When I give lectures on time management, I always start with this question: how many of you too much time and not enough cases to fill it? No one has raised a hand in ten years.
This means that every day we risk not doing everything that we have planned. Therefore, how and what we spend time on is a key decision for our action strategy. However, the presence of a to-do list does not mean their fulfillment, because in addition to its items, many other problems require your attention.
To successfully manage time, it is necessary to follow a certain ritual day after day. This is the only way you can focus on the main thing and do everything in time.
I propose to do this in three stages, which will take only 18 minutes of an eight-hour working day.
Step 1 (5 minutes) – Making a plan for the day.Early in the morning, before turning on the computer and picking up the phone, put a blank sheet of paper in front of you and think about what will make your new day a success. What will bring you closer to your goals today and leave you feeling in the evening that the day was not lived in vain? Write it down.
And now, which is very important, take the organizer and write these things in the free fields – first the most difficult and important tasks, then all the others. If there is not enough space, think about your priorities. Non-urgent and unimportant cases will wait until tomorrow. If you want to do something, you need to decide when and where you will do it – otherwise you should give up the idea.
Step 2 (1 minute every hour) – Change of landmarks. Set several alarm clocks so that they ring every hour. When you hear the signal, leave things, take a deep breath and ask yourself if this hour has passed usefully. Look at the calendar and think about what you will be doing for the next hour. You have to manage time, not it – you.
Step 3 (5 minutes) – Revision. Turn off your computer and take another look at your day. What happened? What did you manage to focus on and where were you distracted? What can help your work be more successful tomorrow?
The power of rituals lies in their predictability. You do the same thing all the time, day after day. What you get is also predictable. If you want to concentrate on something and constantly remind yourself about it, you will succeed. It's simple.
An "eighteen-minute" ritual is unlikely to help you cross the English Channel, pushing a loaded boat in front of you with your hands tied. But by doing it, you will leave the office satisfied and successful.
Isn't that your goal?
An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day [Peter Bregman]
