If you once did not have time to get ready on time or complete a task on time, it is quite possible that you have become a victim of a planning error. This is one of the most common cognitive distortions. We make such a mistake, even knowing that in the past such a case took longer. All because we are too optimistic about our capabilities and underestimate the likelihood of unforeseen circumstances.
For example, a house will be built on time only if deliveries are not delayed, workers do not take time off, and the weather is perfect. There is always a chance that something will go wrong. Usually we forget about it and set impossible deadlines. But if you remember this error of thinking, you can avoid negative consequences.
Distractions and small urgent matters undermine G. Mark, D. Gudith, U. Klocke. The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress / Proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems concentration for almost half an hour, and productivity suffers from this. Therefore, your success significantly depends on the ability to distinguish between urgent and important tasks.
The important is rarely urgent, and the urgent is important.
Urgent matters require immediate attention. Usually these are phone calls, meetings, tasks with deadlines. The important ones help to achieve long-term goals and carry out serious projects. Unfortunately, we usually postpone them for later and deal with urgent matters. This gives a sense of productivity, but in fact we are not getting closer to the main goals.
Limit the time to perform unimportant urgent tasks like parsing mail and focus on the important.
The more items in your project, the more chances that something will go wrong. Think through all the steps and create a step-by-step action plan. Then set deadlines. Set aside half an hour or an hour to complete one step. If the task is too big and an hour is not enough, break it into smaller ones.
Such tight deadlines will force you to look for the most productive way to work in order to do everything in time. When you're done, look at your results. Surely there are tasks that cannot be completed faster, and vice versa, things that can still be shortened. Think about it and make the necessary changes to your schedule.
Track how much time you spend on certain tasks. This will help to make a realistic picture and overcome excessive optimism when planning. The "tomato" technique is well suited for tracking.
According to her, you need to work intensively for 20, 30 or 40 minutes, and then take a short break. The intervals are separated from each other by a timer. This technique helps to break down large complex tasks into feasible steps. Having started one interval, you will want to finish the job without being distracted by anything else.
Protect your working time. More often say "no". Then you will be able to focus on your own tasks and projects instead of only responding to other people's requests.
When saying "yes" to others, make sure that you are not saying "no" to yourself.
Don't let yourself be dragged into things that you don't have time for. It's hard to refuse, but you need to learn this for the sake of your own concentration and mental balance.
Due to scheduling errors, we feel overwhelmed. But if you notice and fix the problem in time, it will not hurt your success so much. Therefore, do not rely on a subjective idea of how long a case will take. Measure and compare. Remember how much your plans coincided with the real state of affairs last time:
Track your progress and make decisions based on this data.
