November 08, 2010

Defend Your Day

We each get the same 24-hour day, but some people seem to get more out of each day. The secret to making the most of your time is being aware of it.

Everyone has days when they go home feeling like they accomplished nothing, even though they were busy all day. The aim is to concentrate on meeting your objectives while also attending to the things that are important to your boss and your clients.

Here are some ways to advance your agenda:

• Protect your two-do list
No, that’s not a typo. Keep your must-do list to two things a day. Starting out with a list of 15 or 20 things that you want to finish within eight or nine hours is not reasonable. Ask yourself what are the two things you have to accomplish today and work to get them done. 

• Guard against interruptions
If you need a block of uninterrupted time, close your door, don’t answer the phone and turn off your email. Let clients and co-workers know when they can reach you by creating a specific voicemail message for the day and an auto-reply message for email. If you need quiet time for projects on a regular basis, schedule the time into your calendar so that everyone knows when you are unavailable. Although it may seem awkward at first, people will get used to leaving you a message or email if they need to contact you.

• Prevent multitasking
Doing two things at once that require concentration will prevent you from doing either of them well. By dividing your attention, you’re actually taking more time to finish both things than if you had done them one at a time.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, think about doing less and doing it well in order to finish what you need to. You avoid rushing and making errors, which take more time to correct.
 
What can you do, starting today, to regain control over your day? Click on Post a Comment, below, and tell us.

Organized by Marcie: Getting you organized so you have time to do what you love to do!
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