One of the single most significant changes you can make to your life is to make sure you ONLY do what is most significant for your work life all before 11am.
This may sound strange, but it is true. Try it and you will see for yourself... It has totally transformed my life and saved me hours of stressful, pointless work.
Here's what you need to do. Get a pen and paper and write the answers to the following questions. They will change your life... You will be shocked, but will end up with more time, more joy and more money.
Let us begin:
1. Imagine you only had 2 hours a day to work. Literally. You CANNOT do more work than that. What would you do in those 2 work hours to effectively move towards your goals?
2. Imagine you were very sick had only 2 hours a WEEK to work. What would you do?
3. What are the 3 things you do that bring you the most $ in the least amount of time?
4. What are the 3 things that bring you the most real joy and fulfillment in the least amount of time?
Now you are ready to change your life. Remember the 80/20 principle: 80% of your success comes from only 20% of you input. So give yourself a break. Do the 20% that actually has a powerful result and ditch the other 80%. You will have 80% more time to enjoy life and pursue things you have been putting off.
Every morning or even in the evening before, ask yourself these questions:
1. If I had to stop work at 11am today what would I have to do?
2. If these were the only things I did today, would I be happy and satisfied with myself?
WHAT TO DO?
1. Fold a sheet of paper into about the size of a credit card. Write the things you need to accomplish before 11am on that paper. This is your to do list. Do not add to it. Only do these things and do not do anything else until they are done.
2. Try to condense the amount of time you think this will take. Do only what is needed to effectively achieve the task. Don't waste extra time in frills and expansion. The reason so few people have to time do what they really love is that they are lost in details and distractions.
3. DO NOT CHECK YOUR EMAILS until 12pm!
Yes that's right, not until you have done the things on your list. Also do not engage in meetings or phone calls unless they are honestly essential and part of your to do list. And even then, keep it short, sweet and to the point. Do you want to create space in your life? Or do you want to work all day?
4. After 11, take a good break. Go do something you have been putting off because you didn't have time. Relax, treat yourself and enjoy. If you have to do more work, squeeze it into a 2 hour slot and apply the same principles and then retire to other things that bring you joy. The more refreshed and happy you are, the better your life is and the easier you can manifest what you want.
Email Bombardment
This time management topic deserves a section to itself. Emails have stolen the lives of millions. Learn to claim back yours!
Here are the steps to freedom:
1. The golden rule to email liberation is to NEVER have your email messenger open unless you are actively working on efficiently going through your list. Keep your emails away and out of sight like a pile of letters until you come to the time when you are ready to read them.
2. As mentioned before, only check your emails AFTER you have achieved your critical tasks, not before. If you have to send an email as part of a critical task, be disciplined. Send just that ONE email, don't look at any other emails and CLOSE your mail account afterward. Be careful...you will be tempted to look.
3. After you have successfully and effectively achieved your critical tasks, set yourself a time limit and clear your email box. To help with this you can set up 'rules' that neatly sort your emails into folders, so it is easy to see what you are looking at. My email box has reduced by about 70% just by doing this. The junk is automatically filtered. Various things I have subscribed to go into their own folder for when I want to read them and I am in charge of what I do and what I see.
If there is a way to sort your emails more efficiently, or add them to spam, do it - this will save you time in the future.
For the rest of the emails, be very clear whether they are for business or pleasure. Get all of your business emails off your plate with maximum efficiency. Short, sweet, concise. Do not continue with open ended conversations. For example, if you need to make a date for an appointment and the other party is seeming vague, try this tactic: Tell them 'I can do x, y, z, dates - if none of these work for you please suggest 3 days that will work and I will get back to you.' This way you have saved time going back and forth with just a few lines.
4. You don't need to reply to every email - or read every email. Just delete things that you don't have the time and interest for. If something is genuinely urgent and you have missed it, then chances are you will get another email about it. Remember: people will often find a solution to their own problems in time, don't put yourself in a position where you personally are accountable to solve other people's problems. Empower people. Give them the tools and tell them where to go to find support. Give yourself a break. You can only serve well if you are refreshed.
Re-read this and actually apply these time management principles in your life and you will be amazed at how much more work gets done while your spare time to enjoy life increases every week.
Do less, achieve more - and enjoy!
