Let’s face it, we’re all busy! And if you’re like most of us, you have lots of different types of tasks to accomplish and problems to solve every day. You may find yourself working late hours to get everything done, or at the end of some days, you may not be able to get to them all. This can leave you feeling overwhelmed, and make you feel even more behind the next day.
And over time, you can accumulate a real backlog of things that need to be addressed. As this pile grows, it can get harder and harder to ever make time for them.
The good news is that there are some very practical things that you can do to be more productive. Here are six that we recommend you try:
1-Plan and Prioritize: Spend some time the previous day before you leave work or first thing in the morning to plan out what you need to accomplish each day. Some tasks you should do yourself and others you should delegate. The following is a helpful guide on how to prioritize tasks:
• Important and urgent — Tasks that must be done fast. Do them right away.
• Important but not urgent — Tasks that appear important, but upon closer examination aren’t. Decide when to do them.
• Urgent but not important — Tasks that make the most “noise,” but when accomplished, have little or no lasting value. Delegate these if possible.
• Not urgent and not important — Low-priority stuff that offers the illusion of “being busy.” Do them later or last in your day.
2-Make Deadlines and Set Time Limits: Setting deadlines gives you a sense of urgency and keeps you from spending too much time on one task. When you allot a set amount of time to work on a task, you are more likely to stay focused on the task at hand. If it’s not possible to entirely complete the task at hand, break it into manageable increments, and keep doing this until it’s finished.
3-Stay Focused on One Task at the Time: One of the fastest ways to overwhelm yourself is to think about your massive to-do list, and no amount of time will make it any shorter. While multitasking can be very tempting, some studies show that multitasking actually makes people less efficient. That’s why it’s best to focus totally on one task at a time. Try putting your phone away out of sight or silencing it to limit distractions. Let co-workers or employees know that you aren’t to be disturbed for anything short of an emergency.
4-Schedule Phone, Email and Text Times: Rather than trying to react to electronic communications throughout the day, consider designating one or two specific times of the day to handle correspondence, texts and to return missed calls. For instance, a good practice can be to do this first thing in the morning, after taking your lunch break, and again at the end of the day before you leave for home.
5-Learn to Say “No”: Be willing to say “no” if an activity will require too much of your time or get in the way of more important tasks. You have to say “no” to some things to truly be able to say “yes” to others.
6-Find a Mentor: If you’re fairly new to business management or just feel like you still have a great deal to learn, consider finding a mentor to help guide your process.
Basically, you can benefit from lessons your mentor has had to learn the hard way. When you personally rely on someone who’s been through the wringer and has still come out on top, you have a better chance of achieving your own goals. When searching for a mentor, look for someone with whom you have rapport and is willing to assist you.
