4 Ways to Manage Time Effectively
There are two key components of being productive: doing tasks the right way, and doing the right tasks. The first is known as efficiency; the second is effectiveness. Today we will talk about how to manage your time effectively, including the four key pillars of effective time management
Shareable: Busy Like Ants
'It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?'--Henry David Thoreau
Prioritization 101 – Part 2
There is a lot of talk in the productivity and life-betterment spheres about priorities. "Choose your priorities!" "Set your priorities!" "Work on your highest priorities first!" Articles all about priorites are everywhere. But what exactly are priorities, and why do we need them? And how do we determine what they are? I've been around the productivity and lifehack worlds for a long time. And I've seen many methods of determining priorities. I've tried most of them as well, and I've come to the conclusion that for each person has to determine the method that works best for them. This is the second of two articles in which we look at various methods of prioritizing tasks, along with their pros and cons.
Prioritization 101 – Part 1
There is a lot of talk in the productivity and life-betterment spheres about priorities. "Choose your priorities!" "Set your priorities!" "Work on your highest priorities first!" Articles all about priorites are everywhere. But what exactly are priorities, and why do we need them? And how do we determine what they are? I've been around the productivity and lifehack worlds for a long time. And I've seen many methods of determining priorities. I've tried most of them as well, and I've come to the conclusion that for each person has to determine the method that works best for them. In the next two articles we will look at various methods of prioritizing tasks, along with their pros and cons.
Shareable: Time Is What We Want Most
'Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.' —William Penn
How To Time Block
Time blocking is a method of laying out your day, taking into account your appointments. Then you can slot tasks in in order to give yourself an idea of what can be accomplished during the time given. For years I resisted the idea of time blocking. It seemed to me to be awfully close to putting tasks into a calendar, which I believe is on the same plane as stealing a kid's candy. But after months of working off a bulleted task list and consistently (100% of the time) picking too many tasks to attempt during the day, I knew I had to do something different. Then a chance podcast introduced me to time blocking. Today we will look at how to time block and some common mistakes to avoid.
4 Steps to Cut Back Your Overwhelming Schedule
Have you ever looked at your schedule and just wanted to hide? Today I will give you the 4 step process I used to cut back on an overwhelming schedule. It all started with an unrealistic expectation - that I would be able to do the same activities at the same level of participation as I could 15 years ago. Not withstanding that my commitments and circumstances were completely different. As a result of this expectation, I kept piling things onto my schedule, until it just about buried me. So here is exactly how I got it down to manageable levels.
It’s Not Poor Time Management, It’s Poor Focus
Recently I have observed several people whose time management skills are exceptional. They plan their day, pick their most important tasks, fill in gaps...and never get things done. Why? It's not poor time management...it's poor focus management.
