Time Management Tips9 Good Habits To Generate Time And Increase Productivity

Am I blowing my business out of the water if I tell you that Time Management is impossible

? We each have the same amount of time, so how do some people achieve more with what they have?

Now you can come up with all sorts of excuses to make yourself feel better, but in reality these people seem to have more time because of their habits.

Though our workshop we highlight habits people are often unaware of, but which are constantly stealing their time. But just being aware of the problem is certainly not enough, so we also advise people on how to change their behaviour.

To date we have shown over 600 people how to get time 1 to 2 hours back a day, how to get more done in less time (and with less stress); how to have more time for the things they want to

do in their personal and business lives.

If you can recover a wasted hour or two here and there to redirect towards a more productive purpose, it is not hard to see how you can boost your daily productivity.

Here are the TOP 9 techniques you will want to be make a habit of in 2010. Each one will help you to claim back at least one more hour out of your day of additional productive time.

1. Maintain Balance. A happy You equals a happy life! Your life consists of at least 7 different roles that are important to your happiness and wellbeing. You will not always be able to dedicate equal amounts of time in each area. Nevertheless, consider each role every week and how you might spend some time in each area, and then scheduling time to do so too keep your life balanced. Invest too much time and energy in any one of these roles, and you may find like many others that you are off balance and success in other areas of your life (e.g. family or health) come under threat!

2. Get into the habit of using at least one tool (a Day-Timer, pad of paper, Palm Pilot, etc.) to record what you need to do. We show people how to use Outlook in our workshop, but the same strategies apply to any email systems of your preference. Use your mind for the big picture strategies instead of on all the details. Details are important, but it is much more effective to

manage them with your tools.

3. Undertake weekly Planning and daily reviews. It is said that people do not plan to fail but a lot of people fail to plan. Take the time each week to consider everything on your plate (not just the stuff in front of your nose), including task that must be completed in the following week. Figure out what is the most important work for next week. Then let us show you how to prepare and put things into action so your plans are not continually blown out of the water!

4. Prioritize your tasks. The important items on your To Do list can linger there if you do not schedule time to get them done. Even though most people strive to be more productive, when

attacking their to-do list we tend to focus on the quick and urgent things that may not be crucial. You will be amazed at how you feel at the end of your week when you can look back and KNOW important work has been commenced or completed.

5. Control Procrastination. Ask your self what is the next thing I need to do with this job? Particularly if it is a big or complicated job! Put your blinkers on, dont look at it in its entirety, break it down into smaller tasks, and of course, make sure you get it done first! Before anything else.

6. Manage Interruptions. The average person encounters 50 interruptions a day. The average interruption consumes five minutes of your time. That adds up to around four hours each day, on average, are spent dealing with interruptions alone. Use a log to see how much time you devote to interruptionstrack who is interrupting you and determine whether it was urgent or should dealt with later. Running an Interruptions log helps you to identify and reduce the amount of wasteful interruptions.

7. Delegate responsibilities. Letting go of tasks and work that someone else could or should be doing for you is one of most difficult habit to develop. Delegation allows you to leverage your time and ensures that you can focus on things you do best OR what you are supposed to be doing (e.g. strategic thinking, managing)! Planning using our Secret Formula for Success makes it obvious you do not have the time to do it all!

8. Control Meeting Times. Meetings can be extremely effective, despite the fact that over 80% are big time wasters. Before a meeting you need to ask, Is it necessary? and Is it necessary for me to attend? If the answers to either are no, then consider cancelling or excusing yourself from attending. Prepare a written agenda for the meeting with times assigned for each item, along with a starting time and ending time. Circulate the written agenda among those who will be attending.

Stick to timing, be ruthless, and everyone will love you for it!

9. Handle Paper and emails once! The average person receives around 150 communications each day via email, telephone, paper mail, memos, circulars, faxes, etc. We handle paper and emails between 6 to 12 times before we actually do something with it. A lot of time is wasted going through the same pile of paper day after day. Try to handle paper and email once and be done with it, especially if it is something that can be done in a minute or two. If it is not the best use of your time, delegate it. If it is going to take some time to complete, schedule ahead in your day calendar on the day you think you might get to it and leave it alone until then.

by: Danny Smithwood

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