The older I become, the more I realize how precious is each second of productivity in a work day. This is especially true for those of us who have our good days and our bad days when it comes to our bodies not being what they once were. Time really is the most precious commodity that we all have. Nobody can add more than 24 hours in a day.
But we can maximize our work potential by effectively using our time. This
may not mean squeezing every second out of the day. Busyness is not always a sign of successful time management.
It is as much about knowing what is important and what we should let others handle.
There will always be things that clamor for our time that are “somewhat important” but not mission critical. Or there are to-do items that can best be done by others in our organization. If I don’t add value by doing this thing myself, I have to ask, “Should I delegate this to somebody else in my company?”
Here’s some data that may shock you. Multitasking has been labeled a key business skill for small business leaders over the last decade or so. And in some ways you can’t avoid this in a small company. But the New York Times recently reported that a growing body of scientific evidence indicates that juggling too many tasks at once can divide attention, hurt learning, hinder memory recall, and damage overall job performance. While you think you may be busy, you are actually spinning your wheels and accomplishing little.
As I get older, I have found the joy of focus. I can accomplish much more in a day if I focus on one thing at a time and work through a list of doable tasks. Even though I may have some big challenges ahead of me, I break them down into bite-size chunks. Then I go about doing one thing at a time. My experience goes right along with what the researchers found that people between the ages of 60 and 80 have significantly more trouble remembering tasks after experiencing a brief interruption than do people in their 20s and 30s.
Even though this may be more of a problem for older folks, it is still a problem for youngsters. Really how effective do you think your work is when you are trying to talk on your phone while sending an email and making hand gestures to your secretary about a project she is working on?
According to a study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology, it takes the brain four times longer to recognize and process each item it is working on when multitasking than when it is focused on a single job.
Time guru, Julie Morgenstern wrote the book Never Check E-mail in the Morning… and Other Surprising Time Savers. She encourages business people to do things that frankly I find hard to follow. It all starts with planning each day as you get into the office. Sometimes we get into ruts and routines that are not productive. But it is how we have always done things.
Morgenstern wrote, “Don’t look at E-mail first thing. Instead, use the morning to focus on your most important tasks. Most people’s minds are sharpest in the morning, and completing important responsibilities before lunch creates a sense of relief and accomplishment that can carry you through the afternoon.”
I have found that making a list of urgent items (only 2-4 doable tasks) and prioritizing them is the best way to get stuff done. Even though I know this is the best strategy sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with tasks that I give into the urge to multitask. But I have to remember that focus not multitasking is the secret to productivity.
There are some other time management tips that may seem somewhat counter intuitive. For example, if you have a hard time getting everything done, shortening your work day can force you to organize your time better and be less willing to accept interruptions. Plus, this gives you more time to rest and do things outside of work.
As I get older, pacing myself has become a key to working smarter. This may require me to take a break to recharge. I may get up and walk around just to get away from the computer for a few minutes.
Honestly, one of the biggest strategies I have followed is to delegate to staff members things that don’t require my expertise. And this is hard to do because the owner always tends to think he is the only one who can do it right. But I have hired a team of smart people who are very capable of handling things.
I am also learning how to avoid interruptions that steal my focus. I find that technology that is supposed to make you more productive can actually be one of the greatest time drainers in my day. That is why I have to be careful not to allow my email in-box or the telephone to dictate my schedule.
Sometimes our personality can get in the way if we tend to be a talker. I didn’t use to be a talker. But after I met and married Carolyn, I had to become more outgoing just to keep up. This can be difficult because when you like to be friendly, you tend to carry on conversations, which can really eat up your day. Sometimes, you just have to cut people off. And it is an art form to be able to do this in such a way that people know you value them.
You have to learn to dodge interrupters without causing offense. When someone needs you, say, “How much time do you need? If it’s more than a few seconds, let’s schedule it for later so I can give you my full attention.” This will demonstrate your concern for them while allowing you to stay focused. In the meantime, the other person may even solve their problem without needing your input.
My last real suggestion is to do your planning for the next day before you leave the office. This will help you be situated to start off running when you arrive in the office the next morning.
I have recently started using a smartphone to help me stay connected to the business when I am outside of the office. I have some reservations about this phone because I know it can be a distraction. So I am going to heed my own advice and only use it in a way that allows me to focus on what is important. Keep me in your prayers because I get a feeling that all this technology may just be the death of me one of these days.
