Most of us would like to have just a little more time: how much more you could get done if you had just an extra hour or two a day? While nothing can change our allotted time, I do want to share a few tips that will help you to take control of your schedule and help to make it seem like you have a few extra hours.
1)Decline meetings. I don’t accept every meeting. If I don’t see real benefit resulting from my attendance, either for me or someone else, I decline the meeting. By only going to meetings you need to attend, you free up some time to do something productive. While meetings can definitely be relationship builders, they can also be immense time-sucks.
2)Have effective meetings. Strive to have shorter, more effective meetings by being organized and always having a definitive end time. Spending a few minutes preparing for a meeting and send out an agenda and other materials in advance; it will mean that you get through the meeting faster, with less floundering around figuring out what you need to accomplish. I also try to keep people on track during the meeting and attempt to end on time or early when possible.
3)Schedule work. We all have certain tasks that require uninterrupted time where we can focus. For those activities, I try to free up big blocks of time on my calendar, and I schedule those tasks the same way that I would schedule a meeting, which allows me the time to work uninterrupted.
4)Schedule recreation. I also schedule my workouts just like any other meeting on my calendar. This has a couple of advantages. First, I get a reminder when it’s time to work out, and second, it discourages other people from scheduling over my workout and makes it more likely that I will be able to find the time for staying fit.
5)Take advantage of off-peak times. Try to schedule activities at times when you can do them in less time. When I need to drive to work (a 45- to 60-minute commute), I get up early to beat some of the traffic and schedule my workout after work, so that by the time I’m done exercising and ready to drive home, the traffic isn’t as heavy. The unseen benefit here is, if something goes wrong on the commute, you have a built in time buffer to prevent your own tardiness.
I also try to avoid grocery shopping right after work or going to the bank at lunch.
6) Don’t answer the phone. Ok, some of the times you need to, but, generally speaking, if it is important, they will leave a message, allowing you to respond at a dedicated “response time”. My outgoing message encourages an email, which will likely be responded to more quickly. Since I am often teaching class or meeting with clients during the day, I am often unavailable during “business hours” to field phone calls, and am often playing voicemail exchange or returning emails late at night. How many times has answering the phone derailed your work day by 30 minutes or more?
7)Be flexible. Don’t force yourself into the “Nine To Five”. It may pay to start work early or late, depe
8)Take breaks. When we get really busy, we tend to turn into workaholics and attempt to power through the work even when we aren’t being productive. While taking a break sounds like you will lose time, in many cases, it can help you get a new perspective on a difficult problem. A short walk can help, as can taking a break to accomplish something else, like running an errand or getting in a workout. After a little break, your brain will be refreshed and ready to be productive again.
9)Turn off the television. I used to watch a lot of television in the evenings until I realized I was spending too much time watching other people and not enough time experiencing my own life. I was surprised at how much time I had for hobbies, reading, fitness or even just getting a little work done in the evening when television wasn’t sucking hours out of my day.
10) Block out time for you. When I am in the home office, I block out my calendar from 3:00 tp 4:00 every day to get my kids off the bus, and help with their homework. My work day starts early, and as soon as the bus is gone at 7am, that is when work starts. I also have a two hour block mid day to incorporate lunch and household activities (mowing the lawn, doing laundry, etc). Think about what is important for you and make sure you find time in your schedule for what you want to do.
Idea by Dawn Foster, as originally posted on www.gigaom.com
