14 tips to tame time killers

May 12, 2017
Ways to be more productive.

1. Learn when to say “no.”

2. Place a clock where it can be clearly seen while at your work space. This will help you not lose track of time.

3. Train yourself to be able to throw things away, put things away and delegate duties and tasks.

4. To support being able to throw things away, put “T.O.” (throw out) dates on all files. Every two months or so, review your files and throw away the old ones.

5. When doing important work, consider switching off your phone, email, text messaging, etc. You can follow-up when the work is completed

6. Put up a "Do not disturb" sign when you absolutely have to get work done.

7. Always work to complete what you start. Going back will always cost you time.

8. Track your time spent. Use a simple timer. Key in the amount of time you want it to track, for example, 30 minutes. The timer counts down and when the time is up, it will beep, letting you know the allotted time period is up.

9. Do the appropriate level of quality for each task. Some projects need to be done “quick and dirty,” while others need excellence. Know the difference. Inappropriate quality is a time killer.

10. Decide what your most important jobs/duties are and prioritize them.

11. Do your highest priority or most anxiety-producing items during your highest energy time.

12. Politely end conversations that aren't going anywhere.

13. To get the best return on investment from meetings that you run, insist that people do their homework. The least efficient meeting is one where people sit around and watch each other think.

14. Gain efficiency by grouping related activities together. For example, make all telephone calls back to back.

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