May 15, 2019 10:00 am Published by

15 Tips for Finding Time When You Have None, Cont.#63

In Blog #62 I shared the first half of my list to reclaim time in your day. Choosing to be proactive and intentional with all the minutes of your day will help you accomplish more and stay focused. Sound too good to be true? Try the rest of the tips below:

  1. Schedule walking meetings with people and cover the topic as you get coffee and return. Many meetings are shorter if you take the trip and return. If you don’t have time for a trip, conduct standing meetings. You’re never too comfortable and they will be shorter!
  2. Make calls to other leaders early and late in the day – you’ll reach them and won’t play tag.
  3. Decide your top two priorities to be accomplished for the day either the night before or early in your day and do them first. Do not open email (you’re already reacting to others when you do so) until they are done.
  4. Use your auto-responder as Tim Ferriss suggested when he wrote “The 4 Hour Work Week” and let people know 2-3 times each day you’ll check email and do it. If you need an example, email ali@sayyess.com to check hers out. You can wordsmith as you choose, but turning off your alerts will save you from reacting all day!
  5. Stop multi-tasking. To the best of your ability, be where you are 100%. Leave devices off during meetings and stick to your agenda. Interrupt people when they begin tangents and get into the weeds. Treat every wasted minute of your meetings as dollars being burned at a bonfire.
  6. Start and end meetings on time. Leave at the agreed upon ending time no matter what. You can warn people you will be doing so if they have a history of going late.
  7. Use the silent alarm on your Fitbit or watch to alert you 10 minutes prior to the meeting’s end time. You can ask for action items and still wrap up on time with consistency and not have to abruptly end the meeting. (I also use mine when I’m presenting to ensure I stay on time).

Use these practices to reclaim time and add more focus and productivity to your workday. Do you have hacks that work for you? Please share them below and spread the goodness with us all!

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