We've all been there. The weeks that appear to be the most busy can disappoint the most when at the end, you realize you have not accomplished anything you can recall worthwhile.
How can you command control of your time, to avoid it slipping away? Here are a few tips to keep the time from slipping through your fingers as easily as sand through an hourglass.
Know Your Time Wasters
Do you spend every free second checking email? Scrolling through your Twitter account? Binge-watching shows on the television? Take a few moments to think about what your "go to" time waster is. I know my general way to waste time involves scrolling through the piles of television recorded on the DVR. And during the day, it's compulsive email checking. But like the old cartoon commercials would inform us "The More You Know," once you have identified the culprit, you can take active steps to avoid wasting time on those activities.
Track Everything
Your calendar shows your meeting history for a week. Take a quick glance at yours. Do meetings consume more than 80% of your time? If they do, you might start taking a look there. You might also want to use that calendar for a week or so to add in what you were working on the rest of the time. Are you working on the right, most important things? Once you track what you are working on, you can identify where you might be seeing the waste.
Be Intentional
Instead of wondering at the end of the week where the time went, try planning it out in advance. Sit down with your calendar on a Sunday afternoon or Monday morning and sketch out every minute of your week, including what you want to work on and when. When you intentionally plan out your timeline for the week, you control the outcome. You are no longer reacting rashly to the priority of the day. Instead, you are planning out the most important activities for your week. Be sure to schedule some time to handle those items that come up out of the blue, and some down time as well.
Your time is finite. Every minute that passes will never be available again. Hopefully these tricks can help you maximize your usage of it.
What other tricks do you have when pushing yourself and making sure you don't waste time? Shoot me a note and let me know.
Image credit: khfalk via Pixabay
