We all know that there is really isn’t a way for us to get more time in our day, but so many times you’ve wised for it. The magic number is 1,440. That’s the number of minutes we get in every day. How we invest it is what makes a different. As much as you wish for it, you aren’t getting any more time, but you can shift your perspective and your approach to how you manage things. Here are seven things that you can do right now to add more time to your day by making that shift.
- Handle things once. That means paperwork, email and voice mail messages. When you are in the midst of the paper work, email and voice mail, take instant action. Determine what to do with the paper work; decide whether to read it, reply to it, place it in your to-do file, delegate, file or trash it. Treat email and voice mail the same way. While you’re checking email at the designated time reply, call back or add it to the calls you’ll make at a designated time. The time you save can add up to more than 8 hours over the course of a month.
- Be decisive! Make the choice and keep it moving. The time wasted around decisions slows down your ability to take action. This can give you about an hour in your day.
- Put it in writing. Writing things down makes a big difference when it comes to getting things done and the amount of time they take. If you’re forever thinking about the things that you have to do, your productivity suffers greatly. I tell clients all the time that it’s not real until you write it down. It clears your mind so that it’s free and you can focus.
- Turn off the technology during your Prime Time™. Figure out the time of day when you’re at your best mentally and physically and use that period to tackle your top priorities. During that time, close your email, turn off the phone and get it done.
- Curb the time wasters. There are things that seriously suck the time away from what’s important. Email, the internet, social media and sometimes the phone will all have you wanting time. Be conscious of the amount of time you spend on each. Use a timer while engaging in those activities if necessary. It can give you back an hour.
- Prioritize you work. Know the priority for each of the tasks that are on your list. When you prioritize you’re not guessing about what has to be done, you already know. Knowing the value and importance of each task makes it easy to know what’s important and what you need to delete from your list.
- Delegate. It can be hard to do, but it’s necessary. Make a list of the things that need to be done that don’t require your expertise. Find someone you trust, like a virtual assistant to handle those things so that you can focus on the things that generate revenue. It will give you back some time as well as allow you to increase you bottom line.