The bottom line is that anyone who has a demanding career or runs their own business has to practice excellent time management, effective delegation and learning to say the word, “No.” It’s just not possible to maintain the simple life while achieving a high level of success. And with today’s technology, it’s harder to hide when you need a break. Your email inbox is dinging, your cell phone is ringing and your spouse is trying to call you on the car phone because your cell line is busy. It is at this point that you have to filter the input so you can begin to regain control over your life. As good as you think you may be with your time management; there are always “time-wasters” that can be eliminated from your daily life. Let’s review some practical tips:
Time-Wasters Tip #1
Regarding your work email – how much time do you spend typing and replying to emails each day? More than an hour? Two? Four or more? Now, ask yourself how much of your time is spent on essential emails? It is estimated that only 10% to 20% of emails that most people get at work each day require their attention and are essential to their job. Even if you estimate that 50% of the emails you receive are considered essential that stills leaves 50% that are time-wasters.
Time-Wasters Tip #2
Another popular time-waster is watching TV. This is one of the hardest habits to break – but there is simply much more effective ways to spend your time. Think about things that you would prefer to do during the time that you would normally spend watching TV.
Time-Wasters Tip #3
Reduce time-wasters by creating a To-Do List for the following day the night before. Writing a To-Do List before you go to sleep every night will help your mind run through the day and organize it.
Time-Wasters Tip #4
If you have an assistant at work, evaluate if there are additional tasks you can delegate to them.
If you are self-employed, find an assistant! The goal is to minimize and reduce the time-wasters that are demanding your attention, but not delivering big payoffs.
Time-Wasters Tip #5
Last, but not least you have to learn to say “No.”
The goal is to slow down and be focused on the highest pay-off activities that will produce the results you desire in the timeframe you want – personally and professionally. The goal is not to figure out how to move faster. It’s impossible to create more hours in the day and it’s simply not healthy to run at full tilt constantly. Learn how to eliminate the time-wasters in your life to improve your quality of life and success.
