Time is the ultimate leveler, with each of us having the same 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week. Deducting 56 hours for sleep, we are left with 112 hours to accomplish our goals. Time cannot be saved or carried over to the next week; it can only be spent wisely or otherwise. By working smarter, not harder, we can effectively increase our available time. As a professional speaker on time management for two decades, I've identified five strategies to immediately increase your productivity.
High schools and community colleges often have internship programs where students work 10-20 hours per week in real-world organizations. These interns, while unpaid, gain academic credit and valuable experience. The organization benefits from an extra pair of hands, allowing employees to delegate tasks and focus on more productive matters. This mutually beneficial arrangement can significantly increase your available time.
While it would be ideal to plan our day in advance and stick to it, reality often involves dealing with interruptions. These unexpected events, whether via phone, email, or in-person, can disrupt our schedule. While some interruptions are crucial, many have little or no value. By keeping an Interruptions Log for a week, listing and rating each interruption (A=Crucial, B=Important, C=Little value, D= No value), you can identify and eliminate repetitive low-value interruptions, reclaiming wasted time.
Crisis management often results from poor time management, leading to rushed work, increased stress, and potential rework. To manage it, measure it. Keep a Crisis Management Log for a week, noting each crisis. After a week, review each crisis and identify which could have been avoided. By taking corrective steps to prevent recurrence, you can reclaim "smarter" time for future weeks.
The average person reads about two hours per day at a rate of about 200 words per minute. Speed reading, a simple skill that improves with practice, can easily double your reading rate, halving your reading time or doubling the volume of material you can read in the same time.
The adage "A stitch in time saves nine" holds true for time management. Every minute spent planning saves nine minutes in execution. Daily planning allows us to focus on crucial tasks and identify potential time wasters in advance, enabling us to use our time more productively.
By implementing these strategies, you can effectively increase your available time, enhancing your productivity and achieving your goals more efficiently.
