When it comes to productivity, we all face the same problem - only 24 hours in a day. Nevertheless, it seems that some people have twice as much time or they have a supernatural ability to keep up with everything planned. Even when they manage several projects at the same time, then, despite the difficulties, they will certainly achieve their goals.
“Time is the only capital an ordinary person has, and the only thing he cannot afford to lose,” said Thomas Edison.
We all want to get the most out of life. There is probably no better way to achieve this than to find a way to manage your precious time. Productive people know this and try to squeeze the most efficiency out of every hour, without making much effort. To do this, they use simple rules that are very easy to implement. So simple that you can do it today. These life hacks will help you build a career.
Combating the tyranny of urgent affairs
The tyranny of urgent affairs is a tendency for small tasks to appear that get in the way of fulfilling what really matters. This poses a big problem, as small businesses rarely have serious returns.
If you succumb to the tyranny of urgency, then, looking back, you will notice that days have passed, or even whole weeks, but nothing truly effective has been done. Organized and aimed at obtaining results, people can distinguish when "catching flies" distracts them from work. They try to delegate or ignore tasks that interfere with truly important activities.
Never redo
People who manage to do everything never return to their already completed tasks and do not put things off for later - this is a waste of time. If something has already attracted your attention (for example, a phone call or a letter), solve this problem on the spot yourself, delegate it to someone or remove it from the list of your affairs.
Eat the frog
"Eating Frogs" is a figurative expression of the authorship of Mark Twain, which means resistance to procrastination. In other words, productive people begin their day with the most unpleasant tasks for them. This makes it possible to end up with aggravating things in the morning and do something inspiring and exciting.
According to Eisenhower’s method, the to-do list can be divided into 4 categories:
- Tasks that you don’t want to do, but really need to be done.
- The tasks that you want to do, and in fact they need to be done.
- The tasks that you want to do, but in fact they do not need to be done.
- Tasks that you do not want to do, and in fact they do not need to be done.
“Eating frogs,” based on this classification, refers to “tasks that you don’t want to do, but actually need to be done.”
The decision of the most painful business for you in the morning gives you advantages, since you will deal with it, having a more clear mind and a quiet office. Remember that putting aside the “frog task” for the last time, you get tired and lose willpower more and more.
Do not try to multitask
Successful people know that multitasking is the main enemy of productivity. Constant switching from one case to another kills your attentiveness, the ability to memorize information and quickly take on a new task after completing the previous one. In 2009, this was proved by a study conducted at Stanford University (USA).Scientists compared two groups of people, one of which consisted of notorious multi-taskers, and the second - of people who were inclined to painstakingly perform one task. It turned out that the part of people who believe that it is realistic to do many things in parallel has significantly more difficulties with the organization of mental activity and it is difficult to distinguish relevant information from irrelevant.
Preparing for the next business day
Productive people complete each working day with preparations for the next. This habit has a double effect: it helps you consolidate what you did today, and gives you a guarantee for the same productive tomorrow. This takes only a few minutes, but it greatly facilitates the coming morning.
Preparing a plan will help you not to forget about something meaningful. It is important that it is recorded somewhere: on a calendar, notepad or saved on a computer. Most likely, you will find that you will need to deviate from the plan drawn up in advance from time to time. Despite this, its presence will help to better organize your time, prepare for projects and give you a clearer idea of everything that you need to do.
Ability to say no
For a person striving to achieve maximum efficiency, it is very important to be able to refuse. The denial should be unambiguous and expressed with the word “no”, and not with blurry phrases like “I think I won’t have time” or “I’m not sure I can.” Disagreement to take on new obligations is respect for the tasks already assigned to you. Once you understand that it is really impossible to please everyone, you will begin to live more comfortably.
Studies at the University of California (USA) have proven the more difficult the word “no” is given to you, the more likely you are to be stressed and depressed. Learn to refuse. No matter how contradictory it may sound, it will increase your productivity.
Have a dedicated time for checking email
A productive person will never let email distract him from important matters. Moreover, he will use all the features of this system: ranking letters by importance, as well as setting sound alerts for messages from key suppliers and customers. Some even use the answering machine feature, which tells the sender when his request will be processed.
Technology works for people
Modern technology is criticized for distracting employees from the work process. However, with proper use, they can help and save time. Automating manual processes is a great way to increase productivity.
Use tools that help make your work as easy as possible. You can use the calendar application on your mobile phone to receive reminders of important events, meetings and all kinds of schedules. Understand your email settings. For example, you can use the Boomerang application to work with Outlook. This tool will make mail management more convenient, help clear the mailbox by archiving important messages until the moment you need them.
