Why are so many people so time poor? Ask anyone “how are you?” and you are more likely to get a comment on their state of time management than their state of health. Answers such as “busy”, “snowed under”, “rushed off my feet” and “drowning” are common responses. Here are six ways to effectively free up time that really work. Only try them if you really want to lose that “busy” badge of honour and pin the medal of “effective” to your chest.
The problem with most “time management” techniques is that people use them for a short period and then drop them. Here are six things you can do now at no cost which are genuinely effective ways to free up time. They are also so easy they are habit forming.
- Write down why you want more time. If all you want to do is release time to do things that just make you busy again then save yourself the time and stay where you are. The only purpose in releasing time is to improve your life. You now have your objective.
- Ask yourself “if someone offered me £1 million now to free up 1 hour / 1 day per week how would I do it? It’s amazing how when we really have the incentive to release time we can. When the pandemic hit organisations and individuals suddenly found huge amounts of time that they could redirect to solving the problems it caused. Why? Answer – a new priority trumped everything else. We can all release time if we really want to and that brings us to point 3.
- There’s no “s” in priority. Point 2 requires us to prioritise. We will prioritise the thing for which the reward or incentive or fear is biggest. Make whatever it is that gives you your biggest return for your time and moves you toward your objective your priority. Use the Ivy Lee Method it really works.
- Cut out idle chat with colleagues. If you want to be sociable with your colleagues, then feel free, but remember the cost. Every minute spent chatting is a minute you cannot spend doing whatever you really want or need to do. Spend 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon chatting and that equates to approximately 75 working hours per year. Ask yourself would I rather have these chats or another two weeks holiday? That’s the price you are paying for chatting!!!!
- Take short breaks. This is counterintuitive. “I’m too busy to take a break and in point 4 you said chatting is a waste of time!!!” There is a big difference between taking a break and wasting time. The Pomodoro Technique – How A Tomato Can Make You More Effective forces you to take short breaks at the appropriate moment. This makes you more productive and more efficient. Short, planned, timed breaks are effective and will release time, not consume it.
- Plan your day / week in advance. Once you get good at this you can plan your week or even your month in advance but just start by planning your day the night before. Then when someone comes to you asking you to do something in a hurry, show them your plan for the day and ask them what they would like you to drop in order to do their new work. This sorts out managers who can’t organise themselves and like to pass traumas down the line.
There are many other methods you can use but start with the six simple ones above. If you do them properly and stick to them your life will be better and you can dedicate more time to do what you really want to do or just nothing if you prefer.
I guarantee that if you properly use the six techniques above you will free up considerable amounts of time. When you do shout about it to your colleagues. Remember – the more effective they are, the easier it is for you.
Don’t manage time – free it.
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