“Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.”
― Jean de La Bruyère, Les Caractères
Doesn’t that include all of us? At one time or another we’ve all complained about time sneaking up on us; a deadline approaches, children needing something right now, a death that is perceived to have come too soon. In business, time always appears too brief, especially if too many things are pulling at you at once. We try multi-tasking, but the truth is that only one task can be completed at a time even while four or more are in your head. Most professionals, and especially those that are self-employed or independent, need to use their time as efficiently as possible, but that just sounds like rhetoric, right?
Well, maybe not. We all want to be more productive, and Dr. Travis Bradberry has come up with six simple ways to be more productive. In his article, “Six Easy Tricks to Make You More Productive,” he points out the obvious; we all have choices to make each time we need to complete a task. He suggests the following:
A. Never touch paperwork twice
B. Do the most difficult tasks first
C. Learn to use the word “No”
D. Check email on a regular schedule
E. Complete one task at a time
F. Decide what is truly urgent — the rest can wait
All of these ideas seem simple enough until a co-worker or client comes in with a problem that “must” be dealt with immediately, and then you’re back to that same dilemma of making a choice. That is why C) Learning to use the word “No” is probably the most difficult advice to implement but also the most necessary.
No one wants to appear difficult to work with and saying no usually will convey that attitude. In order to be truly productive, however, it is very necessary if you won’t be able to complete the task or if you’re going to let something more important slide. See F) Decide what is truly urgent —the rest can wait.
At Summit Executive Suites, we pride ourselves on being very efficient with our time and always available to our clients. Come in for a tour and see how we can help you make the most of your time!