes. You’ll be surprised how this helps at keeping your mind clearer and more focused. Writing something down means it’s done (for now). Use an app on your smartphone and a notepad next to your bed. Your to-do list will probably become bigger. But you will never be at a loss for what to do next.
XVI
Batch-process it. Complete similar types of work at the same time. For example, you’ve got a number of calls to return or accounts to chase up: Set aside a block of time dedicated to getting them all done in one focused hit. Accomplishing a number of similar tasks at the one time is a more effective and a better use of your energy than bouncing randomly from one management task to another.
XVII
Cut to the chase. After hanging up, have you ever looked at the “duration of call” display on your phone and thought, “Darn! 10 m inutes! I really can’t afford to waste that kind of time”? If so, consider these tips from business consultant Jo Soard to improve your telephone efficiency: Get to the point. If you are the caller, say: “Paul — hi, I need two questions answered and I know you are the only person who can help me.” If you’re receiving the call, cut to the chase: “Hi Lynn. Nice to hear from you. What can I do for you today?”
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XVIII
Pre-pay small bills. If you’re paying for a service that costs about $15 a month, and you have to pay bills monthly, Entrepreneur magazine says you should request to pay six months in advance. You’ll save time and won’t run the risk of incurring late fees.
XIX
Limit daily goals. “There should never be more than two mission-critical items to complete each day. Never. It just isn’t necessary if they’re actually high impact. If you are stuck trying to decide between multiple items that all seem crucial, look at each in turn and ask yourself, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?” — The 4-Hour Workweek
XX
Ask yourself one simple question. Tom Hopkins, author of How to Master the Art of Selling, claims that what you’ll read at the end of this paragraph is the secret to a life of productivity. But there’s a caveat. “I’ll tell you, but you’ll never look at what you’re doing in the same way ever again,” Hopkins quotes his own mentor as telling him. “You might even get angry at me for telling you, because you’ll never get it out of your head.” Bet you can’t wait, huh? OK, here it is: Hang a sign in your workspace that asks one question, and ask that question of everything you do. The question? “Are you doing the most productive thing possible right now?” Yep, that’s it.
