Have you tried all tips, tricks, tools, technology, calendars, and checklists than ever before, and yet you still always seem to be behind time?”
Have you tried all tips, tricks, tools, technology, calendars, and checklists than ever before, and yet you still always seem to be behind?”
Have you thought of the reason why it is not working?
Well, the answer is simple It’s because everything you know about time management is wrong.”
Most of us manage our time the same way: by writing to-do lists and prioritizing the items on those lists. We decide upon our priorities by assessing the relative urgency and importance of our tasks.
But there’s another criterion – significance. Rather than asking “What’s the most important thing I can do today?” ask “What’s the most important thing I can do today that would make tomorrow better?”
In other words, by thinking about how we use our time today, we can free up our hours in the future.
Ask yourself the 4 questions that will help multiply your time in order to free up the hours in the future:
Question #1: Can I eliminate this task? Anything that we say no to today creates more time for us tomorrow. When we do say yes to unnecessary duties, we are usually acting out of guilt – we are worried about disappointing other people. Don’t be a people pleaser.
Question #2: If I can’t eliminate this task, can I automate it?
The digital world gives us the liberty to automate many things in our life. A simple one could be to automate the purchase on a regular basis — pet food, groceries, prescriptions - could you have them automatically sent to you?
Or, are there any semi-annual appointments you have — such as visiting your dentist for teeth cleaning or your hair cut, that you might book in one swoop instead of having to call and schedule them one by one. Just think about your past year and calculate how many hours you spent on these activities.
Question #3: Can it be delegated, or can I teach someone else how to do this?
Do you find yourself more resistant about delegating duties to others? Well you might think they can’t do it as well you do it, and that may be true once or twice but if you think long term, they will be able to master the task just like you did.
Question #4: Should I do this task now, or can I do it later?
Procrastinate on purpose - intentional procrastination is “a virtue.” There’s a difference in waiting to do something that we know we should be doing versus waiting to do something because we’re deciding that now is not the right time.
When you procrastinate on purpose, you’ll eventually decide whether to eliminate, automate or delegate the task, or you may find that it’s risen in significance, importance, or urgency, compelling you to do it.
Comment below on your current time management skill.
