We all innately know that we need to manage, or essentially budget, our time. From time spent at home or time spent at work, it is a valuable commodity and once spent, you’re never getting it back. That is enough to spiral some into a frenzy of panic or anxiety.
Time Slot Pro is here to help! Time management is a key component to being more productive and efficient with your time. Follow these tried and true methods to get the most time out of your day!
Having to Say “No”
There are a ton of blog posts and articles from reputable sites on how to say no to your boss, your coworkers, and your family. But, that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
Do you know who the hardest person to say no to is? It’s you.
Those tasks that you feel obligated to do need to have less of a hold over your day. If the first thing you do in the morning when you get into work is to check your email, stop. If the first thing you do in the morning is to start making lunches for everyone else in the house, guess what, this can wait too.
The most important way to start your day is with a few moments of clarity. Then, any time you find yourself performing a task that is an obligation, stop.
Take a few minutes to write out your to-do list.
When you start your day, take a few minutes to write out your to-do list for the day. It can be short or long, there are very few rules on lists. However keep in mind your priorities, what must be done, and what can wait.
One of my favorite instances of this is the dishes. Yes, dishes need to be cleaned, just as email needs to be checked. However, they are right next to email at the bottom of my priorities list. Why? Because it’s an obligation that I can associate to providing meaning to my day.
Ask this question for every obligation: If I am obligated to do this task, what purpose does it serve and who benefits the most?
Eating the Frog
This is one technique that is a struggle, but when used enables the rest of your day to be yours. Eating the frog is a turn of phrase. What it means, is that you should take the task that you are dreading the most or is the most difficult and do it first.
By getting the hard part of your day done and out of the way, you have hours ahead of you. Imagine if after an hour or two of waking up you were free of your most unpleasant task. For instance, if you hate that report you have to write every Friday, it might as well be how your Friday starts. Then you have the rest of the day to not even worry about it!
Don’t confuse eating the frog with just doing something unpleasant. It is about accomplishing something unpleasant early, and then using that momentum to keep the easier accomplishments coming!
To find out if you’re aiming to eat the right frog, ask these questions:
- Does this task absolutely need to be done?
- Is this task one of my top priorities?
- What happens if this task is delayed any further?
- If I don’t do it now, will it ever get done?
Take Back Control
When you’re using these techniques you should find that a lot more windows of time are becoming available to you. Why? Well, because right after you claim a moment of peace everything else should fall into place quite easily.
Use these time management techniques and Time Slot Pro to save time in your day. Say no to meaningless obligations and get the hardest part of your day done first.