Top Tips: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Day
If you're the sort of person who plans everything like amilitary operation you may already be well in control. If you'renot so good at managing your time then here are a few tips tohelp you improve your planning, get organised and start gettingmore out of your day.Daily Planning. In order to make the most of your time you needto spend it in the most productive way. Planning your time isthe best way to ensure you're effective with what time you have.First thing every Monday morning (or Sunday evening if youprefer) spend 15-30 minutes planning what you need to do thatweek to keep you focused and on track. What actions MUST youtake each day/week. Spend the first 10-15 minutes each morningplanning your tasks and actions for the day. When are you goingto do these? Block out time in your diary and make anappointment with yourself for when you're going to write areport, make those phone calls.One diary. Don't have one diary for home and one diary at workor one for personal and one for business. Whether it'spaper-based or electronic, keep all your personal and businessappointments in one place. That way you will have all importantdates and events available when you're planning your time andbooking appointments - include birthday's, anniversaries,children's activities, school events, social gatherings etc.Electronic personal organisers, such as the Palm Pilot, iPAQ andPsion ,are a useful tool. They can automatically synchronisewith your calendaring tool on your computer such as Outlook andcan then be carried with you when you're away from your desk orout of the office enabling you to check your diary at anytime.If you have one family calendar at home check this each week andupdate your diary.Prioritise. In order to make the most effective use of your timeyou need to focus on what's important. Prioritise your tasks andactions in order of importance or urgency. Ensure you spend mostof your time focusing on the important to avoid them becomingurgent later on. Get the high priority tasks done first andbreak larger tasks down into smaller ones.What MUST get done to...
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...day? What else needs to be done? Berealistic about what you can achieve each day - don't setyourself up with a massive to-do list and only achieve a fewthings. Start small and build from success. Be aware of'time-wasters'.Delegate. One way to make the most of your time is to getsomeone else to do the tasks that don't absolutely need yourattention. Do you really need to do everything? Who else couldhelp you out? If someone else has the skills to do a task thenask them to do it. It will give you time to focus on the moreimportant things and the tasks that only you can do.The busier you are the more you need to be able to delegate.Train someone up to do some of your tasks and share yourworkload. Give someone else the opportunity to learn and grow.Cleaning, gardening, paperwork - get someone else to do these orhelp you out.Create your own virtual 'team' - a book-keeper to do your books,your accountant to do your accounts, a virtual assistant (VA) todo your admin tasks, invoicing and mailings - you may not beable to afford staff full-time but you can make better use ofyour time by hiring people when you need them.Avoid interruptions. Sometimes we'd be so much more effective ifwe didn't get constantly interrupted. What are your maininterrupters? Email, phone calls, people?If you have work to do and need some undisturbed time - switchthe phone through to the answer machine or voice-mail. Switch itoff - as long as you remember to switch it back on when you'refinished! Ignore incoming emails - if you get an alert each time youreceive a new email, switch it off and check your emails 2-3times a day ONLY!If you're at work, book a meeting room or use an empty officefor a couple of hours and shut yourself away. If you are able to- work from home for the day - that way you get lessinterruptions from people just 'dropping by' and interruptingyou at your desk. If you have an office educate people that whenthe door is closed you're not to be disturbed.Give yourself a break. Make sure you take breaks throughout theday - even if it's just for a few minutes. The brain is ...
... onlyable to concentrate effectively for short periods of time. Thelonger you spend doing one thing, the more ineffective you willbecome. Sitting in one position for long periods of time doesn'tdo you any good physically or mentally. Some people canconcentrate for hours when they're totally absorbed in a task,in general you should take a break at least once every twohours. You will be fresher and better able to concentrate. Getup and stretch, take a few deep breaths, get yourself a drink ofwater.Always try to take a proper lunch break - you deserve it andyour body needs it! If you can, get some fresh air and exercise.Don't rely on stimulants such as coffee and chocolate to giveyou a boost when you're flagging. The majority of people don'tdrink enough water throughout the day. If you're dehydrated youwill get tired more easily and be less able to concentrate. Ifyou're thirsty, you're already dehydrated!Learn to say No! Eager to please and to be seen to be helpful,we often take on things we'd rather not do or don't really havetime for. Learning to say "No" can be useful to stop yourselffrom getting overwhelmed or feeling guilty. Be clear and direct.Your time is yours, you are entitled to a say in how you spendit. Don't be misled by other people's expectations - whetherthat's family, friends, your boss or work colleagues.Be realistic about what you are able to achieve. What are youlosing by saying "Yes", what are you gaining by saying "No"? Bysaying "Yes" what are you saying "No" to? By saying "Yes" togetting that report done by the end of the day I am saying "No"to leaving work on time, I'm saying "No" to spending time withthe children/my partner ... Can someone else do it? Can younegotiate to suit you're timeframe?Reward yourself. Don't forget to reward yourself at the end of abusy and productive day or when you've completed a particularproject. Include it in your plan - how will you treat yourself?If you'd like help in putting some structure in place toorganise your time more effectively and get the most out of yourday - contact me for a consultation.
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