Use Your Time Wisely

Have you ever noticed how much you can get done when you HAVE to?

Lately it seems like I am misplacing more and more of the 24 hours each day is supposed to contain.  I couldn’t tell you what’s happening, but there just doesn’t seem to be as much time in each day as there once was!

Have you ever worked with that guy who can wait until the last boarding call for the plane before he even THINKS about his speech?  I have!  Why can he plan a speech in the brief time it takes to fly from home to his speaking engagement, but it takes me weeks to write the same thing?  As I seem to lose more time each day, I've seriously begun looking into how I can be more like "that guy."

So how can I recover some of the time that slips away each day? Time that I could be using much more productively.

Give Everything a Priority

Obviously, if you keep putting one thing off in order to do something else, it has not become a priority on your "to-do" list.  Give everything a priority, even if it's dead last.  Then, once everything has a priority, resist the temptation to bump them down in priority.  One day, when the others are finally finished, “dead last” will finally move into first place.

Make a Plan

Even though I am contemplating becoming more like "that guy," I think there is still a place for "this gal" too.  Remember, I said I wanted to compromise, not disappear completely.  Decide how much time the project should take and make a plan how you are going to break that time up. Then stick with your time schedule.  No cheating and adding more time.  Get it done!

Say "No"

Another big reason I fail to complete tasks is I keep accepting new ones. This is my 2013 resolution: Just say "no."  It's coming as a real surprise to people who have always been able to count on me dropping everything to run and help with their project, but it is also a real treat as I start to mark things off of my own "to-do" list.  Give it a try!

Minimize Interruptions

Probably the biggest chunk of time in my life is lost to interruptions.  The phone rings – a LOT.  I need to stop and do this, or call them, or write a note about next week's… you get the idea.  Turn the phone off.  Turn the TV off.  Close the door.  Make sure you have everything you need for the project assembled in one place (kind of like assembling the ingredients to bake a cake).  Then sit down to work, and don't even allow YOU to interrupt you!

Get 'er Done

Believe you can do it; then do it.  Get that project off your to-do list!

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If you need help getting your to-dos prioritized, maybe it’s not a priority problem at all.  Perhaps it’s a delegation problem.  It’s never too late to start doing more while working less!  Call Pro PR Marketing to see how we can do what we do best (take some of the social media and PR work off your shoulders) so you can do what you do best (run your company).