Tips for Making Purposeful Time Choices

My lessons in time management from running a 2-person company with >30 corporate clients: It was only when I started my first company that I TRULY understood the importance of time management. I was running sales, product design, customer support, marketing and finance. If I didn’t get things done each day, our company did not move forward. Good time management helped me achieve our goals and stay sane (most of the time). The research supports this too - according to a Stanford University report, good time management makes you more likely to achieve your goals and have lower stress levels. Here is my simple formula for WHAT, WHEN and HOW to get the important things done: First, deciding WHAT to work on… You need a system for prioritizing. You will always have more tasks than you can do.  I like these three frameworks because they are simple: 1/ 80 / 20 Rule 2/ ABCDE Method 3/ Eisenhower Matrix You only need one. Try one for a week, and if it doesn’t work, try another. I do a version of 80/20 where I look at my life and ask myself: “In 1 month’s time, what are the 1-3 things that I will regret not making progress on?” This could be getting a new job or improving relationships with your partner or friends. It means some things will fall by the wayside (e.g., life admin), and your life may be unbalanced for a while. That imbalance is 1) not permanent and 2) the price to pay for achieving your goals. Now, WHEN to work… I recommend doing these 3 things: 1/ Identify and use your most productive hours effectively ↳ This means if you have a 9-5 job and are a morning person and you want to change job, you should get up 1-2 hours earlier and use that time to work on your dream.  ↳ Yes it sucks. But less than doing your current job forever :). 2/ Work in time blocks ↳ 2-hours for each block is ideal. ↳ Context switching kills your concentration and energy. 3/ Batch together similar tasks ↳ Try to do all your calls in one batch and all your small tasks in another, etc. Then finally my take on HOW to work effectively: 1/ Break work into 25-min sprints.  ↳ Leave the timer in front of you to create urgency and pull you back when you get distracted. 2/ Give yourself a goal for each sprint.  ↳ Again helps to create urgency. 3/ Use caffeine  ↳ Matcha for me. Yerba mate tea is also great! Try to avoid within 10 hours of bedtime. 4/ Keep your phone away from you ↳ And use app blockers on your computer. 5/ Get good quality, consistent sleep ↳ Good sleep -> good focus. 6/ Reflect and review ↳ Write down what worked and what didn’t and repeat! If you ask an 80-year-old what they would give for more time, their answer is everything. Don’t let yours fly by. P.S. What is your top tip for mastering your time? --- ♻️ Repost this to help your network become top performers. 📌 Want a high-resolution PDF of this? 1. Just follow me Will McTighe 2. Sign up for my free Level Up Community at lnkd.in/gKzZUq-b

Are you tired of feeling like a hamster on a wheel, constantly running but never getting ahead? After over 30 years in firms, I've learned and seen first hand that effective time management is the key to taking control of your workday and reaching peak performance. So, here I am, sharing my no-nonsense strategies to maximize productivity: Prioritize like a Boss: Take charge of your day by identifying your top priorities. Cut through the noise and focus on the tasks that truly move the needle. Don't waste time on the trivial stuff; tackle the big wins first. Time Block: Don't let distractions derail your progress. Take control of your schedule by blocking chunks of dedicated time for specific tasks or projects. This way, you can dive deep without getting sidetracked by interruptions. Delegate or Die: Superheroes don't exist in the workplace. Learn to let go and delegate tasks that can be handled by capable team members. Save your superpowers for the work that truly demands your expertise and amplifies your impact. Crush Distractions: It's time to put an end to mindless scrolling, relentless notifications, and unnecessary meetings. Close those extra tabs, set your phone on silent, and create a fortress of focus. Your productivity will skyrocket. Make Time for Breaks: Working non-stop doesn't make you a hero; it makes you burnt out. Take regular breaks to recharge your mind and prevent creative stagnation. A quick walk, a moment to stretch, or some deep breathing can revitalize your energy and ignite your productivity. These strategies have been battle-tested and proven to maximize workdays in firms all over the world. No fluff, no gimmicks, just solid techniques that allow you to dominate your schedule and achieve your goals. It's time to take charge and make every minute count. How do you maximize your workday? Share your tips below! #TimeManagement #MaximizeProductivity #WorkplaceEngagement #ProfessionalDevelopment

Parkinson’s Law suggests that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. This can lead to inefficiency as tasks take longer than necessary. To avoid this trap: 1. Set Strict Deadlines: Challenge yourself with tighter deadlines to enhance focus. 2. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Manage complexity by dividing tasks into clear, actionable parts. 3. Use Timers: Monitor time spent on tasks to maintain pace and stay on track. 4. Limit Distractions: Designate times for potential distractions to remain focused during work periods. 5. Evaluate Your Workload Regularly: Assess task complexity to allocate appropriate time for quality completion. 6. Prioritize Tasks: Tackle high-priority items first to ensure significant tasks are completed efficiently. 7. Reflect on Your Efficiency: Review your accomplishments and strategize for increased efficiency in the future. 8. Hold Yourself Accountable: Share your goals with others or create an accountability system to enforce your deadlines. 9. Balance Quality with Efficiency: Aim for a productive workflow that does not compromise the quality of outcomes. Conscious time management and intentional work habits are crucial to avoiding the Parkinson’s Law trap. How do you currently manage your time to stay productive, and which of these strategies might you implement to further avoid the Parkinson’s Law trap?

A cheat code to unlock professional growth in 2024. The 4 Types of Professional Time: There are 4 types of professional time: 1. Management: Meetings, calls, emails, etc. 2. Creation: Writing, coding, building, preparing. 3. Consumption: Reading, listening, studying. 4. Ideation: Brainstorming, journaling, reflecting. To make improvements to your balance of time, first assess your starting point: Starting on a Monday, at the end of each weekday, color code the events from that day according to this key: • Red: Management • Green: Creation • Blue: Consumption • Yellow: Ideation At the end of the week, look at the overall mix of colors on the calendar. The image in this post is an illustrative example of how it might look. This simple exercise should give you a clear picture of your current baseline mix of professional time. With your baseline mix in mind, here are three tips for a more optimal balance: 1. Batch Management Time Create discrete blocks of time each day when you will handle major Management Time activities. 1-3 email processing blocks per day. 1-3 call and meeting blocks per day. The goal here is to avoid a schedule where the red bleeds out everywhere across every single day. We are trying to keep the Management Time windows as discrete as possible to create space for the other types of time. 2. Increase Creation Time Creation is what propels us forward, with more interesting projects and opportunities. We all need more Creation Time in our days. As you batch Management Time, carve out distinct windows for Creation Time. Block them on your calendar. Don't check your email or messages during them. Focus on creation during your Creation Time. 3. Create Space for Consumption & Ideation Time Consumption and Ideation are the forgotten types of time because we rarely create space for them, but they are critical to long-term, compounding progress. History's most successful people have all made a practice out of creating space for reading, listening, learning, and thinking. We can draw a lesson from this. To start, schedule one short block per week for Consumption and one short block per week for Ideation. Stay true to the purpose of the block. Own that before increasing the presence of these types of time in your schedule. With these three tips in mind, you're well on your way to building a more optimal balance across the four types of professional time. *** You can join 650,000+ others who receive these actionable insights in my 2x weekly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/esGsF85Q Enjoy this? Share the post with your network and follow me Sahil Bloom for more in future!

If you can master your time, you can master your life - here's how: Mastering time isn't just about squeezing more tasks into your day. It's about making every minute count. The right techniques can: ↳ Amplify your focus ↳ Elevate your productivity ↳ Transform your workflow Let these time-tested methods guide you. You will not just work smarter, but live better. Which one is your favorite? __________________ Pomodoro Technique • Set a timer for 25 minutes of work. • Take a short 5-minute break. • After 4 cycles, take a longer 15-30 minute break. Eisenhower Matrix • Sort tasks by urgency and importance. • Do urgent and important tasks immediately. • Schedule, delegate, or delete others accordingly. ABCDE Method • Label tasks A-E by importance. • Focus on 'A' tasks first. • Delegate or eliminate 'D' and 'E' tasks. 80/20 Method • Identify tasks with the most impact. • Focus 20% of effort on these. • Expect 80% of results from them. 3-3-3 Method • Dedicate 3 hours to deep work. • Complete 3 shorter tasks. • Address 3 maintenance tasks. 2 Minute Rule • If a task takes < 2 minutes, do it now. • Larger tasks get scheduled or delegated. • Keeps small tasks from piling up. Eat the Frog • Start your day with the most challenging task. • Gain momentum and a sense of achievement early. • Makes subsequent tasks feel easier in comparison. Getting Things Done (GTD) • Capture all tasks. • Clarify and organize into lists. • Reflect and engage with action. Kanban Board • Visualize tasks in 'To Do', 'Doing', 'Done'. • Move tasks along as progress is made. • Optimizes flow and prioritization. Task Batching • Group similar tasks together. • Work on these in dedicated time blocks. • Increases focus and efficiency. Warren Buffet 5/25 Rule • List 25 important tasks. • Pick the top 5 to focus on. • Avoid the rest until top 5 are complete. Time Blocking • Dedicate blocks for specific tasks. • Include breaks and varied task types. • Ensures dedicated focus times. 1-3-5 Method • Choose 1 big, 3 medium, and 5 small tasks. • Prioritize this manageable daily task load. • Ensures a balanced workload. MSCW Method • Categorize tasks by necessity for project success. • Must-haves are critical, nice-to-haves are less so. • Defer won't-haves to future phases. Pickle Jar Method • Fit in major tasks first. • Slot in smaller tasks around them. • Regularly adjust and reassess priorities. __________________ 👇 Want a PDF of my top infographics? 👇 ▶️ Go Here: https://lnkd.in/g2xbnwhp Please repost to help others out there! ♻️

🚀 Maximizing Your Time: A Practical Guide for Professionals. Don’t want to read this? Listen to my attached video instead. 🕒 Time is our most valuable resource, and how we use it can make or break our success. As professionals, we juggle multiple tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities. So, how can we ensure we’re making the most of our precious hours? Here are some strategies: ⌛ Prioritize Ruthlessly: Not all tasks are created equal. Identify your high-impact activities—the ones that move the needle—and tackle them first. Delegate or eliminate low-value tasks that eat up your time. ⌚ Time Blocking: Imagine your day as a puzzle. Block out chunks of time for specific activities: client meetings, deep work, email management, and even breaks. Stick to these blocks religiously. ⩇:⩇⩇ The Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused bursts of 25 minutes (Pomodoros) followed by a 5-minute break. Rinse and repeat. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish without burnout. 【┘】 Say No Gracefully: Every “yes” to something is a “no” to something else. Be selective. Politely decline commitments that don’t align with your goals. 🗓️ Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together. Respond to emails in one go, make phone calls consecutively, and create content during a dedicated writing session. Context switching wastes time. 📆Automate and Delegate: Leverage technology to automate repetitive tasks. Delegate non-core activities to free up mental bandwidth. ∞ Reflect and Adjust: Weekly, assess how you spent your time. Did it align with your priorities? Adjust as needed. ☑️ Remember, time management isn’t about squeezing more into your day; it’s about making room for what truly matters. What’s your favorite time-saving hack? Share in the comments below! 👇 If you found this helpful, give it a thumbs up and share it with your network! Together, we can conquer the clock. ⏰🔥 #Productivity #TimeManagement #ProfessionalDevelopment #personaldevelopment #leadershipdevelopment

Is your to-do list a mile long and your calendar packed wall-to-wall? These, feeling overwhelmed and time-starved are common. But what if I told you there's a way to reclaim control and buy back your precious minutes (and hours)? Here are 5 actionable tips to break free from the time crunch: 1. Time Audit: Become a detective! Track your activities for a few days to identify hidden time-suckers.  Are you spending hours on mindless emails or social media scrolling? Every minute counts! 2. Delegate & Outsource: You don't have to be a superhero. Delegate tasks that don't require your unique expertise. Consider hiring a virtual assistant, outsourcing errands, or leveraging technology to automate repetitive tasks. 3. Batch & Schedule: Multitasking is a myth! Batch similar tasks together (e.g., all emails at once) and schedule them in focused blocks. This minimizes context switching and boosts efficiency. 4. Set Boundaries: Protect your time fiercely! ️ Learn to politely decline requests that drain your energy or don't align with your priorities. Remember, saying "no" creates space for the "yes" that matter. 5. Prioritize ruthlessly: Not all tasks are created equal. Identify the high-impact activities that drive your goals and ruthlessly prioritize them. The rest can wait, or even be eliminated. Reclaiming your time is an ongoing process. But by implementing these tips, you can step off the hamster wheel and start living your life on your terms! What are YOUR best time-saving hacks? Share them in the comments below! #TimeManagementTips #ProductivityHacks #WorkLifeBalance #EfficiencyTips #PrioritizeYourTime

The article I reference here by Dana Mahina is an excellent reminder about the critical need we all have to create a work environment where we can excel, experience joy, and deliver the type of results leaders are looking for and depend on. To reiterate a few of her points and add a few of my own: 🔸 The most precious gift you have is your time. You have to guard it and dole it out VERY strategically. 🔸 Remember that multi-tasking two cognitive tasks is impossible. I'll link to my YouTube video with a quick exercise you can do that proves this point. "Task switching" erodes energy, increases stress, wastes time, and introduces the risk of errors/mistakes. Don't do it. Focus, focus, focus. (The conditions for outstanding performance, which I discuss in my book, The Outstanding Organization, apply to individual performance as well: Clarity, Focus, Discipline, and Engagement.) 🔸 You don't have to be the only one protecting your time. Create a new way of operating for your entire team. They will be eternally grateful. 🔸 Remember that committing to do something necessarily means you're actively choosing to *not* to do something else in that period. Are you choosing wisely? 🔸 I use a structured approach to considering every request I get. "No" isn't the only answer when I need to protect my time. "Not yet" is more palatable to many, but only if you'll follow through. 🔸 I agree heartily with Dana's value-based scheduling idea and love her term "strategic resource management." Absolutely! 🔸 I also agree that we have to be very clear about our boundaries and communicate them clearly (with the reason why). 🔸 Especially for leaders of teams - You are THE model for others. Set your own boundaries and others will feel comfortable doing so. 🔸 Finally, talk about this type of healthy and productive time management outloud to your peers, leaders you report to, and the teams you lead. Make it part of daily huddle discussions. Time is limited. Energy matters. Cultivate it like there's no tomorrow. Protecting one's time is the greatest gift you can give to yourself—and your organization. Thank you, Dana Mahina. https://lnkd.in/gMwE7PRT? #settingboundaries #timemanagement #productivity

I have 4 little girls under 10 - and I run The Riveter. People always ask me how I manage my time. Here are three of my best tips: First, I time block my day. For example, the first two hours of work (5-7 am) are my “deep thinking” time block. Email and social media are out; writing is in. The way my brain works, I time block my administrative work for the end of the day when I don’t need analytical firepower! Second, every Sunday I write out my three main goals for the week and my three “small goals” for each day. Sometimes I make very tiny “small goals” so I know I’ll get them in and I’ll feel accomplished. (We all deserve wins!) But I look at these lists throughout the week to stay on task and not get distracted. Finally, I take care of myself physically so I can actually DO all of the things. I sleep at least seven hours a night. I drink a lot of water (and, yes, a diet coke a day). And: I exercise. I make time for it. Otherwise, I drift and can’t stay focused.  Would love to hear how you make it all work, too. We’re in it together. #workingmom #womeninbusiness #workingparent #timemanagement

3 steps to master productivity: There's a limit on what you can do in a single day. At least competently. Throughout my career as a lawyer I've noticed a clear correlation. The more I try to do in a shorter period of time, the more the quality of my work product suffers. Small mistakes emerge. The polish on my final product loses its shine and becomes smudged. Here's what to do instead: 1. Used focused blocks. Limit your work to 2 or 3 hour blocks on a single task. This practice stops your brain from wasting energy on constant task transitions. Each switch incurs a cognitive penalty, and you have to reboot your brain to download the context surrounding the task. Focused blocks avoid frequent mental transitions and promote deep work. They enhance your concentration, and improve the quality of your end work product. 2. Reduce daily priorities If you can, set a maximum of 3 priorities each day. This approach prevents you from overloading your schedule and stepping into counterproductive territory. Stop saying yes to every assignment. Don't be afraid to turn away potential clients. With fewer priorities, your focus sharpens, and you give each task the attention it deserves. 3. Segment your day Dedicate specific parts of your day to distinct activities, often called "chunking". In the context of productivity, "chunking" refers to the practice of breaking up the workday into distinct, manageable segments or chunks of time dedicated to specific tasks or types of work. For example, you can dedicate the first two hours of your workday solely to deep work, then chunking email responses and meetings into later, more fragmented parts of the day. Try just one of these strategies and see what kind of difference it makes with your productivity and quality of your work. Follow me, James Kamanski, for more insights on personal growth! ♻ if you found value 🙏