06/09/2019
How to work smarter, not harder – AND save two hours a DAY
1. ASSESS
a. Motivate
“You have the same 24 hours in a day that were given to Einstein, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and all other masters from history.”
b. Understand where your time goes. Why am I do it? Does it actually work towards achieving my goals?
2. PRIORITISE AND SET GOALS
a. DELEGATE
Certain tasks of course still need to be done but they need not always be done by you. Utilise your staff skills and outsource when necessary. Office Executives Services offers specialists in every business support area who can attend to items which do not need your personal attention professionally and efficiently.
b. SAY No, delicately of course. Say no to the customer you can see is going to be more trouble than the profit you may (or not) make on them, the joint venture partner who us getting ore out of the deal than you are and the colleagues who constantly ask for help with their responsibilities (or worse, employees who are less efficient than you and you end up having the pick up the slack).
c. DON’T PROCRASTINATE
3. ORGANISE
a. FOCUS on one task at a time.
b. Figure out when you most PRODUCTIVE TIMES of day are , when you are most energetic, personable, creative and schedule tasks accordingly
c. MINIMISE DISTRACTIONS. Set up a do not disturb function on your cell phone and so not look at it unless the caller is persistent or on your emergency list. Switch off your data when at work so you BBM or WhatsApp is not functioning and interrupting. If a family member is in hospital, do you really believe you would get a WhatsApp or is more likely to be a friend with a picture of a cat hugging a dog?
Set up a voicemail on your cell phone asking that callers send you an email or a sms with details regarding their call. This removes the temptation to “chat”. If you would like to utilise this strategy but are concerned you may miss something then invest in a call answer service and you can focus on your schedule knowing anything urgent which arises will be dealt with or brought to your attention.
Set up email send and receive at 4 hour intervals to remove the temptation to click on each pop up new message mail you receive.
d. Set up SYSTEMS to help you stick to your schedule and reach your goals.
i. VOICEMAIL on your cellphone requesting a sms or email instead of a voicemail, this forces the caller to get to the point and saves time wasted on chit chat.
ii. CALENDARS can be synched between your mobile device and computer. TO DO LISTS CAN be done on your mobile device as well which allows you to keep on track, and adjust, at any time.
iii. The ZERO INBOX concept has taken the business world by storm and we are firm believers in it.
Process email in batches
Don’t leave your inbox open indefinitely, or flit back and forth every time a new notification pops up. Sign out of your email program when you’re not using it.
Use labels, filters and shortcuts.
Labels are best when paired with filters, which can automatically apply labels, archive or forward emails sent from certain people or of a certain kind. Filters also can be set up to send certain messages right to the trash bin. Filters are great because they create organization, key to managing Inbox Zero, without requiring anything more than the initial set-up.
Shortcuts. It’s much easier to hit a keyboard shortcut than click around in search of what you need. In Gmail, the keyboard shortcut “Y” archives an email, while “M” mutes a conversation that’s no longer relevant.
Funnel. Forward email to all addresses to one inbox, and set up IMAP or POP so that you can reply using your different email addresses from that one inbox as well. Check your secondary email inboxes directly once a week or so, as important email can get caught in spam boxes without forwarding.
Remove yourself from unnecessary mailing lists. Otherwise set up a filter with automatic archiving. You may want to read an industry newsletter at some point during the week.
Set up automatic reply reminders and trackers.
Your inbox shouldn’t act as a long-term to-do list, it’s best to add a reminder to your calendar and archive the message.
4. SCHEDULE
a. START YOUR DAY
i. Display your email with a viewing pane, so you can skim the content of the email in a few seconds and assess its urgency, and the amount of time required to respond or act accordingly
ii. Start your day with the mails which would take 5 minutes to deal with and no more. These are generally 60 to 70 % of your emails.
iii. Now tackle the slightly longer emails. Anything which requires more than 20 minutes needs to go onto your to do list and to be dealt with in your main work slot.
b. During your SECOND PHASE of your day set aside three hours uninterrupted time to com complete your main tasks. Keep in mind that Parkinson’s Law is based on the very real life phenomenon that Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Be realistic with how long each task should take, but push yourself to work faster and you will find you are.
c. Your THIRD PHASE of the day is checking emails again and dealing with any issues which have arisen through the day. Do not be tempted to respond to any email or message unless it is life or “goal threatening” if it is not your scheduled time slot.
d. Your FINAL PHASE is the last hour, and soon when you perfect the technique, two hours of the day. Use the time to achieve one of your long term goals, or further your education. Take a class on speed reading or online social media or marketing course.
5. ADJUST
a. What works and what doesn’t? Now adjust.
