Everyone can use knowledge of time management techniques. If you can’t, it’s because you’ve already spent the time to figure out how to manage your time correctly and have formed good habits. However, if you haven’t, it’s likely you’re wasting a lot of time in your day doing things you don’t necessarily need to do. So if your schedule seems hectic, it probably is – but that doesn’t mean you can’t manage the time you have a little bit better to make it easier to control the chaos in your life. Here are a couple of ideas to help you accomplish more in a day.
Complete Your Task Quickly – Then Look Back
This technique is simple: all you have to do is complete a task as quickly as possible. The first thing you do is eliminate all distractions from your environment, including phone and Internet. Distractions are very costly and a shift in attention for even thirty seconds will increase the amount of time it takes for you to complete the task at hand significantly. Choose an amount of time you want to focus on something – between half an hour and two hours is standard - and really focus on it. Once you’ve completed your sprint to the finish line, take a break and a breather. Then, continue on with that project or a different one. Different amounts of time work for different people, so don’t give up if half an hour didn’t work for you.
Plan Out Your Phone Calls
Before you even make the call out to someone, make sure your agenda is set. A single missed point can leave you scrambling for the phone again. If you have an outline in front of you, even if you get sidetracked talking about something else, you can always come back to the outline. If the client doesn’t pick up, it’s important to know what you will say as well – make sure to include that you need to talk about the key points on your note sheet.
