15 Secrets of Successful People About Time Management
We hear and read about strategies for productivity and time management from numerous sources. We are literally bombarded with hacks and tips whenever we browse on Youtube or Medium. However, the majority of us do not apply or even remember those. Kevin Kruse, a history professor at Princeton University gives the best collection of those practices.
1- The Power of 1440:
I have only 1440 minutes each day. If I narrow this down to and 8-hour workday, it leaves only 480 minutes. There is so much we can do. How many distractions can I eliminate; news, sports, social media, gossip,..? How much distractions can I accomplish if I count every single minute of my day?
Every day, start your work with ‘MIT’ (the most important task)
2- The Power of Proper Priorities
As I have summarised and review one of my favourite book ‘The One Thing’ by Garry Keller in my previous blogs, I remind the same principle: “How would I like to be totally clear on my ‘one thing’?”
We tend to be distracted when we have a lot of things to do. Most of us like to work on easier things, and often avoid important things.
Now, if there was one goal that would make a significant change in my life, what would it be? What is my most important task?
Remember, it is not about feeling productive (doing many things at once or doing unimportant but satisfying things), it is about actually being productive (doings things that have a big impact).
3- Stop Making To-do Lists
How much less stress would you feel if you could rip up your to-do list and work from your calendar?
For instance, Steve Jobs did not have a to-do list with him and was not thinking ‘What is my next task in the list?’ Do I really think that Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and other great people were strictly following their to-do lists?
In most cases, we are not able to accomplish all the things that we wish. As our to-do list grows, we start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We start to connect these bad feelings with our unfinished to-do lists.
What could we do instead?
We could use our calendars! If there is something really important we need to do, it should have a slot on our calendar. We should book time to complete it. This will ensure that we spend our time on the projects that are most important to us.
1- The Power of 1440:
I have only 1440 minutes each day. If I narrow this down to and 8-hour workday, it leaves only 480 minutes. There is so much we can do. How many distractions can I eliminate; news, sports, social media, gossip,..? How much distractions can I accomplish if I count every single minute of my day?
Every day, start your work with ‘MIT’ (the most important task)
2- The Power of Proper Priorities
As I have summarised and review one of my favourite book ‘The One Thing’ by Garry Keller in my previous blogs, I remind the same principle: “How would I like to be totally clear on my ‘one thing’?”
We tend to be distracted when we have a lot of things to do. Most of us like to work on easier things, and often avoid important things.
Now, if there was one goal that would make a significant change in my life, what would it be? What is my most important task?
Remember, it is not about feeling productive (doing many things at once or doing unimportant but satisfying things), it is about actually being productive (doings things that have a big impact).
3- Stop Making To-do Lists
How much less stress would you feel if you could rip up your to-do list and work from your calendar?
For instance, Steve Jobs did not have a to-do list with him and was not thinking ‘What is my next task in the list?’ Do I really think that Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and other great people were strictly following their to-do lists?
In most cases, we are not able to accomplish all the things that we wish. As our to-do list grows, we start to feel overwhelmed and stressed. We start to connect these bad feelings with our unfinished to-do lists.
What could we do instead?
We could use our calendars! If there is something really important we need to do, it should have a slot on our calendar. We should book time to complete it. This will ensure that we spend our time on the projects that are most important to us.
4- The Procrastination Cure
Imagine we could use a mental exercise to defeat procrastination. How different might life be?
The most important thing to remember is that procrastination is not about laziness. Procrastinating is completing more pleasurable tasks and postponing the less pleasurable ones at the same time.
There are two possible reasons we may procrastinate:
- We lack motivation.
- We underestimate the power of present emotions versus future emotions when we set our goals.
To overcome this, do not let your future self sabotage you. And dream big as a powerful strategy.
5- How to Leave the Office at 5:00 without Guilt
How much better will you feel when you finally accept the fact that you cannot do it all, because there will always be more that can be done?
Running a company is very time consuming and there are always more things to do. No matter how long we work, we will not complete everything that we would like to. That’s why it is important not to overwork ourselves and to ensure we take free time everyday.
We should accept that we cannot do everything, and understand that free time will help us with our productivity.
6- Richard Branson’s Secret Productivity Tool
How much less stress will I feel when I begin to dump everything important into my notebook?
Richard Branson, Aristotle Onassis, Jim Roth and more all emphasise the importance of always having something to write on. A notebook is one of the most important things we can have. I personally used to have a small notebook but since I found putting notes on my phone and reviewing them on my computer later on, I am carrying a notebook with me although some studies showed that people who take notes by hand are much better at conceptualisation than those who use a laptop.
7- Master Your Email Inbox
How can you empty your email inbox quickly and keep it from interfering with truly productive work?
According to studies, office workers spend an average of 2.6 hours per day reading and answering emails. This is one-third of their office time! Clearly, that’s much more time than it should be.
8- Meeting Hacks From Google, Apple and Virgin
How can you immediately shorten the time spent in meetings by one-third?
Most meetings are very poorly organized, and in consequence, they feel like a waste of time. The biggest problems with meetings are:
- They usually start late.
- The wrong people participate.
- Time is spent on trivial issues instead of the important ones.
9- One Little Word That Multiples Success
In recent years, we have many more avenues of communication available to us, and this causes much greater distraction. Today, it’s much easier to invite a friend for lunch, ask an entrepreneur for a quick call, etc. We live in a world of full of opportunities. And if we don’t learn to say no to most of them, we will not get our important work done.
Remember, every time you say yes, it is a no to something else. Some successful people, like James Altucher, have this rule: “If something is not a ‘hell YEAH!’ then it’s a ‘no!’”
Saying “no” might feel uncomfortable because we don’t like to let people down. However, if we don’t owe them anything, we can simply say “no.”
10- The Powerful Pareto Principle
Could a simple analysis of your workload make 80 percent of it disappear?
Vilfredo Pareto discovered that 80% of the wealth in Italy is owned by 20% of the people. Similarly, 80% of the production comes from 20% of the companies. This rule can be applied to many areas of life including productivity. From this principle, it can be determined that 20% of your tasks will produce 80% of your results.
The important thing here is to get into this mindset:
- Look for shortcuts.
- Do the most important things exceptionally well, and do the rest just good enough.
- Realize that you can work less, stress less, and increase your happiness by figuring out what 20% of the activities are the most important to you.
11- The ‘3 Harvard Questions’ That Save Eight Hours a Week
Can three simple questions save you eight hours a week?
There are many different things that managers must do every day. And if you are a startup founder, the variety of things you have to take care of is huge. Why don’t you outsource everything that can be outsourced?
There is probably a better use of your time than doing accounting for your company. There are probably many things that you can assign to your assistant, and free your time to do more important things.
12- Why Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Themes His Days
What if one simple change to your calendar enabled you to have a quantum leap in your productivity?
If you have a lot of different responsibilities that require time, think about theming your week. This means focusing on only one aspect of the company for the whole day. For example, you can focus on general management on Mondays, the product on Tuesdays, marketing on Wednesdays, and so on.
I personally use this method for my personal development program; two specific days to study the foreign languages, another day to read all the magazines I am subscribed to, another whole day to socialize. This way, I feel and measured that I am more productive and efficient.
Having a clear structure for the week will ensure that no responsibilities are omitted.
13- Do not Touch! (Until You Are Ready)
Can one small change in your habits gain you dozens of minutes each day and free up mental energy?
When we receive mail, most of us like to check it immediately and then postpone all related actions.
For example, when we receive a bill, we check how much to pay and when it is due. Then we postpone paying until it feels right. In this case, we should put the bills away on our desks and pay all of them at once on Friday. If we receive junk mail, we should put it in the garbage bin right away. Such small actions may save us a lot of time.
14- Change Your Morning, Change Your Life
Highly successful people design and empowering and energizing morning routine and stick with it.
Most successful entrepreneurs wake up early and have the same routine each day. The routine is designed to strengthen their body and mind. Pretty much everyone has their own routine; however, some of the elements are the same. For example, highly successful people wake up very early, eat a healthy breakfast, and do some exercises.
Invest the first 60 minutes of each day in rituals that strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.
15- Energy is Everything
Would you like the real secret to completing twelve hours of work in just eight-hour day?
We cannot manage time, time is something that flows and we cannot change it. Each of us has 24 hours each day. The real secret to managing our stress and getting more stuff done is managing our energy.
The most productive people usually take more breaks. Working constantly without a break significantly reduces our energy. One of the most popular methods is the Pomodoro technique. In this technique, you work 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break, or you work 50 minutes followed by a 10-minutes break.
You can use the spreadsheet below to remember these vital points.
I hope you enjoy this summary! Green lights to all the areas in your life!
Seyit
