- ⊙ say “no” to material purchases of items you don’t need that are just going to clutter your home or office and require dusting and maintenance
- ⊙ say “no” to social invitations when you’re already behind on your sleep and your other self-care protocols
- ▸ Example A: office meetings are generally believed to be a smart use of time, but it has been relentlessly proven that office meetings are usually too expensive and too inefficient. People show up to meetings not having completed their assigned action-steps from the previous meeting (probably because they didn’t take meticulous notes) and meetings tend to have ambiguous objectives.
- ▸ Example B: many busy people do not meditate regularly because they feel like they’re too busy to meditate… that it’s a waste of time. Again, studies have relentlessly proven that meditation clears and focuses the mind — increasing mental energy and stamina. People who meditate consistently are better thinkers who are regularly inspired with creative solutions to complex problems.
These time management tips
will improve your self-efficiency
and help you to get more done in less time!
Each of us has the same 168 hours in a week. Some of us, however, use those 168 hours more optimally than others.
When you’re using time optimally, it means that your time counts for more because it moves you more steadily toward your short-term and long-term goals. It also means that you work so efficiently that you can allocate a larger percentage of those 168 toward the activities that you feel passionately about and that bring you joy!
It sometimes feels as though our culture gets more frantic and more harried with each passing year. Too many people are frazzled, sleep-deprived, and disorganized.
The solution is to reconnect with the time management concepts that have worked for you in the past, as well as to learn new time management principles so that can take your efficiency to the next level!
Manage Your Time and Energy Better with Productivity Tips
Here are five effective time management tips to make sure you are not among the habitually disorganized masses!
There are enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do, you just need a new perspective:
good time management creates more free time for fun
Time Management Hack #1: Sharpen Your Awareness about Time
Most of us are convinced that we know how we spend our time during a typical day — but do we, really?
It’s essential that we sometimes “pull back” to a higher-altitude view of our life and instead of working “in” our day, we need to work “on” the day itself, to determine where, when, and how we are expending our energy.
I’m a big fan of timers. I have three timers in my kitchen, and it’s not uncommon for me to have two going at once, tracking different projects.
“…what you need to understand about time,
is that saving a few minutes here and there really adds up after a while!”
Time Management Hack #2: Use Productivity Hacks to Save Time
“Productivity hacks” are little time-saving tips that save you a few minutes here and a few minutes there. What you need to understand about time, is that saving a few minutes here and there really adds up after a while! Also, studies consistently reveal that more time is wasted looking for stuff than people realize.
The Dane Technique e-Workbook can help you to get outrageously organized so that you have more free time to take good care of yourself! Receive the e-Book instantly for $4.95 (or save money by purchasing the Full Longevity Kit).
The Dane Technique:
How to Get Seriously Organized using Checklists ~ Bonus Workbook
↗ This short e-Workbook will help you to get better organized. In order to improve your self-care and increase your health protocols, you have to find the time and energy for it and find the schedule that works best for you.
“…The Dane Technique provides concise, easy to understand, specific instructions
for people who want to get organized using checklists.
Beginning with a simple, yet powerful, manifesto
the book quickly walks the reader through a series of exercises
leading the reader to their own checklists.
No specific forms or software are required
leaving the format up to each unique and, soon to be organized, happy person”~ Paul Puckett, Asset Portfolio Manager
“…making a list felt like a chore but after reading Dane’s “How To Get Seriously Organized Using Checklists” I am now understanding how important lists are. My life is becoming clutter free and I get more accomplished throughout the day because the lists suggested by Dane are helping me be more productive in my personal and business life. Quotidian list is my favorite! Don’t know what that is? Get the book and find out! Trust me, it will change your life!”~ Doina Oncel, Solutions Specialist for Non-Profits
Time Management Hack #3: Say “No” to Things
Most of us like to think of ourselves as nice people, but sometimes we have to say “no” to people and situations that do not serve our higher purpose.
The person who is most responsible for taking care of you, is… you. It’s perfectly okay to be fiercely protective of your physical energy. This is a fundamental success strategy, and an integral part of time management. Ironically, you will have more to offer the world if you set healthy boundaries and say “no” to things.
Time Management Hack #4: Understand that Time Management Is a Paradox
Sometimes, the tasks you think are most productive are really time-wasters, and conversely, sometimes the tasks you think are the biggest time-wasters are, in fact, extremely productive. This is the paradox of time:
Here’s a photo of my “meditation station” with my yoga sitting-bolster and affirmations workbook, and also a photo of me sitting in the station (yes, in my morning pajamas).
Time Management Hack #5: Realize that All Hours Are Not Created Equally
Unless you live in the rural countryside, you must realize that some time-windows are so congested, that there’s little point in even bothering.
In many places in Southern California, for example, if you have to be at work at 9am, you’ll probably have to leave your house at 8am just to make sure you arrive on time. That’s two hours a day sitting in the car just getting to-and-from! Meanwhile, If you leave your house at 6am, it will only take you 20 minutes. So why not go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, drive to the gym right near your office, sneak in a morning workout, and then zip to your office nearby? In the time that you would have been just sitting in traffic, you have now already gotten your workout out of the way. From a time management perspective, this is a no-brainer.
Or, if you need to do the family shopping once a week — it’s going to take 2 hours longer if you try to do it on a Saturday afternoon, when the lines are longest and the parking lots are fullest. What if you ran errands on your Wednesday lunch hour instead? You’d save at least an hour and a half in one fell swoop!
You said it “Manage your time and energy”. My tip is to be healthy. Health is tied to energy and when people say they lack time, they usually mean energy.
I want to hear more about your affirmation workbook. I do positive affirmations before going to bed and it helps a lot so a whole workbook sounds great
It’s funny that I used to think of mediation as a time gobbler too. I have noticed though (now that I have been meditating daily for nearly 4 months) that I seem to need at least one hour less sleep than I use to. In the end I have not only gained time but I am also slowly cultivating a more even state of mind.
Kirstin, I’m curious. Do you meditate as part of a daily routine — often around the same time each day — of do you grab your meditation wherever/whenever you can find time for it on a particular day?
{ twitter = @danenow }
Hey Dane, I meditate first thing in the morning as soon as I wake up.
Sometimes I even get up really early, meditate, then go back to bed for a bit.
I do this because I’ve read that it is the best time to meditate because your mind isn’t in full swing yet and it’s easier to focus.
Been doing it now for over 4 months (about 30 mins to and hour a day) and I am pleased with how much it is helping me shift in places I thought would never be possible.
As a part of a team challenge at the office, I tracked my time for an entire month, on the hour, every hour, from the minute I woke up to the time I was ready to go to sleep. I became more aware of how I was spending my time, and as each day passed, I learned to manage my time more efficiently. For me, awareness is key. Thank you for this post!
For those of us who are night owls, getting up an hour or two earlier than normal sounds like torture.
On the other hand, there’s a time-saver for people like me: go into work later, stay later. I miss all the commute traffic when I roll into work around 10, and I miss it on my way home at 7, too. Not only do I miss the commute, though–I also have quiet time to get things done after the big bosses scoot out the door at 5 or 6.
The use of labeled binder clips in Lorie’s (Clutter Diet) video is brilliant. So many uses for that simple little tip.
The Time-Teller is also a great way to gauge the passage of time and the time remaining during a project. Also an effective way to increase awareness of time and how I’m using it. I just downloaded the Time-Teller app to my iPhone and have it counting down to my 10:00 PM bedtime.
To be organized and energized – a powerful and winning combination, indeed. Thank you, Dane, for your thoughtful insights.
Time, in a way, is our most basic currency.
Joel, wow, that is so true, isn’t it!? Each of us only gets 24 hours in one day, and to gift any of that to someone else is indeed a generous gesture!
Items 3, 4 and 5 are spot on! I love waking up early and spending time with my family in the morning, rather than at night when everyone is feeling spent from their daily grind.
Sitting down in the morning to have a real breakfast and not rushing out of the door is a wonderful thing. Leaving early for work is also a great idea!
Love this post! I’m bookmarking it to keep me reminded of the importance of proper time management.
Thanks Dane!