Ironically, this blog is late – very late. It has been a contentious issue for me this year – to make the most out of my day and to find the missing hours that I inevitably lose daily.
I am an avid reader of the articles that Entrepreneur magazine posts on its website. I have tried a couple of things from the site, as well as those gleaned from chatting to colleagues wiser than myself, in my ongoing quest to find more time in my day, or to learn how to utilise my time better.
And I have put together a few of the ones that I have found do work. Some, I admit, I still struggle with, but when I get them right, they do have an impact on my ability to stay on top of my day:
- Decide if you are a morning person or a late-in-the-day starter: Some people don’t have a snooze button. They are up early, in early, and finished early. Some, on the other hand, only truly wake up later in the day, after that fourth cup of coffee and the mid-morning snack, and work productively into the night. Either way, you need to prioritise what needs to be done in order to ensure that whether you start at 7am or 10am, if there is something due at noon, it’s done by noon
- Exercise: Apart from the endorphins released, or the good feeling you have after a workout, I believe exercise also instils a sense of routine and keeps you on a schedule. If you know that you have a 5pm gym session, you plan around it and prioritise what needs to be accomplished before you can head out for the day, adding structure to your week
- Sticky notes: I like lists, and am constantly making them. I have about four lists in different notepads on my desk, each for my different clients or ongoing projects. One thing I have discovered recently is the “sticky note” app on my Macbook that allows me to have digital post-its on my desktop at all times; normally there are three or four, which I constantly update as I go through my day, always keeping the day’s needs in front of me and in order of importance
- Choose what you will accomplish: I have read that it helps to pick three wins for each day. I like this, as it affords you the opportunity to choose your three top priorities, to plan what you know you can accomplish, build your day around these tasks, and when they are done you are opened up to achieve the other things on your list
- One thing at a time: One of the best articles posted by Entrepreneur Magazine was aptly titled: “Doing two things? That’s one too many!” and I have to admit this is one of my downfalls. With an ever-changing list, and new deliverables constantly popping up, I often fall prey to doing too much at once. When there are five important things due, you may feel that there is a fine line between which is more important. It may not always be possible, but start with the tasks you were given first, weighed up against those that are due first
- Procrastinate later: When I started at Flow, my account director at the time said to me: “I’m lazy, and because I am lazy I do all of my work first thing and ahead of schedule, so that I can sit and be lazy later.” And that stuck with me. Most of us procrastinate, especially in this day and age, when Facebook and Twitter are but one extra browser tab away. Rather get the work out of the way, regardless of how daunting it may be, because there is no better feeling than that of clicking “send the email” and reclining guilt-free in your chair
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and I’ll continue to try new things and seek ways to find more time in my day.
Besides, they say it takes 21 days to form a habit – as long as you don’t get sidetracked along the way.