Time Management: Work Smarter, Not Harder

"Don't say you don't have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo DaVinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein." (H. Jackson Brown)

You want to become more productive at home or at work.  You want to devote more time to what matters most in your life.   Shaving off a few minutes here and a few minutes there in your daily schedule can free up a significant amount of time.  H. Jackson Brown has listed 20 tips to help you manage your time and come that much closer to achieving your goals (http://www.creativitypost.com/create/work_smarter_not_harder_21_time_management_tips_to_hack_productivity).

1.  Prepare your day in advance.  You will feel more in control and less stressed.  

2.  Learn to say NO.  Reserve your time for the things that you either have to do or truly care about.

3.  Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night for optimum productivity.

4.  Focus entirely on the task at hand.  Multi-tasking isn't all it's cracked up to be.

5.  Rise early.  Studies show that productive, successful individuals start their day early.

6.  Complete the most important tasks first.

7.  Turn key tasks into habits.  

8.  Be aware of time spent watching TV or surfing the Internet or gaming.

9.  Assign a deadline to each task.

10.  Leave a buffer time between tasks ex. go for a walk, meditate or do another mind-clearing activity.

11.  Don't focus on the totality of your To Do List.  Take it one task at a time.

12.  Exercise and eat healthy to give you energy for the tasks at hand.

13.  Do less things with more value.  Emphasize quality rather than quantity.

14.  Create an organizing system either on your computer desktop or on a bulletin board.  Unsubscribe from e-mail lists that you are not interested in.

15.  Fill time when waiting.  Brian Tracy quoted a study done by an American airline which found that business people could on average accomplish 3 hours of work in the office within 1 hour on the plane.  The number of interruptions on the plane were far fewer than in the office.

16.  Lock yourself in.  No distractions.

17.  Commit to a plan.

18.  Batch related tasks together.  Different tasks require a different thought process.

19.  Find time for stillness.  Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).

20. Enjoyment should always be the goal.  You get so caught up in busyness that you forget to enjoy the moment.

21.  Don' allow unimportant details to drag you down.  It is good to strive for excellence, but perfectionism can cripple you.

Note:  Read Eat That Frog:  21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done by Brian Tracy (https://www.amazon.ca/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/1576754227).

http://www.creativitypost.com/create/work_smarter_not_harder_21_time_management_tips_to_hack_productivity