Do you want time back on your calendar?
Do you juggle competing priorities?
Do you wish you had more time in your day?
In 2022 there is one thing we need more of and that is TIME. The first month of 2022 is about to evaporate.
Time seems to slip away once a new month arrives. Many business owners struggle to find the time within the day to be productive. Holiday season becomes a very tactical time of year. It is an all hands on deck type of season for some industries, for example in the retail industry. Planning for the back half of 2022 takes place now.
How do you get it all done? For many years I’ve had people ask me this question.
The real answer is I don’t. Let me repeat, I don't
get it all done There is always more to achieve. But there are a few hacks I use to add time back onto my calendar.
A few years ago I went through a process of understanding what I was spending my time on by using a spreadsheet provided by Laura Vanderkam. I realized I had a faulty perception of where I was spending my time. If you don’t want to manually track your time like I did, there are many free time tracking apps on the market.
Every week, no matter who you are, there are 168
hours.
Building productive habits requires owners and leaders to be intentional about what priorities are in focus on any given day. Recent statistics show that 120 emails are sent to the average worker everyday. If it takes an average of 2 minutes to read each of those emails that is 4 hours out of your day just for that one task. That is INSANE. Managing emails can become a serious time waster.
Here are 5
of my favorite ways to gain time back on my calendar.
**You can also watch our YouTube channel where I cover this topic
HERE.
Do Not Disturb
This is my favorite feature on my Iphone. Personally, I can get incredibly distracted by all the notifications from different apps. The constant email and text alerts drive me bananas.
When I am working, I want it to have my full attention. I enable the do not disturb feature during critical work moments for example meeting with clients, lunch, project implementation & while reading email. Give it a try. Do not disturb feature reserves cognitive space & energy for mission critical assignments throughout the day.
Block Scheduling
When I scatter similar work tasks throughout my week it overwhelms me. Mentally I feel as if I’m never finished with recurring tasks on my calendar. As a time hack, I group tasks together that I do frequently like content creation or administrative work. Then I block that time on my calendar.
That way I’m not skipping around doing the same tasks scattered throughout the entire week.
I also use this time hack at home. I bunch tasks together like washing dishes or washing clothes so I have a feeling of completion compared to executing a task partially and never feeling like I’m finished. Yes, I wash dishes 1 time a day vs multiple times a day. Dishes piling up in the sink does not
bother me. I know I have time scheduled to get the dishes done.
Automated Scheduling
This feature in my CRM software is a time saver. Have you ever spent more time coordinating a time to meet with someone than you actually spent meeting with that person?
Going back and forth over email and text to find a compatible time on both schedules is a time waster. There is a free app
Calendly
that allows you too embed an online scheduling link on your email signature. Once a client books an appointment it syncs with your work calendar & theirs. Time saved!
Rethink Multitasking
I used to pride myself on being a multitasker. I’ve learned in my research and with my executive coach that multitasking actually reduces
productivity. You actually aren't multitasking the brain is switching from one task to another leading to mental exhaustion & fatigue.
The mind needs to focus on one task at a time. Now I reconsider the urge to check email while attending an online webinar or training. Stay focused to keep your mind sharp and save time.
Sacred Morning
I have a morning rhythm. It sets the tone for my day. This is a non-negotiable spot on my calendar. I do not start my day with my phone reading e-mail or scrolling through social media. That is a time waster.
I start with exercise, meditation and stillness. I feel more alive and ready for my day when I stick to my sacred morning routine.
DPI has many ways that business owners & leaders can improve their time management to optimize productivity. These examples are just what assists me in staying productive in my week.
Time is one of your most valuable and non-renewable resources.
Use it wisely. If you are interested in more time hacks or to learn more about time multipliers, schedule a complimentary consultation
today.