Take Control of Your Schedule with These Tips
Sigh. Every time a new year starts, we find ourselves trying to figure out how to do things better than last year. Along with nutrition, exercise, and saving money, there's usually productivity. It is one of those areas that can be hard to tame. There is always something that needs doing, or several things to do at once and an overwhelming feeling overcomes you and keeps you from doing actual work.
Here are some simple hacks that can help you get a hold of your schedule and make it work to your advantage.
Stick to One Task at a Time
It sounds incredibly simple, but it is so, so important. Because our plates are usually more than full, we are continually trying to do more than we can do, which leads us to leave a bunch of incomplete tasks along the way. Multitasking can lead to more stress and anxiety. Instead, focus on one thing for more time so you can get it done and advance to the next. That will help you move through your to-do list much faster.
Delegate Non-Critical Tasks
Many entrepreneurs are drowning in non-essential tasks every day, to take matters into their own hands, and try to get everything done. Being productive is not about getting a bunch of things done. It is about doing the things that truly matter. Take a good hard look at those tasks and prioritize them. You will more than likely find that some of those can be delegated to your team, or maybe even outsourced.
Define an Email Checking Routine
Your inbox is like a vortex where all your time can easily get lost. Checking emails is incredibly time-consuming because emails never stop coming. At all hours of the day, you'll get a new one, and every interruption takes valuable time. You could spend most of your day checking your email if you don't define some parameters. Establish a time to check and reply to your emails. You could even identify two touchpoints throughout the day. That will keep you from always being pulled away from critical tasks to check on that incoming email notification.
Start the Day Early
By 7 am, most people haven't even gotten out of bed yet. Designing your daily routine by starting your day earlier will help you get more things done throughout the day. If you wake up around 6 am and get 30 mins of exercise done, shower, read some of a good book, you're already doing more than the average person.