12 Top Tips for Using Your Time Effectively

My business experience has taught me that maximising your productivity, happiness, peace, or impact can best be accomplished if you clearly understand how to use your time effectively. Here are my 12 top tips:

Man in suit pointing to the word goals1. Have goals

Being more efficient with your time is irrelevant if you don’t know how you want to spend it. In managing time, the compass is more important than the clock. Know where you want to go and spend your time on the things that get you there.

Many spend energy trying to be more efficient without first doing what’s important: setting goals. It’s like being lost on your way to a new city. Driving faster doesn’t help if you are going in the wrong direction. So instead, figure out where to go first and head that way.

Once you’ve prepared it, your list of goals will reveal what matters to you.

2. Analyse how you spend your time

Knowing how you’re spending your time right now is always good. You can track this by setting a timer to go off every 15 minutes; whenever it sounds, write down precisely what you are doing. Alternatively, divide your day into 15-minute blocks and record each activity you do.

Here’s an article I wrote recently about analysing how you spend your time.

Once you have your time logs, examine them. How do they compare to your goals? Are you spending time where your priorities are?

To-do list

3. Keep a to-do list

This sounds too simple, but it is the basis of all time-management systems. Your to-do list can be electronic, on fancy paper, bound in a notebook or loose-leaf. The key is to have everything you want to accomplish on one list. For example, my to-do list might have a one-line item, such as “write annual report,” referring me to a much larger file or even a file box on that item.

When I sit down at my desk each day, I write the three most important things I want to accomplish in my notebook. Then I focus on ticking them off.

Here’s a simple printable daily list you could use.

 

4. Prioritise your list

Choosing only three items each day helps me to focus on my priorities.

However, I keep a separate list of all my various projects and tasks, which is much longer. Every so often, I refer back to and prioritise this list. If you haven’t prioritised your list, it is easy to get distracted by less important items. Remember point one, have goals? You want to stay focused on those!

5. Control procrastination

People often say I have great self-control. In truth, though, much of it is environmental control. I control my environment to eliminate things that I might use to procrastinate. For example, create a dedicated work area that is free from distractions. As a bonus, just entering this area will cue your brain to switch into work mode over time.

One effective strategy that has helped break me from procrastination is “Do the worst thing first.” So, at the beginning of every day, I do the one task that is causing me the most stress. I’m an introvert, so for me, this often involves making phone calls! Sometimes I give it a quarter of an hour — based on the theory that I can stand just about anything for 15 minutes. But, frequently, it is this short thrust that breaks me through.

If I still procrastinate, I review my reasons for setting a goal. Sometimes it turns out that the goal is no longer relevant, and I can take it off my list. However, if it is still relevant, I review the reasons for its importance to remind myself and strengthen my motivation.

It can also help to reward yourself for completing a job. This can be as simple as taking your coffee break after you complete a task you’ve been avoiding.

Neat desk

6. Organise

Organisation and time management are linked. I find that I get important things done when I have all the tools I need to perform the job.

The opposite of organisation — chaos, clutter, disorganisation — generally leads to busy work. If your desk is piled high, every piece of paper says “Look at me.” You can end up doing a lot of work without ever getting to the important stuff.

7. Delegate

One way to expand your time is to get others to help you with it. The key to delegation is to hand off any tasks that someone else can do significantly faster or more easily than you can.

If you’re protesting that you don’t have anyone working directly for you to whom you can delegate tasks, no problem. Consider delegating to a peer, a superior, a supplier, or even a customer. Treat delegation like networking: who in your network would be best for the job?

In some cases, you will need to invest up-front to train someone so he or she can take over a task from you. The long-term savings are usually worth the up-front time and costs.

After delegation, remember to thank appropriately. You might think people would resent being delegated to, but precisely the opposite is true. People like to be asked, especially if it is to do something that they’re good at.

Man in business suit in car touching radio controls

8. Master efficiency tricks

The best trick I have found is “The Power of While.” What can you do while you drive? While you walk? While you clean? While you watch TV? I am a huge audio tape advocate and frequently listen to tapes while I am doing something else.

Being a techie, I love all the organisation software out there that allows me to keep my contacts, to-do lists and appointments. I also use gadgets such as cell phones, wireless e-mail, and personal digital assistants. Good use of technology can save you valuable time.

Woman with arms crossed indicating "no"

9. It’s OK to say no

Saying “No” can be the most powerful time tool you can master. When someone asks you to do something, ask yourself how important this is. Does it help you achieve your goals? Is this a task you would be better at than most people? Don’t always look for reasons to get out of things, but be strategic about what you take on.

This doesn’t mean that I always say no when asked to help out. But if I do say no, I am always polite and tactful, and try to suggest someone else who would do the job well.

Woman with eyes closed focusing/meditating

10. Focus

Committing 100% focus and concentration on one task at a time can be very powerful. Eliminate distractions. Focus on the task. When you’re properly organised and prepared, when your energy and power are high, you can often complete a task in 20% of the time it would take when you’re distracted or open to interruption.

Try the pomodoro or 52-17 technique and see which of these suit you.

 

11. Build your efficiency bank

High efficiency is not possible if you don’t look after yourself. Eat right, exercise, sleep well and drink moderately. Mom knew best: all the things she said were good for you just happen to be best for your efficiency, too.

I also believe meditation can be a great way of building your efficiency. It could be transcendental meditation, Zen, or just finding a way to get into a relaxed state that lets you focus on the task you have to do. No matter how you do it, recharging your batteries gives you the power to do more during the times you need to be at your best.

 

12. Take care of yourself

It isn’t possible to be “on” all the time. Take the time you need to look after yourself — body and soul — so that you can reach peak efficiency when you need to. Have a list of things you like to do. Find out what activities energise you, and spend more time doing them. This will give you the power and energy to be more productive when you return to work.

Woman with hand over heart

Finally, a word of advice. If after reading this far you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, I suggest you go back to Rule 1 and add peace (contentment) to your list of goals. Time management is not about adding stress; it is about giving you the time to be the person you really want to be.

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