My sister says if she could bottle time and sell it, she’d be a billionaire. I totally believe her.Regardless of what time I get up or what time I go to bed, there are still a million things that I won’t be able to accomplish. I’m not talking about dream and goal-type accomplishments like going to Paris, performing on Broadway or climbing Mount Everest (none of which are my personal goals by the way, just ones a lot of people seem to dream).
I’m talking about little things like returning emails I’ve had in my in-box for two days, writing up an employee review that should have been done weeks ago, updating our business blog, etc. On the personal front, things like making it to the grocery store for milk, washing my son’s soccer uniform for his game tomorrow night, or returning overdue library books. I just can’t seem to get it all done in 24 hours!
So, I decided to carry around this little book I’d been meaning to read called TIME! 105 Ways to Get More Done Every Workday, by David Cottrell, president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute. I figured if I didn’t have time to sit down to read it, I’d try to skim parts while waiting for my laptop to boot up or sitting at a stop light. Turns out, the book had some terrific tips, many of which you may already know, but perhaps a few you don’t. So, here are some of my favorites in no particular order:
1. Set your alarm clock 15 minutes ahead. Yes, it’s kind of like playing a practical joke on yourself, but you’ll be surprised how it can help you get going in the morning if you just wake up and pretend it’s 15 minutes later than it actually is. Just don’t run any red lights on your way to the office.
2. Plan your day. Do this before getting involved in anything – or anyone – else, especially tasks that consume a lot of time, such as answering your email. In just 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, you can accomplish the same amount of work as you can in 60 minutes of work with interruptions.
3. Limit your time on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and such. Social networking sites are great ways to keep up with your extended network of contacts, but they also extract a huge penalty on your productivity. Pay attention to how much time they take and make sure you‘re getting a good return on that investment.
4. Be decisive! Being decisive usually means, “Seize the moment!” When someone says to you, “Call me later and we’ll set an appointment,” respond by saying, “Let’s save ourselves a call and make the appointment now.” Then it’s done…and you won’t have to spend another 15 minutes on a phone call just to arrange a meeting.
5. Manage your paper and keep it moving. Move paper from your in-box to your desk, then to a To-Do file, someone else’s To-Do file, an archive file or the circular file – that’s right – the trash can. Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if I throw this away?” Gather what information you need from it, process the information immediately (enter business card info into your computer, clip an article from a magazine, etc.), then discard what you no longer need.
6. Keep your computer running as efficiently as possible. When your computer is running slowly, run a maintenance application to clean up your old files and to defragment and reorganize your hard drive. It will immediately increase your computer speed. Keep up with application and system upgrades and don’t neglect computer security. Nothing can ruin your day faster than a computer virus.
7. Avoid getting trapped into small talk if you work in an office environment that’s overly social. When someone approaches you, immediately ask, “What can I do for you?” This gets the visitor straight to the reason he came to you…or if he has none, it subtly gets him moving along with minimum chit-chat. And hide your candy dish – it’s a major interruption magnet.
8. Make meetings short and always start them on time. If someone comes in late, ignore them and keep going. Better yet, appoint them as the person responsible for taking the minutes. I assure you they will show up on time for the next meeting. If you’re not running the meeting, take initiative and say, “Hey, it’s 8:40. Let’s get started. I’ve got a job to go to.”
9. Rest. The more rested you are, the more you can accomplish when you work. If you’re tired, you work slower, make more mistakes, and fail to see obvious solutions. Work hard and efficiently, but try to leave your work at the office.
10. Continually ask yourself the number one time management question of all time: "What’s the best use of my time right now?"
I must say that I really enjoyed reading this book and garnering some great tips from it. I may not get to Ireland anytime soon (one of my dreams), but I do think I’ll at least have time to grab milk from the grocery store today.
To order this book, call 888-789-5323 or visit http://www.cornerstoneleadership.com/
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