25 August 2011 archive

There is no sense in it. Why spend more time on something than you need to? If you know how, you can spend as little time as possible on each task. Ready to improve your time management? Read on…

A New Perspective

Time management is seen differently depending on who you ask. But, for the purposes of this article, it is this.

Getting a specific result in the least amount of time. Sounds good. But take note.

I didn’t say: “makes it easy.” Be careful about confusing ‘easy’ and ‘simple.’ This article is about making it simple for you. You’ll find some of the big changes you can make. Ones that will cut down how much of your valuable time is wasted.

Where To Start

Where to start is simple. First, you need to know what result you want. It could be on a macro scale – something you want in a few years. Or, on a micro scale – the result of a specific task you’ll complete today. Just know what it is. Here’s why.

You need to…

Qualify Your Tasks

Before beginning any task, do this. Make sure that it leads to your end result. If it doesn’t, either throw it out or set it aside. You wouldn’t like the result of skipping this.

Rather than getting what you want, you’ll just head in a random direction. And get everything else instead (and perhaps many things you don’t want). So start here.

Know your desired result. And make sure that each task leads to it. This alone cuts out a huge amount of wasted time.

The average person wastes at least 2 hours a day on tasks that aren’t important (that don’t lead to what they want). Or more! But whatever you do…

Don’t Repeat What You Don’t Have To

“Good executives don’t make a lot of decisions.” -Peter Drucker

So much of your day is spent making decisions. You are making them with every moment of your life. You’ve made hundreds of micro-decisions to keep reading this article. And if you finish it, will have made many more. Here’s the kicker.

Most people spend time making the same decisions over and over again. Which is a total waste. To save time, do this instead.

Set default decisions.

Whenever you make a decision, do this. Ask yourself: “Will I likely have to make this decision in the future?”

If the answer is yes, take note of your decision. It is now your default. When it comes up again, don’t even waste a second. You already know the answer. Act on it.