8 simple ways to accomplish more in your day
Do you sometimes feel as though you?ve spent the whole day being incredibly busy without actually achieving anything? That instead of shrinking, your to-do list has actually grown ? despite your attempts to multitask?
How can this be? The answer lies in learning to manage your time better and to ensure that you?re not just busy, but effective.
1. Know yourself:
When are you at your best? Mornings or afternoons? Everyone has times during the day when they are sleepy and slow (for most people it?s after lunch), so the best thing to do is to try to plan top-priority tasks for times when you?re feeling more alert, and tackle more routine jobs, like answering emails, when you?re less creative. Another thing to bear in mind is that the heavier the lunch you eat, the sleepier you?re going to be while your body concentrates on digesting the food.
2. Keep a to-do list:
Whatever tasks you have to do, write them down: having them there in black and white will give you a better overview. Put an asterisk next to the most important tasks, or highlight them in another way. Differentiate between ?urgent? and ?important? tasks, and those which you can complete over a longer time period. As you complete tasks, cross them off the list: this is extremely motivating and will give you a real sense of achievement.
3. Fill the time you have:
Choose the task which suits the time slot you have available. For example, a spare half hour in the morning, and another in the afternoon, is perfect to check your emails, whereas it wouldn?t be enough to start a long report. You don?t have to answer all your emails: delete the spam and the ones that just say, ?Thanks!?, answer the easy ones, and keep the more challenging messages for when you have more time to answer properly.
4. Learn to say no:
Effective work practice means knowing when to say no. If you take on too much, you won?t be able to do anything properly. The trick is: ?Say yes to the person, no to the task.? In other words, be open and friendly to your colleagues, but if someone is asking you to do something you don?t have time for, say no, you?re sorry, but you won?t be able to do it by the deadline they require. Keep things positive by suggesting a new deadline which you really feel able to meet.
Do you sometimes feel as though you?ve spent the whole day being incredibly busy without actually achieving anything? That instead of shrinking, your to-do list has actually grown ? despite your attempts to multitask?
How can this be? The answer lies in learning to manage your time better and to ensure that you?re not just busy, but effective.
1. Know yourself:
When are you at your best? Mornings or afternoons? Everyone has times during the day when they are sleepy and slow (for most people it?s after lunch), so the best thing to do is to try to plan top-priority tasks for times when you?re feeling more alert, and tackle more routine jobs, like answering emails, when you?re less creative. Another thing to bear in mind is that the heavier the lunch you eat, the sleepier you?re going to be while your body concentrates on digesting the food.
2. Keep a to-do list:
Whatever tasks you have to do, write them down: having them there in black and white will give you a better overview. Put an asterisk next to the most important tasks, or highlight them in another way. Differentiate between ?urgent? and ?important? tasks, and those which you can complete over a longer time period. As you complete tasks, cross them off the list: this is extremely motivating and will give you a real sense of achievement.
3. Fill the time you have:
Choose the task which suits the time slot you have available. For example, a spare half hour in the morning, and another in the afternoon, is perfect to check your emails, whereas it wouldn?t be enough to start a long report. You don?t have to answer all your emails: delete the spam and the ones that just say, ?Thanks!?, answer the easy ones, and keep the more challenging messages for when you have more time to answer properly.
4. Learn to say no:
Effective work practice means knowing when to say no. If you take on too much, you won?t be able to do anything properly. The trick is: ?Say yes to the person, no to the task.? In other words, be open and friendly to your colleagues, but if someone is asking you to do something you don?t have time for, say no, you?re sorry, but you won?t be able to do it by the deadline they require. Keep things positive by suggesting a new deadline which you really feel able to meet.
