3 Steps to Effective Time Management
Many of us are faced with a new work/life balance these days. The kids need direction with school work. You share wifi with several other people, and maybe that bandwidth is being tested like never before. You’re trying to work in one room while someone else is on a conference call in another room. Maybe you used to have time for your side hustle in the evening...but someone else needs that space now for their own priorities.
So here’s the question I see coming up a lot: how do I do more in less time?
I have a different solution for you. Instead of trying to do more, what if you chose how to spend your time more effectively? Instead of planning out each moment of the day, what if you were clear on the 2 or 3 things you could do--within the limited time you have--to mark your day as a success?
I’ve put together three steps to move you from stressed and overextended to clear and effective.
1.) Getting the Right Things Done
You’ve probably heard the 80/20 rule (aka the Pareto principle) before: 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. When it comes to productivity, that translates to 20% of what you do produces 80% of the results. If we can identify for ourselves what that 20% is, we can accomplish 80% of our desired results with just that small percentage of effort.
So, how do we identify the 20 percent? Start by making a list of all of the things you do. You can do this specifically for your business, or in general for your life right now. Then, go back through your list and identify the needle movers. These are the things that propel you forward. They may even be the catalyst for other things on your list. Keep in mind that true needle movers should be 20% or less of your overall list.
To give you an example: maybe retaining clients and gaining clients through referrals is the most successful way to bring money in. So, showing up and serving your current clients well (and having a referral conversation with them) is one of your needle movers.
Sometimes your needle movers aren’t directly tied to income. Maybe you’ve noticed that working out in the morning helps you have more energy and think clearer throughout the day. On those days you skip the workout, you can see your work performance decline. That workout is a needle mover for you.
Once you’ve identified your needle movers, write a separate list with just these items on them. These tasks are your top priorities overall. Until you know them by heart, keep the list in a place you see regularly as a reminder of what to focus on. As you set your daily and weekly priorities, make sure they align with this list. On those days/weeks where you find yourself short on time or mental space, these needle movers become your only goals. If nothing else, this 20% gets done.
Want another way of looking at how to identify your priorities? Check out Your To-Do List: Remember the 4 Ds.
For more on the Pareto Principle, head over to Getting the Right Things Done with the Pareto Principle.
2.) Understanding Your Time Constraints
As the saying goes, people tend to overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, but underestimate what they can accomplish in a year. I have found this very much to be true. To avoid the pitfall of overestimation, take a good, hard look at your schedule...and be realistic, not optimistic. If you’re helping the kids with their homeschooling for half the morning and are scheduled for 2-3 hours worth of conference calls or client time, you may be looking at minimal time available for the other things you want to accomplish.
Then, the question becomes: what item on my list is the biggest priority/needle mover AND fits into my available time? Keep in mind, too, that if you have something that’s too big for your time slot, you can break it down into chunks. If you only have 30 minutes a day to devote to it, that’s still two and a half hours at the end of the week. I go more into dividing your time and tasks in my blog post, The Pomodoro Technique: What It Is & How To Use It.
3.) Reevaluate Your Expectations
Are you a people pleaser? Do you set high expectations for yourself? Me too. I get you. But let’s get real here. If you identify with this blog post so far, now is not the time to push yourself. Remember, it’s not doing more. It’s doing the right thing in a smart way. Cut that list of to-dos to just the essentials. Hone in on your top needle movers. Celebrate the one thing you were able to do today. If you’re focused on the right things in the time you have, you’re actually accomplishing more than you think.
So, write yourself that permission slip. You don’t need 8+ hours of work time in the day to be productive or accomplished. One thing. 30 minutes here. An hour there. Don’t worry. In the not-too-distant future, you’ll have the chance to work those long days again. See if you can establish those effective time-management habits now so you don’t even need those extra hours later. What could be possible for you then?
