Kaizan Blog

How you use your time determines how much you will accomplish in life. If we define time management as getting the maximum value out of your time then it can be said that, to a large extent, the difference between what you earn and what Bill Gates earns is down to time management. Bill Gates has leveraged his time a lot better than you (or I) have.

These 7 tips should focus you on getting the most out of your time. The important thing to remember is that good time management isn’t just about looking at how you perform the task but also why you are performing the task.

1. Ask yourself if the task need to be done at all?

This is often the most crucial step of all in time management.  Plenty of time can be saved by avoiding doing things that don’t need to be done at all. In an average work day, if most people looked carefully, they would identify plenty of unnecessary tasks. Do you really need to check your email every 10 minutes? Do you really need to have another meeting? Decide if the task needs to be done at all. If not, ditch it.

2. Allow your work to be leveraged.

The major way that Bill Gates gets more out of his time is that he created a product that can reach millions of people and doesn’t require him to be there for him to make money. Of course this isn’t possible with many professions but it is something to consider. Are there ways you can deliver more value to a larger group of people?

3. Ask yourself if you need to do the task?

No matter what you do there is always possibility for delegation of low value tasks to someone else. This is a key skill in getting more out of your time. Some people dislike delegating because they feel that the time taken to explain tasks often outweighs the time savings. But that only ever applies to a single task in isolation. Over time, if you can train others to consistently do your low value tasks, the investment will pay off immensely.

4. Have a to-do list.

A lot of people hate the idea of a to-do list, but you only need to try it for one day to realise that people who work from a list are much more efficient than people who don’t. Of course there are plenty of ways of managing lists these days including online task managers but often a piece of paper is just as effective (just don’t lose the paper). And nothing beats the satisfaction of physically crossing off a completed task.

5. Work out a few tasks that are a priority and get them done.

Prioritising doesn’t have to be a complicated process. It can be as easy as saying, “If I completed task x, y and z by the end of the day, I’d feel like I’d had an efficient and effective day.”  Determine what those 2-3 things are and make sure you focus on them during the day.

6. Deadlines.

The mind loves deadlines. Think about how you study for an exam. Almost everyone gets more done in the week before the exam than any time before that. Use deadlines for your tasks to help you focus your mind.

7. Work to your body clock.

Everyone has times of the day during which they can concentrate better and are more productive. Why not use these periods for tasks that require the most concentration? Sounds ridiculously simple but a lot of people will waste the first half an hour of their day (often their most productive time) socialising with people in the office (”How was your weekend?”).

Action Step

Look at the way you use your time each day. Is there a way that you can apply one (or more) of these time management tips to your life? Let us know your experiences in the comments section.