When we don’t manage our time, our time will manage us. Many people use the word multi-tasking and are proud to say that they can do it. However, research shows that as much as we would like to think that we can do it, our brains are only able to focus on one task at a time. You can read about it here in the Harvard Business Review. What is really happening when we are working on two tasks at once is that our brain is rapidly switching between the two and this will slow us down.
There are a couple of productivity strategies that I have found to be valuable. Time blocking can help you make more sense of your days and weeks. I like to look at the week on Sunday and plan out the rest of the week intentionally. This involves concentrating on only one main task for certain periods of the day.
Reserve your most productive time for your most important tasks. I am a morning person, so I reserve the morning hours for writing and planning tasks that require me to be the most focused. Also, for that one thing that has been nagging me that I have been putting off, I tell myself to “just do it’ so I don’t have to think about it anymore.
Then I look at the days and see where the appointments are and also where I can fit in other tasks like business accounting, filing, marketing projects, and meetings. Think about your meetings to see if they are truly necessary since they can be time wasters.
Some people like to designate certain days for the same activities each week so they don’t have to worry about getting them done. Also, block some time for yourself for exercise, going out to do something fun, or just relaxing with your family. It is more likely you will do it, if you feel you have time.
The 90 Day Year
Another productivity concept I want to discuss is something I read about called “The 90 Day Year” by Todd Herman. Entrepreneurs and business people can especially relate because of all the projects and time constrictions they have. I encourage you to try it for two weeks and see what happens.
We each have certain blocks of time to work each day. You have started on Task A, but then you get a phone call and you switch to Task B on the second day. Then someone called you for a different reason, you have a meeting, and you feel you need to work on Task C on the third day. Task A is still waiting to be finished, and the distractions keep coming.
In this version of organizing your time, you would start with Task A and make it your primary focus of every block of time, with the others secondary, until you get it finished. Then the confidence that you have received from completing that task will propel you on to the next. At the end of a month you will look back and see the projects that you have completed instead of a varied amount of tasks that are in different parts of completion. I challenge you to try this and see if you accomplish more.
Managing your time brings more freedom to do what is most important to you. Live each day with zest, spend time with the ones you love, and do great things that make a difference!