Hereare101tipsthatwillhelpeveryleadermastertheirtimemanagementskillssothattheycanbecomethemostproductivebossever.
Youneedtoknowhowyou’regettingtoyourdestination,whattopack,andthedatesthatyou’llbegone.Youalsoneedtoconsiderlodgingandwhatyouplanondoing.Imean,there’savastdifferencebetweenspeakingatanindustryeventinChicagoduringJanuaryandsittingonabeachintheCaribbean.
Beforedoinganythingelse,planyourproductivityitineraryby:
Eliminatethisphrasefromyourvocabulary.
Youdon’thavetofollowtheirexactmorningrituals.But,youshouldcreateonethatencouragesyoutohaveamoreproductiveday.Forexample,waking-up30-minutesearliersothatyou’renotrushingoutthedoor.Youcanevenusethisextratimetosqueezeinaworkoutandeatanutritiousbreakfast.It’sasimpleyeteffective,waytostartthedayontherightfootwhilegivingyoutheenergytoremainproductivethroughouttheday.
YouthattheonethingthatneedstogetdonetodayOr,howaboutthetaskthatyou’redreadingthemostKnockitoutfirstthinginthemorning.ThereasonWeusuallyhavethemostfocusandenergyintheAM.Plus,itbuildsmomentumfortherestoftheday.And,bestofall,itwon’tbehangingoveryourheadfortheremainderoftheday.
ChrisBailey,theauthorofHyperfocus:HowtoBeMoreProductiveinaWorldofDistraction,hasfoundthatmanagingtimeisn’taproblem.It’smanagingourattention.
Thetimewastedlookingforamisplaceditemcouldhavebeenspentcompletingatask.Tidyupyourworkspaceandkeepitorganized.Thatmeanswheneveryou’redoneusingsomething,putitbackwhereitbelongs.
I’dalsosetasideatime,likeonaFridayafternoon,todomoreofyourheavycleaning.
Unlessyou’reunderthecontrolofaSithoverlord,youcansetyourownschedule.Usethistoyouradvantagebyworkingonhighpriorityandchallengingtaskswhenyou’remostproductive.
Additionally,createaschedulethatcanhelpyouavoiddistractionsandachievework-lifebalance.Forexample,considergoingintoworkassoonasyourkidsareoffschool.Theofficewillbequietenoughforyounottogetdistracted.And,youcanevenleaveearlysothatyoucanspendtimewithyourkids.
Don’twasteyourtimeonactivitieswhereyou’renotknowledgeableorexperienced.Itwouldtakeyoutwiceaslong,ifnotmore,thanifanexperthandledthem.Juststaywithinyourwheelhouse.
“Alignyourprofessionalandpersonalgoalsformaximumefficiency.”–ChrisGuillebeau
Let’ssaythatyou’vealwayswantedtolearnanewlanguage.But,insteadofjustlearninganylanguage,whynotinvestthetimeinbecomingfluentinalanguagethatcanbenefityouprofessionallyForexample,ifyouhaveaspeakinggigorplantoexpandbusinessinPortugal,thenitlearningPortuguesewouldbeagooduseofyourtime.
Ifyouhaven’tdonesoyet,investadiaryorjournal.Trustme;itwillbemoneywellspentasyoucanuseittotrackyourtime,jotdownreminders,andwritewhatyou’regratefulfor.
To-do-listsandarigidschedulecancomeinhandy.Both,afterall,ensurethatyoudon’tforgetaboutanythingofimportance.But,theycanalsostiflecreativity.
Thethoughtofreceivingfeedbackcanmakesomeofuscringe.Inreality,it’soneofthebestwaystolearn,grow,andimprove.
Apply“GettingThingsDone”authorDavidAllen’s“Two-MinuteRule”toyourmenialtasks,likerespondingtoemails.Ifittakeslessthentwominutes,doitsothatit’soutoftheway.Ifnot,thesesmalltaskswillaccumulateandbecomeanoverwhelmingandtime-drainingchore.
Berealwithhowmuchyoucanaccomplishinaspecifictime.Ifyou’realreadyworkingatfullcapacityandyourcalendarisbookedsolidforthenextmonth,thendon’tacceptanymoreworkormeetinginvites.
“Puttingfirstthingsfirstmeansorganizingandexecutingaroundyourmostimportantpriorities,”StephenCoveyfamouslywrote.“Itislivingandbeingdrivenbytheprinciplesyouvaluemost,notbytheagendasandforcessurroundingyou.”
Inotherwords,bookyourprioritiesbeforesomethingelseoflessimportancetakesoverthatschedulingevents.
Speakingofyourcalendar,whenyouhavesomethingpenciledin,followthroughwithit.Forexample,ifthere’sameetingorconferencecallat3p.m.,don’tblowitoffbecauseyouwouldinsteadgoforarun.Keeptheappointmentandgoforyourrunafterward.
Respectingyourcalendarkeepsyouontrack.And,itensuresthatyoudon’tfallbehindonyourpriorities.
Here’stheproblemwithto-do-lists.Theydon’ttakeintoaccounthowmuchtimeyouneedtocompleteatask.Asaconsequence,youend-upover-or-underestimatinghowlongsomethingwilltakeyou.
“Youhavetobemaniacallyfocusedonowningyourcalendar.Youmusthavethelistsofwhatyouneedfromotherpeopleandwhatotherpeopleneedfromyou.Whataretheshort-termissuesthatneedtobedealtwithWhatarethelong-termconcerns
“Unlessyoucanstayontopofthatreligiously,itwillendupowningyou.That’snotthewaytogoaboutstayingorganizedandbeingontopofthings.”
Youdon’twanttogiveyourselftoomuch,ortoolittle,timehere.But,ifyouknowthatyouonlyhave30-minutestogetsomethingdone,thenyou’regoingtohustletomakesureyoubeattheclock.Bestofall,youdon’tevenneedtouseatimer.Justsetareminderdirectlyfromyourcalendar.
Didyoumakeadoctor’sappointmentDidameetinggetcanceledIfso,updatethesechangestoyourcalendarimmediately.It’sasurefirewaytoavoidconflictsorwastingyourvaluabletime.
Youwakeupinthemorningandskimyourcalendar.Itappearstobethesameroutine.But,youcompletelyoverlookedsomethingimportant,likeaphonecallat11a.m.ThereasonTheentrydidn’tstandout.
Fornotableentries,makesurethattheypop.Youcandothisbygivingthemauniquetitleorusingtitlecolorsorfonts.Nowwhenyouglanceatyourcalendar,youwon’tmisstheseessentialentries.
There’sabeliefthatyoushouldscheduleyourentireday.Icanseetheappeal.Ifyoubookyourcalendarinadvance,thenitwon’tgetfilledupwithlesscriticalobjectives.Atthesametime,youdon’twantyourcalendartobesorigidthatthere’snoflexibility.Evenworse,youdon’twanttopackyourschedulewithnonsense.
ThefixDon’tclutteryourcalendarwithitemslikestandingmeetingsorthosewithoutapurpose.Otherthingswouldbeminuteorautomatictasks,likebrushingyourteeth,andentriesthatnolongerfitinyourschedule.
Personally,though,I’mabigfanoftheprioritymatrix,suchasthefamousEisenhowerMatrix.
Evenifyou’veprioritizedyourtime,thingswillpopupthroughouttheday.Asopposedtojumpingintotheseheadfirst,makesurethateithertiedtoyourgoalsorarecritical.Ifnot,eitherassignthemtosomeoneelseorschedulethemforlater.
I’mafirmbelieverthatthebossshouldbeaccessiblewhenneeded.That’swhyI’mallforopen-doorpolicies.But,theycanalsobedisruptive.
Whenyouneedtohitthegrindstone,closeyourofficedoor.Itmayhelptoshareyourcalendarorplacea“DoNotDisturb”signonyourdoortoo.
AsIkid,Ibuiltatreehousedeepinthewoods.WhenIneededsomealonetime,Iwouldretreatthereforsomepeaceandquiet.
Imaynothaveatreehousethesedays.But,IdohavehideawayswhenIwanttoworkwithoutbeingdistracted.Itcouldbeanemptyboardroom,unusedoffice,orevenacoffeeshop.
DoyouknowallofthosetediousandrecurringtasksYouknow,payingbills,cross-postingonsocialmedia,ormeetingreminders.Theydon’ttakelongtodo.But,whenputtogether,theycanbeaserioustimedrain.That’swhyyoushouldfindtoolstoautomatethesetasksforyou.
Weonlyhavesomuchmentalenergy.So,whywasteitonthetrivial
Youcanreserveyourmentalenergybyhavingago-to-outfit,preparingyourmealsfortheweek,andgettingyourteaminvolvedinthedecision-makingprocess.
Didyoueverhaveoneofthosedayswhenyou’reinthezoneItwasn’tplanned.You’rereadytorumbleandconqueryourtopprioritiesWell,takeadvantageofthat.Ifyouhavetheenergyandfocustoworkfor12hours,thengoforit.
Ontheflipside,whenyouneedtotakeabreak,don’tforceyourselftostayinthegame.It’slikeadehydratedathlete.Theyneedtoremovethemselvesfromthegametogetsomefluidsandrest.
Let’ssaythatyouwantedtowriteablogpost.Youhavewriter’sblock,whichhasresultedinyourstarringatthescreenforover20-minutes.Atthispoint,cutyourlosses.Insteadofwastinganymoretime,moveontosomethingelse,andcirclebackwhenyou’rereadytowrite.
Recently,Iaskedacolleagueiftheyreceivedanemailthatwasn’tnecessary.ThemessagewasamessagefromSpotifyhighlightingtheyearinmusic.Theysaidtheyhadn’treceivedthemessagebecausetheirinboxwasa“mess”withhundredsofunreadmessages.
Don’tletyourinboxgetawayfromyou.Itwilleventuallybecomeadauntingandtime-consumingchore.That’swhyyoushouldblock-outspecifictimesthroughoutthedaytokeepyourinboxin-checkwithoutdistractingyou.Idothisthreetimes;inthemorningbeforework,afterlunch,andbeforeleavingworkfortheday.
Here’stheproblemwithcheckingyourinbox.It’seasytogetsuckedintoit.WhatImeanisthatyouplantospendjustfive-minutescheckingyourmessagesandthenrealizeit’sbeenover20.
Aneasywaytoavoidthiswouldbetoaddlabelsandcategories.It’ssimilartothe4Ds.Ifamessageisessentialandwillonlytakeaminutetorespond,justdoit.Forurgentmessagesthatrequiremorein-depthresponses,replywhenyouhavemoretime.Importantmessagesneededforreferencecanbearchived.And,anythingthat’snotrelevantshouldbetrashed.
Stopfillingyourinboxwithgarbage.Gothroughandunsubscribefromanyunwantedoroutdatednewslettersandpromotions.
DoyouknowhowmuchtimeyouspendonyourphoneIfnot,IsuggestusinganapplikeRescueTime,orgointoyourSettingsandlookatyourdigitalwellbeing.Whenyourealizehowmuchtimeyou’regluedtoyourscreen,youcanbegintotakestepstocurbyourusage.
Originallydesignedasanaccessibilityfeatureforuserswithvisionimpairment,thiswillturnyourscreen,well,grey.ThatwillleadtoadullexperiencewhenviewingpicsonInstagram.Andthat’snotfun.
Alongtimeago,Ideletedmysocialmediaappsoffmyphone.And,tomysurprise,myproductivitywentthroughtheroof.NolongerwasIgettingdistractedfromsocialmedianotifications.Or,gettingtemptedtoviewmyaccounts.
Now,whenIneedtoupdatemyaccounts,Ihavetologinfrommycomputer.
Yeah.It’sconvenient.ButwhatdoyoudowhenyougrabyourphonetoturnoffthealarmYoustillgoingthroughyouremails,newsfeeds,socialaccounts,etc.Insteadofgettingoutofbedtostartyourday,youenduplyingtheregluedtoyourphone,wastingprecioustime.
Let’snotsugarcoatthis.Meetingssuck.Overall,they’reanunproductivewasteoftime.So,whenpossible,skipthemeetingaltogetherbyusinganalternativelikeaquickemailorphonecall.
WhatifameetingisnecessaryMakesurethatyoucreateandsendoutanagendainadvancesothateveryonecanprepare.Itwillensurethatthemeetingstartsandendsontime.
Also,makeitarulenevertoacceptameetinginviteunlessyou’vereceivedanagenda.
Youknow,toomanycooksinthekitchenspoilthebroth.Thesameistruewithmeetings.Toomanyparticipantswillleadtoanunproductivemeetingweresideconversationsreignsupreme.It’sbesttoinvitefewerthaneightpeopletokeepthemeetingfocused.
Youshouldalsokeepyourmeetingsunder30-minutes.There’snoneedtokeepeveryonefromtheirworklongerthanneeded.Besides,that’saroundtheamountoftimethatwestoppayingattentionandlearning.
Justlikewhenyou’reworking,yoursmartphoneisthemainreasonwhyyou’regettingdistractedduringameeting.And,it’sjustnotyou.It’salltheparticipants.
Thequickfixistobanelectronicdevicesfromthemeeting.Justaskeveryonetoleavethemintheiroffice.Or.havetheparticipantsplacetheminabasket.
Addbuffersintomeetings.It’sasimplewaytoavoidrunninglate.And,youcanusethistimetofollow-upandprepareforthenextevent.
Asopposedtostartingameetingat2:30,consider2:29or3:32.It’smorememorableandsospecificthatattendeeswon’tarrivelate.
We’restillworkingonthis.But,toolslikeCalendarusemachinelearningtomakesmartsuggestionsonhowtoschedulemeetings.Soonerthenlater,itwillreadtheroomandrecordthemeetingtoautomaticallytakenotes.
Wealsohaveourownultradianrhythms,wherewecanonlyfocusfor60-90minutes.Afterward,weneedtotakeabreakfor30-minutesorsotomeditateorwalk.
Notonlythat,eachdayhasadifferentenergylevel.Mondaysusuallysuckbecauseyou’recomingofftheweekend.ByFriday,you’respent.Withthatinmind,TuesdayandWednesdayarewhenyou’reatpeakproductivity.
Granted,thisisusedinthemedicalindustry.But,it’salsoapplicableforbosses.
Howwouldyouliketocompleteallofyourrequiredreadingin1/3or1/5thetimeThatmaysoundtoogoodtobetrue.But,itispossibletolearnhowtospeedread.Asaresult,you’llsavetimewhilecontinuingtogrowandlearn.
Ihatetobethebearerofbadnews.But,thingswillnotalwaysgoaccordingtoplan.So,getoutyourcrystalballtoseewhatliesahead.Whileyoucan’tforeseeeveryemergency,trytohaveaplanforpossibleemergencies.Forexample,ifyouhavetoleavework,whowillstep-upinyourplaceIfyouhadasocialmediahiccup,whatisyourcrisismanagementplan
Periodically,stopandmakesurethatyoureffortsarealignedwithyourgoals.Ifnot,theyshouldeitherbeputonthebackburner,handedofftosomeoneelse,orscrapedfromyourschedule.
Thetrickistostrikeabalance.Forexample,youandyourteamjustclosedadeal.Savorthemomentbygoingandcelebrating.But,don’toverdobystayingoutuntilaftermidnight.You,andyourproductivity,aregoingtopayforitthenextday.
Astheboos,you’reexpectedtomakehundredsofdecisionsperday.Here’sthething,though.Amajorityofthemhonestlydon’tmatter.So,whywasteyourtimeandenergy,focusingonthesesmallandmediumdecisions
BestofallYoudon’tneedtodevotetoomuchtimetoexerciseModerateexercise(likegoingfora30-minutewalk)canhelpyoureapthesebenefits.
AllworkandnoplaymakeJackadullboy.
Neglectingyourmentalhealthcaninfluenceyourperformance.Itcanalsoimpactyourphysicalhealth,whichcancauseabsenteeismandseriouslong-termhealthconcerns.
Whetherifit’satoxicrelationshiporchoresyoucan’tstand,removethesefromyourlife.Notonlydoesthisdragyoudownmentally,butitcanalsobeahugetimedrain.
Insteadofharpingonthepast,orworryingaboutthefuture,focusonthepresent.OnewaytodothisPracticemindfulnessmeditation.Itcanlowerstress,enhanceyourfocus,andstrengthentourrelationships.
Ihadafriendwhokeptrepairinghissecondvehicle.Heusedittogotoworkorrunerrandslikegoingtothedump.However,hespentsomuchofhisdowntimetryingtokeepthistruckontheroad.Hefinallythrewinthetowelandboughtabettervehicle.
Itdoesn’tmatterifit’sabeat-upcar,slowcomputer,orinefficientworkflow.Youcansavealotoftime,energy,money,andheartachebystoptryingtofixwhat’sbroken.
Remeber.Ifyouhelpyourteamwiththeirtimemanagement,itwillhelpyouwithyours.
Isthereanemployeewhoisconsistentlymissingdeadlines.Besidesholdingeveryoneelseup,it’sgivingyourcompanyabadname.Gettothebottomoftheproblembeforeitgetsanyworse.
Bothyouandyouremployeesshouldworkwhenyou’remostproductive.Youshouldalsopermitremoteworkingacoupleofdaysperweek.And,avoidmicromanagingthem.Thesearesimplewaystokeepeveryonehappyandproductive.
You’vejustdelegatedatasktosomeoneelse.Youdidn’tclearlyexplainyourexpectations,though.Asaconsequence,youweren’tsatisfiedwiththefinalresult.Nowtheyhavetogobackandstartfromscratch,andyouhavethistaskhangingoveryourhead.
Ifyouhadbettercommunicationskills,thiscouldhavebeenprevented.And,itwouldn’thavewastedeveryone’stime.
Imagineyou’reclimbingamountain.It’sdauntingandoverwhelmingatfirst.But,ifyoubreakyourclimbdownintostages,itwillseemalittlemoremanageable.
Whenyouandyourteamembarkonamassiveproject,scaleitdownintobite-sizedchunkssothatitseemsmoreachievable.
IsyourteamalreadyworkingatfullcapacityThendon’tthrowanymoreworktheirway.Besidesmakingthemmoreanxiousandstressed,itwillalsopreventyoufromdelegatingsomeofyourlessimportanttaskstothem.
Youjusthiredanewemployee.Theyfitinwithyourcultureandarethebestatwhattheydo.But,theirtimemanagementskillsarelacking.Asaresult,itholdsupeveryonewhenworkingonaprojecttogether.
Surroundingyourselfwithpositive,supportive,andlike-mindedpeopleencourageyoutopick-uphealthyhabits.Considerjoiningprofessionalorganizationsorworkinginacoworkingspacethenexttimeyouneedaproductivityboost.
I’magermaphobe.So,thisisnotabouteatingfoodafterit’sbeenonthegroundforfiveseconds.It’sahackdevelopedbyMelRobbinsthatcannudgeyoutotakeaction.
Meldefinesthisas,“Ifyouhaveanimpulsetoactonagoal,youmustphysicallymovewithin5secondsoryourbrainwillkilltheidea.”
Openloopsarecommitmentsyou’vemadebuthaven’tbeensetinstone.Sure.Ifsomethingmoreimportantpopsup,thesecanberescheduled.But,ifwedon’tclosethese,theylingerinourminds.Andtheycaneveninterferewithyourproductivity.
Forinstance,youranintoacolleaguelastweekandagreedtolunch.Youdidn’tsetanexacttime,though.So,thereyouareworkingwhenyoureceiveatextfromthispersonsayingthatthey’llmeetyouat12:30p.m.Ifyouhadknownthisinadvance,youwouldhavehadmoreflexibilityinyourschedule.Nowyourentiredayisoff-course.
Ifyoudidn’tagreeonaspecifictimeinitially,thentaketheinitiativeandsetupatimesothatyoucanclosethisloop.
“Forexample,I’lldomyemailswhenI’monaplane,insteadofwhenI’mintheoffice.Itrytohavemyteammembershandleasmuchofthemeetingsaspossible.I’llbeinvolvedinthelastpart,soIdon’thavetositthroughfiveseparatemeetingsofthesamepurpose.WhenIhavepersonalinteraction,Itrytomaximizethataswell.”
You’vegotapackedschedule.But,youneedtodiscussaprojectwithanemployee.Atthesametime,you’vebeencoppedupalldayinsideandwouldlovetostretchyourlegs.Whynotinvitethatemployeetojoinyouonyourwalk
Perfectionismcanbecrippling.Sometimesyouneedtoacceptthat“goodenough”willsuffice.
Ofcourse,thisiseasiersaidthandone.But,here’sastrategythatmayhelp.Ifyou’rewritingabook,thenyeah.Youwantthattobeasclosetoperfectionaspossible.But,thatsocialmediaupdateorblogpost.There’snoneedtoobsessoverthembeingperfect.
Beforedriftingofftosleep,takeaminute,andreflectonwhatyouaccomplishedtoday.It’sasimpletrickthatwillgetyoumotivated.And,italsoletsyouidentifywhatworkedandwhatneedstobeadjusted.
Sundaysaresupposedtobeadayofrest.But,youknow,thereisnorestfortheweary.
Now,youdon’thavetoputinafullworkdayonyourdayoff.But,youshouldsitdowneverySundaynightandmapoutyourentire.Itwillguaranteethatitwillbethemosteffectiveandefficientweekeversinceyouknowexactlywhatneedstogetdoneandbywhen.