Five Ways to Find “Lost Minutes” in Your Day

Every guy has been there: You're on deadline and every time you look up, it seems that the hands of the clock have moved to a position that can't possibly be true. Alas, you're facing a late night. Again.

I have good news for you. Every day contains "hidden minutes." We tend to waste them-but there are ways to "find" them and put them to productive use.

Let's look at five common time stealers. There is an antidote to every single one.

• Lack of organization. If you can't find important papers, a stapler or the lunch you made last night, chances are your workspace is chaotic. There's a wonderful Zen proverb: ‘The way a man does one thing is how he does everything.' I'm going to guess your home is in turmoil as well. In life the accomplishments worth achieving come at a price. Or as they say: ‘There are no free lunches.' Let's take a positive step toward making your space more efficient.

For starters, try this: set a timer for 15 minutes. Now start at one corner of your office or desk and work as fast as you can. Your goal is to eliminate as much as possible. Don't stop to mull things over or have a discussion with someone. Your gut will tell you what can go. What sorts of things am I talking about? Ancient phone books you no longer need because the yellow pages are now online; magazines older than two months (the articles are probably online anyway); newspapers older than two days; invitations to events that have passed; coupons that have expired; junk mail and projects that are completed.

In addition to the trash/recycle piles, you can of course have an archive section (for those completed projects if you need to save them) and a place for items that belong elsewhere. Now is the time to return cups and plates to the kitchen or return to the office supply closet the folders you aren't using. (Make these returns after the timer goes off.)

Doesn't the space feel better? I call this process a "speed elimination," and consider it analogous to a diet. Congratulations. Your workspace is now five pounds lighter.

• The over-scheduled worker. You know who you are! Take out your calendar and have an honest look. Are you balanced in terms of your time allotment? Or has it been so long since you were home for dinner you've heard your youngest ask your wife: "Who is that?"

There are many techniques for getting control of your time. Let's consider two. The first is learning how to delegate. No, you don't have to do it all yourself. Your task is to find qualified people to help you even if it means you have to stop to instruct them carefully. Take 15 minutes now to explain how a task is to be done and you might save several hours over the course of the next year as that person repeatedly takes this item off your workload. Be sure to set false due dates so that you have some wiggle room should the person fail to deliver the goods on time. After all, they just might have fallen victim to over-scheduling themselves.

The next tool is an "inside job." Ask yourself if on some level you enjoy being harried, driven and exhausted. Some of us were taught as children that struggle breeds the most valuable success. Did you have a parent who said that in so many words? Or did they demonstrate it with their actions? If you drive yourself to exhaustion, you'll likely wind up sick-or worse. You want to be around to share the benefits you've earned with family and friends, right? Take a few minutes to examine your schedule and see if there are some items you could eliminate or at least postpone.

• Social media. Do you lose yourself on Twitter or Facebook? Until there's an official 12-step program for social media junkies, you'll have to police yourself. Try using the timer on your cell phone or watch. Give yourself 10 minutes, max, twice a day to stay connected. Ask yourself "What am I avoiding by wasting this time on nonsense when I have real work to do?" Be honest, but remember: you don't have to Twitter your response!

• Multitasking. I don't like multi tasking because it's rarely used appropriately. Let's say you have a doctor's appointment, a long commute on public transportation or time in the car waiting to pick up your child after school. Why not make your down time more productive? Read a report for work or that novel you've longed to get into; call a friend or family member; or take a quick catnap! But if you are simultaneously on the phone, on the computer, sending text messages and writing a report, you inevitably are doing less-than-stellar work in all those arenas. And you're wearing yourself out.

• The technology junkie. We all know guys who are addicted to the latest technological toy, don't we? Is that you? Just be careful the time you're spending is actually making you more productive. There's always a learning curve with a new "toy," and you might be spending time learning about something new instead of using some "old" tool that gets the job done.

In conclusion...

It might take some time to diagnose the problem and find the solution that suits your personality. The bottom line is that all of us have free time hidden in our day that could become part of our productivity program. Right now it's being frittered away. If there's one consolation, it happens to all of us. But not everyone wakes up and makes the change. Congratulations: you just took the first step.

Permalink

Write a comment

• Required fields are marked with *.

Name:
Email:
Website:
Comment: *

Security Code:
 

research papers
Posts: 1

Reply #1 on : Sat June 26, 2010, 03:28:18

---

that's really works, thank you very much. also with research papers you can save more time thank you think