Here’s a question you may want to ask yourself regularly: What am I doing with my 24 hours?
In other words, every day, what do you have to show for burning through another 24 hours of your life? If the answer is, ‘next to nothing’, or ‘not nearly as much as I would like’, then I’m happy to tell you that you can change that right now, and in a moment.
In this post, I’m going to give you a simple system for doing it. Following this system has completely changed how I approach each day, and the results for me have been dramatic.
If you’re ready to put more life and more action into your day, then get a pen and paper and write down this simple time management and productivity system.
It consists of 3 basic steps. Here they are:
1. Write down all the tasks you want to get done today
2. Assign a specific block of time for completing each task (like 30 minutes)
3. Select a task, start a timer (check out eggtimer), and focus on nothing else until that task is complete!
That’s all there is to it. Simple, yes! Incredibly effective, YES! By itself, this system can put your productivity into high-gear – if you use it.
Here is a free downloadable chart that summarizes these 3 steps in text/graphic detail. Print it out, and put it up somewhere visible to help keep you on track:
The challenge for most of us is that in a day and age of technology and automation, writing things down on paper and using something like an egg-timer can sometimes feel a bit clunky and inefficient.
But I’ve recently discovered an incredible piece of software that not only automates this system in a very unique way, but includes some tools such as simple reports (so you know WHERE you spend your time), as well as a very slick and intuitive interface.
I highly recommend you watch the demo video, which shows the software in action, by clicking this link (you’ll find the demo video about half-way down the page):
Have a great, productive day!
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#1 by dan on January 28, 2010 - 1:20 pm
If you’d like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this application inspired by David Allen’s GTD:
http://www.Gtdagenda.com
You can use it to manage and prioritize your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
#2 by Self Improvement Guy on January 28, 2010 - 3:38 pm
Awesome – thanks for your contribution, Dan.
#3 by time management on January 29, 2010 - 7:36 am
Discipline is the key for time management.
#4 by Time management tips on February 1, 2010 - 11:18 am
Batching is a highly effective time-management strategy. Your productivity is affected every time you switch gears and change tasks. Instead of doing everything every day, try scheduling certain tasks less frequently. For example, instead of paying bills as you receive them, check your due dates and only touch invoices twice a month. The E-Mail strategy above is a perfect example of batching since you are only touching it twice a day instead of all day long as each message hits your inbox.
#5 by Time management tips on February 1, 2010 - 6:18 am
Batching is a highly effective time-management strategy. Your productivity is affected every time you switch gears and change tasks. Instead of doing everything every day, try scheduling certain tasks less frequently. For example, instead of paying bills as you receive them, check your due dates and only touch invoices twice a month. The E-Mail strategy above is a perfect example of batching since you are only touching it twice a day instead of all day long as each message hits your inbox.
#6 by GBG Guy on February 1, 2010 - 12:31 pm
I wasn’t familiar with that term, but it makes perfect sense and can be applied across the board. Excellent tip – thank you for your contribution!
Best to you,
Scott
#7 by Self Improvement Guy on February 1, 2010 - 7:31 am
I wasn't familiar with that term, but it makes perfect sense and can be applied across the board. Excellent tip – thank you for your contribution!
Best to you,
Scott