Planning and organising
Ten time management hacks
Too much to do but not enough hours in the day? It’s a common complaint for pretty
much all of us. But fear not - these simple time management hacks are designed to
enhance your efficiency and help you get more done.
1. Control your email - don’t let it control you
Get out of the habit of checking email first thing in the morning, as this
puts you entirely at the mercy of other people and their requests. Instead,
start your day with your own tasks, and schedule specific times for
checking your email periodically throughout the day. And for those times
when you really need to get into the zone and concentrate,
switch on your out of office/do not disturb settings.
2. Employ time management guru David A len’s
two minute rule [1]
If something will take two minutes or less to do, just do it there and then.
This simple concept will enable you to clear lots of small tasks from your
to-do list quickly, freeing up the rest of your time to concentrate on more
complex tasks. An additional bonus of the two minute rule is that it can
give you a great sense of achievement and satisfaction.
3. Forget multitasking - focus is key
A number of research studies reveal that multitasking is bad for the brain,
because it uses up much-needed energy as it switches its focus from one
task to the next. [2] So although you might think you are being productive
by replying to messages when you’re in a conference or meeting, you are
actually wasting valuable time switching between activities. Instead,
embrace ‘unitasking’ - direct all your energies towards concentrating on
the task in hand until it is complete.
4. Shake up your meetings
Love them or loathe them, meetings take up an enormous amount of
time (and money) for organisations. According to Jeff Haden, contributing
editor at Inc, “Whoever invented the one hour default in calendar software
wasted millions of people hours.” So make your default 30 minutes (or
less) or think of more creative ways to reduce the amount of meetings
you have. For example, why not try ‘No Meeting Wednesdays’ (exactly
what it says on the tin)? And always avoid attending meetings where you
are not really required - you can always get a briefing from another
attendee
if necessary.
5. Use the blocking technique...
Block out tome between scheduled meetings, appointments, phone calls
and other communications, so you are not back to back. This way, you
can free up your time to create set periods of uninterrupted work, without
disrupting your flow.
6. Disconnect
Take a tip from Bryan Guido Hassin, CEO of Smart Office Energy Solutions,
and use the concept of ‘airplane days’. [3] Hassin noticed that he could
get a lot done during long intercontinental flights, where he couldn’t be
reached by anyone. So, back on the ground, he started scheduling what
he called ‘airplane days’ - days where he turned off his phone, social
media and network connections in order to capture that productivity at
work. If you’d like to follow his lead and go offline, there are a few things
you’ll need to do in order to prepare, including deciding how long you’ll be
offline for, what you can realistically achieve during this time, and what
information (e.g. hard copies of documents and reports) you’ll need.
Ten time management hacks
7. Embrace agile or iterative working
A widely used technique in software and product development, the
concept is now making its way into the mainstream. An agile approach
involves working incrementally in ‘sprints’ of around one week or so. [4]
This helps break large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones that are
completed within these ‘sprints’. This can also help you recognise that
you don’t have to be a perfectionist from the off - good enough is fine;
polishing to perfection can come later.
8. Say no (nicely)
It’s good to help others but you don’t always have to do everything people
ask of you, particularly when it can cause you to lose focus on your own
tasks. Be assertive and try not to take on additional work if you can help
it. It can sometimes be hard to say an outright ‘no’ though, so if you have
trouble with this, try saying ‘not just now’ instead, and offer an alternative
time when you will be available to take on these tasks.
[1] David Allen is the creator of ‘Getting Things Done’, a well-known
method of time management. Find out more about the two minute rule,
and ‘Getting Things Done’, at www.gettingthingsdone.com (accessed 6
July 2016).
[2] Richard Feloni, ‘Why You Should Wait 120 Milliseconds Before Making
A Decision’, Business Insider (26 March 2014). Available
at: http://www.businessinsider.com/optimum-decision-making-
study-2014-3? IR=T#!KvzH1 (accessed 6 July 2016).
9. Delegate better
As a counter to the above tip, don’t be scared of handing over work to
others. As the saying goes, you should only do what only you can do.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, clarify your priorities and work out
what you can realistically consign to others - without passing the buck, of
course!
10. Finally make use of technology
There’s a whole raft of productivity tools and apps at your fingertips; for
example, Evernote is good for taking notes in meetings, and you can also
attach relevant documents or other files, keeping everything consolidated
in one place. Use Trello for efficient project management, while Toodledo
is a useful online to-do list. Inc. contributor and creator of the ‘Four Hour
Work Week’ Tim Ferris s has produced a handy list of the best
productivity tools and apps for 2016 at: http://www.inc.com/tim-
ferriss/the-best-tools-and-apps-to-boost-your-productivity-
in-2016.html.
[3] Kevin Smith, ‘13 CEOs and Founders Reveal Their Top Productivity
Hacks’, Inc. Available at: http://www.inc.com/ss/13-productivity-hacks-
help-you-get-more-done (accessed 6 July 2016). See also ‘Boost Your
Productivity With An Airplane Day’ at: http://www.simpleproductivityblog.
com/boost-productivity-airplane-day/ (accessed 6 July 2016).
[4] See ‘Agile Methodology’ for more information. Available at: http://
agilemethodology.org/ (accessed 6 July 2016).
[5] © 2021 Emerald Works