 
## Time Management: Proven Techniques That Will Allow You to Achieve Greater Success & Productivity (Time Management and Productivity Solutions Book)

## Kristin Hughes

### Smashwords Edition

### Copyright © 2020, Kristin Hughes

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### Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: What Is Time Management?

Chapter 2: Time Bandits

Chapter 3: To Get More Accomplished You Have To Get Up Early

Chapter 4: Using Your To-Do List

Chapter 5: 25 Time Management Tips To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Chapter 6: Learn to Delegate or Outsource Work - Get Help When it is Necessary

Chapter 7: Only Do These Things When It Comes To Set Your Priorities

Chapter 8: Making Attitude Changes

Chapter 9: Productivity - The Myth of Multitasking

Chapter 10: Nothing Happens Overnight

Chapter 11: Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix

Chapter 12: How to Delegate Important (But Boring) Crap

Chapter 13: Focus

Chapter 14: Never Begin the Day with an Apology

Chapter 15: Managing Your Productivity

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### Introduction

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The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC. At the time, it was no more than a small city. However, by the time the Roman Republic transformed itself into the Roman Empire, it controlled the entire Mediterranean, all of continental Europe, as well as parts of Asia, Africa, and England.

This begs the question, how did this little city conquer the world? How did they go from relative insignificance to dominating three continents?

More importantly, what can we learn from them? How can we achieve similarly jaw-dropping results in our own lives?

At the core of it all is productivity.

Productivity means getting more done. Whether that be conquering the world or conquering your to-do list, a little extra productivity never hurts.

To understand the secret to the astounding military success of the Romans, we must first understand the three dimensions of productivity. Here they are:

1. Time

2. Speed

3. Efficiency

In other words, there are three avenues through which you can increase productivity. You can work longer (i.e. increase time). You can work harder (i.e. increase speed). You can work smarter (i.e. increase efficiency). Time, speed, and efficiency.

Now, back to the Romans.

Working longer wasn't an option for the Romans. All of their enemies had the exact same 24 hours each day. It would be impossible to outwork them. At best, they could hope to match them, but that's no winning strategy.

Working harder wasn't an option for the Romans either. Battle is a matter of life and death, and so both sides fight with just as much vigor as the other. Once again, they could match their enemies in this respect, but not surpass them. No winning strategy here.

To maximize results, the only avenue available to the Romans was to work smarter. And this they did. They became ridiculously efficient.

In battle, the barbarians had large, intimidating weapons. Big battle axes. Long swords. Scary stuff meant for hacking, chopping, and slicing and dicing enemy soldiers.

The Romans, on the other hand, went with a little, short, pointed, dagger-like sword called the gladius. It was terrible at chopping and slicing. Compared to the terrifying weapons wielded by the barbarian hordes, the gladius seemed like a kid's toy. Nonetheless, the gladius' small six inch point consistently beat the enemy — even though the enemy wielded significantly more fearsome weapons.

The tiny gladius was able to repeatedly deal the enemy massive defeats not despite its small size, but because of its small size!

Swinging big, long, heavy weapons is exhausting. Furthermore, all that wild flailing around frequently leaves one exposed just long enough for a Roman to thrust his gladius from behind a wall of shields.

While the opposing barbarians were working incredibly hard, the Romans barely broke a sweat. This ruthlessly efficient strategy saved the Romans much effort, giving them the energy to fight several times longer than the enemy.

By working smart, the Romans doubled — even tripled — their odds of victory. And that's what this book is all about. Working smarter and more efficiently. Maximizing results through the intelligent application of time management strategies. Getting more done without working 20 hours a day or consuming Red Bull by the truckload.

Strategy is the key to effective time management. Just as a general can conquer foreign lands by strategically deploying troops, you can conquer your to-do list with strategic time management.

Bruce Lee once said, "If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."

As if replying to Lee's insight, Peter Drucker said, "Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else."

To live the life we want, we must know how to manage our time. So let's dive right in and discover how.

### Chapter 1: What Is Time Management?

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"Time management" is by definition, the ability of organizing your time so you could optimize the benefits you get out of it. Paradoxically, the busiest you are, the less you get done. Hence, to be able to do more and better, you need to be the master of your time and not vice versa.

You see people today in a perpetual race to get somewhere, yet all they get is stress, heartache and health problems. You have people die of heart attack at 55 or even 45 because of stress – and stress is the result of lack of time management. You definitely do not want that.

Successful people, real achievers, the people whom you admire will tell you that working is very important in life; but more important than working hard is working smart. By "working smart" it means that you get more for the effort you put in, than vice-versa. Most people just work hard – which is a good thing, too. But if you want the BEST, you need to learn to work smart. You get that with time management.

Time management is the process that gives you mastery over your time. It sets you free to do what you want and when you want.

Let us take a look at how good you are with managing your time. Take the quiz given here and you will find that the results are quite surprising.

Quiz: How Good Are You At Time Management?

Answer the questions carefully and honestly. The answer should represent what you actually do, not what you feel it is the correct answer. Give yourself marks according to the following answers:

Not at all – 1

Rarely – 2

Sometimes – 3

Often – 4

Very Often – 5

The assignments I take up are always the highest priority.

I always seem to run short of time, asking for extensions or completing the task at the last possible moment.

I always keep time aside for the next day's planning.

I always or almost always am aware of how much time each assignment takes.

I keep getting interrupted when I am in the middle of work.

My work is planned according to the goals I have set for myself.

I always have contingency plans in place so my work does not get derailed.

I am aware of how important the task I am working on is. I have all my assignments labeled as high value, medium value and low value.

When I get a new assignment I have it assessed and indexed according to the priorities of the schedule.

I feel stressed by my commitments and deadlines.

I keep getting distracted and my work gets blown off the schedule.

Most of the times I carry my work home because it never gets over in time.

I always prioritize my work.

I set my priorities at work in tandem with my boss.

Before I agree to a task, I quickly analyze whether it is worth the time it requires or not.

Total your scores and look up the result:

75-46 = You are good with time management. Keep going on this track and you will do well.

45-31 = There is a lot of scope for improvement. You are very stressed by your work, and it is high time that you learn to manage your time better.

30-15 = This book is written for you. You need to take a good and hard look at the way you carry on. You need to organize yourself to do better with your time or you risk losing it all – your family, friends and career.

7 Reasons Why Time Management Is Good For You

Good time management will help you in every aspect of your life, i.e. at work, in relationships, with children, and for yourself. Here are the top 10 reasons why time management is a skill that you should master as early as possible.

Less Stress

Time management would ensure that you have total clarity about what you are doing and when you are doing it. It's like removing all clutter from your mind so you can see only what you need functionally. Hence, you will have minimum stress and maximum output.

Increased Output

Productivity increases by leaps and bounds since your mind is free from stress and hence, free to focus on the tasks that need to be completed without distractions. You not only complete the tasks you have set out to do, but also find time to do other things that until now you could not do because of lack of time.

Increased Energy

Recall how you feel when you complete a task that required your intense intervention. The satisfaction that you enjoy at the end of a work well done and completed on time releases the endorphins that make you feel good about yourself and more energetic. You will ready to take on the next task.

Freedom to Do What You Want

With time management you will find enough time to complete your "work" and still have enough left to bond with your family on daily basis, socialize with friends and colleagues, take up a hobby, read a book – and in general do things that you would have otherwise thought impossible for lack of time.

Reduced Effort

You will find that with time management the effort you require seems lesser because your mind is calm and focused and you can concentrate your full attention on your work schedule.

Minimum Wasted Time

An unorganized person spends a lot of time searching things, redoing things, handling situations resulting from mistakes, and so on. With time management, you learn to work in a focused manner and hence, commit fewer mistakes (ordinarily resulting from stress from mismanagement of time). This also helps eliminating the time you would otherwise waste when re-engaging in a task you interrupted.

Increased Opportunities

Clarity of mind helps you think more creatively and hence, find more opportunities to grow. An uncluttered mind is more likely to open to new ideas that a mind burdened with 1001 things on it.

10 Mistakes That Can Kill Time Management

Before you even start looking for room for improvement, you need to identify and recognize the top 10 kill-time mistakes most people do. Take a close look – which ones apply to you?

I am a perfectionist

I can't even think of doing anything less than perfect and hence, it takes me ages to perfect everything right from the top to bottom. Often while focusing on all possible details – important and not important – I get so carried away and worked up that I am useless for the better part of the day.

Solution – Do aim for perfection; that is a good habit. However, draw a line when it comes to the delivery deadline. There is always scope to improve; but letting go in time will free your mind and time to do and achieve more.

I need to be better than everyone, so I belong

I constantly try to outdo my better-performing colleagues and am always engaging in a mental race with them. I feel that if I do any less, I will no longer belong. I put in a lot of effort to always to a little more and/ or better than anyone else – so I feel appreciated.

Solution: Is this low self-esteem? You do not need to do more than anyone to belong. If at all, you should do it for yourself, for your satisfaction. Focus in giving it your best shot and resist any type of comparison.

I tend to procrastinate

I tend to put off things until the last moment and then I rush through everything a breakneck speed, which often affects the quality of the work. I feel stressed all the time and get less and less done.

Solution: Watch out for telltale signs that procrastination is becoming a habit with you. If so, take immediate steps to short circuit this tendency. Make a conscious effort to prioritize and complete your work within the stipulated deadlines.

I cannot say "No"

I work very hard and have my plate full most of the time. Even so, when somebody – not necessarily my boss only – requests my help, I cannot refuse. I end up overworked and unhappy because more often than not, my work and personal life suffer.

Solution: Learn to say "No". Practice saying "no" in front of the mirror until it does not feel too odd to say it. Be firm yet kind; you need not give any reason when you refuse anything. Just "I'm sorry I don't think I can fit this in my timetable right now" or "I'd have loved to help, but I have to finish this by the weekend" will suffice. You could also suggest alternatives that are more suitable to you such as, "I cannot do it right now, but I can take a shot at it next week if you like" will be good.

I tend to pack my schedule back-to-back

I like to make best use of my time and tend to pack my schedule back to back. Unfortunately, in spite of my best efforts I am unable to manage it quite well as one task runs into another creating total chaos. I find myself requiring rescheduling most often which is unsettling and counterproductive.

Solution: Allow a reasonable amount of buffer time between appointments and assignments. There will always be something that needs your attention and this time can be used for this purpose. Also, the buffer time will allow you time to de-stress and redirect your mind better.

I love "to-do" lists, but cannot do them every day

I draw up a "to do" list and then I am stuck with it for days, sometimes weeks. I often find the list more problem than help as I am unable to function as good with it as without it. Ironically, I end up being more distracted by the list than helped. I don't know how some people work so well with 'to-do" lists

Solution: Most people feel that "to-do" lists once done need not be touched until completed. Wrong. You need to re-write your "to-do" list every night – for the next day. This is because every day comes with new priorities and hence, you need to write the tasks of every day according to the latest priorities. Only then, you could give your best and ensure optimal productivity.

I cannot prioritize too well

I know it's counterproductive to multitask, but in spite of my best efforts I find myself doing it all the time because I am unable to prioritize too well. As soon as a new assignment lands on my desk, I feel compelled to take it up throwing my schedule completely off. I sometimes work simultaneously on 4-5 assignments – and I am unhappy with the progress and quality of all.

Solution: When you feel the impulse to start something else when you are still completing a task, make a conscious effort to resist. Instead, add it in the next day's "to-do" list allotting it with the fitting priority label. Make it a habit to stay on schedule until and less something urgent and cannot-be-put-off comes up.

I have everything in my mind; I don't need it written down

I like making mental notes about things that need to be done instead of writing them down. I feel writing things down takes too much trouble and too much time. I do sometimes forget things and sometimes things get a little mixed up – but overall, I think I am doing okay. I wish I could find a way to remember things better.

Solution: Writing things down is not as cumbersome or time taking as the outcome of a forgotten important assignment. Planning is an extremely important part of the process without which, often the best efforts fail to deliver.

Get into the habit of writing things down and making 'to-do" lists – and you will find your productivity increased and relatively effortless.

I tend to mix and interchange urgent and important

I work in a field where urgent tasks keep coming up, and I tend to attend to these replacing some of the important assignments I had scheduled my time for – often leading to frustration and missed deadlines.

Solution: Fit urgent tasks in the "in-between" time in your schedule. Make it a habit not to take up a new assignment unless it is entered and prioritized in your "to-do" list. If there are exceptions – understand that by definition these would be rare occurrences.

I don't have clear goals yet as I don't think it's important

I don't have any clear cut goals and I don't think this is too important. I'd rather take one day at a time and go where destiny leads me. I am however sometimes unable to take decisions quickly and firmly because of lack of direction. I also feel that my productivity suffers.

Solution: Goals give you direction and unless you have your own, you will be driven by those of others. Take out time and write down your life's goal (or goals; you can have more than one) and then break this goal into smaller yearly/ half-yearly/ monthly milestones. You will find that your mind and work is more focused and you are able to get much more out from the same (or even less) effort.

### Chapter 2: Time Bandits

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Much of being able to maintain your focus is being able to identify a time bandit and what to do when you do identify one. Much like general distractions around the office, time bandits beg for your attention and interrupt your concentration, making it more difficult to get back to the task at hand. What exactly is a time bandit, though? As the name suggests, a time bandit is anything that vies for the limited time in your schedule. A time bandit can be a coworker who drones on constantly about their newest boyfriend or most recent "disaster" in their dating life, it can be time around the water cooler, the boss who insists upon asking you to do their work for them, or that one website that you just can't help but visiting every hour. The one thing that all of these things have in common, is that they are all making demands on your attention and breaking your concentration.

Are time bandits really that big of a deal though? After all, a few minutes checking out that website for the newest sale items or a few minutes listening to the latest dating horror story from your coworker...they're not really that big of a deal are they? It's just a few minutes.

The truth is that yes; time bandits really are that big of a deal! If you spend eight hours a day at work and ten minutes of every hour giving in to a time bandit, that's eighty minutes (or an hour and twenty minutes) every hour that you are not working. An hour and twenty minutes that you could be using to draw up that contract, write that speech, or finish that proposal. It's an hour and twenty minutes that you won't have to work overtime or at home in order to finish up those projects that go unfinished, because "time bandits" just aren't going to fly as an excuse for why you didn't meet your monthly numbers...

Is time all that we lose when we allow time bandits in to our lives, though? What about concentration? When we allow time bandits in to our professional lives, we not only lose that ten minutes every hour, but we also break our concentration from current projects. This break in concentration causes a loss of fluidity in our work as well as adding a further delay when we return to the project at hand and have to reorient ourselves to the item that we were working on. So, what can we do to avoid succumbing to these time bandits? How can we maintain our concentration while at work and not give in to those distracting websites, co-workers, and water cooler conversations?

In the last chapter, we talked about using techniques like "time locking" to eliminate distractions in the office and avoid interruptions. This is a technique that proves particularly effective when a distraction is controllable as in the co-worker or boss who continually interrupts your workflow. Time locking allows you to maintain control of your schedule by putting limitations on others. This method of improving focus doesn't always work on time bandits, however, since some time bandits are self-imposed. We choose to visit that website and waste time, we choose to check our email a little too regularly, we choose, to allow our concentration to be diverted. So how can we enforce the practice of time locking upon ourselves? Throughout the rest of this chapter we will take a look at some proven methods of reducing or eliminating those pesky self-imposed time bandits.

Implement Distraction Reduction Apps

When we talked about losing focus in the workplace as a result of distractions, we introduced the idea of utilizing apps for the smartphone, tablet, and computer. Fortunately, there are also a good number of apps that are designed to help to manage personal distraction as well as improve focus in the office. These apps work by altering current habits, establishing new habits, and enforcing self-control.

1.Freedom – A free or premium app for your phone and computer, Freedom is designed to eliminate web surfing and app based distractions all together. By blocking apps and websites for specific periods of time, Freedom improves concentration and eliminates the chance of broken concentration as a result of self-imposed time bandits!

2.Isolator – Designed to improve focus, Isolator is a free tool that hides all icons and windows except for the one being worked on. This helps you to avoid clicking on that email button "one more time," since you can't even see the email button! Isolator is a simple work environment software, but it is one of the few that works with Windows and Mac. If you work on Max. you will find Think, Quiet, and Haze Over to all be similar and Mac specific.

3.Focus Booster – Available with free and premium plans, Focus Booster is an app that is designed to help you to take control of your work time by scheduling tasks in 25 minute (or longer/shorter) time slots. After each time slot, a short break is permitted before moving on to the next time slot. This app gives no room for wasting time and a great sense of satisfaction for task completion.

4.Stay on Task – A free or premium app, Stay on Task is designed to keep users on task in a gentler way than the more aggressive distraction reducing apps. Similar to having a mother standing over your shoulder, Stay On Task works by checking in at scheduled times to ensure that you are still on track with your currently scheduled tasks.

5.Stickk – An unusual, but particularly effective, app in the world of preventing distraction and improving concentration on relevant tasks is Stickk. The idea behind this service is betting on your own success. Users literally set a goal, put up the stakes, pull a referee on to your "case" and even add friends for added support. The aim of the game is to have fun while pushing for increased productivity.

Popular Business Approaches for Minimizing Distractions and Improving Concentration

In the previous chapter, we took a look at business tactics designed to improve focus and thereby increase productivity. As it happens, there are also a good number of these types of approaches designed to minimize distractions in the workplace as well. In this section we are going to take a look at a few of them.

Set Up Times to Address Work Related Distractions

Improve your concentration on tasks in the minute by scheduling times in the day to work on work related distractions. Rather than checking e-mail regularly throughout the day and wasting ten minutes here and there, schedule a short period at the beginning and end of the day to catch up on e-mail correspondence. This type of approach is called proactive working, where you already have a plan in place to tackle work-related distractions rather than allowing the distractions to dictate your schedule and interrupt your flow of concentration.

Identify and Minimize Visual Distractions

Just as technology can distract us from tasks at hand and steal our time away, so too can visual distractions. In order to avoid visual distractions in the workplace pay attention to your immediate environment. Remove "fidget" items from your desk, close your door if you are apt to be distracted by co-workers in the hallway, consider moving to a solitary quiet space to improve concentration on a particular task, and make sure to keep an organized desk space to prevent the distraction of clutter. While these types of time bandits may not stop by your desk for a discussion, they can certainly leach from your available work time and destroy your concentration.

Make Use of Window Blinds

This may seem like a peculiar piece of advice, however, if you have ever worked in an office with a view, then you know just how valuable window blinds can be. By nature, most of us are "people watchers" and as such we are easily sucked in to watching life unfold before our eyes. This is particularly true when we can do this from a position of power, giving ourselves a Godlike position over others. This distracting people watching can quickly whisk away hours of the day if we allow it, so we recommend using window blinds. If you can't see something to be distracted by it, you can't be distracted by it! It really is as simple as that.

Be Realistic in What You Can Tackle Daily

As we mentioned back in chapter 1, we are much more likely to allow distractions when we become bored with the work that we are doing. We are also much more likely to allow distractions when we set unobtainable goals for ourselves. In an effort to avoid this, try setting up your to do list the night before and make sure that you are not overtaxing yourself. We all have jobs that must be completed daily, but when we overcommit and overschedule, we can become overwhelmed and give in to distraction much more easily. So what is a reasonable amount of work? Well, that really depends upon where you work, what you do for work, and the tasks that you need to get completed on any given day. You know your working speed and you should know from looking at a to do schedule when you have taken on too much.

Implement a Routine

You may or may not have heard of the 40:15:5 routine. A time management tactic, 40:15:5 refers to the amount of time dedicated to specific tasks. For 40 minutes you will work on a task without giving in to distraction. Then, for 15 minutes you can check your e-mail, texts, social networks etc. so long as they are work related. Then lastly, for 5 minutes, allow yourself to recover from the past 55 minutes. Walk around, stretch your legs, take in sights other than your immediate working area, and take care of any needs you might have. Just remember, that your 5 minutes is not necessarily your coworkers 5 minutes, so don't distract them just because you are taking advantage of your break period in your schedule.

### Chapter 3: To Get More Accomplished You Have To Get Up Early

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Another long-standing time management myth is the one that perpetuates the idea that somehow, as long as you make it a point to be an early riser, your ability to get things done will be top-notch and your time management skills right up there.

The simple fact you are up as early as 5am does not translate to mean you will automatically be more productive than the person whose wake-up time is 8am. Because while you might be awake hours earlier, what exactly is your input in those hours?

A study published in 2011 in the journal, Thinking and Reasoning highlights that "the key to being productive and creative is to work the hours that are best for you."

Some people find that the best time for them to carry out particularly energy-tasking assignments is in the mornings while for others, it might be in the afternoons or evenings. That's the point: there is no set in stone time that translates into a productivity spike.

Imagine a writer who sits, fingers poised on the keyboard to tap out a story at 5am but instead daydreams until the hour of 8am and another who sleeps until its 9 and wakes up reinvigorated and with boundless energy to get at the day's work. In the end, they will either be at par regarding productivity level or the latter will even do better because the body was given time enough to be rejuvenated.

The secret to enhancing productivity is not in waking up early but rather in knowing yourself, understanding your peak periods and building your schedule in such a way that maximizes it.

The importance of sleep in having a well-rounded day truly cannot be over-emphasized. A study reported in the journal, Sleep reported that sleeping for less than five hours every night accounts for some of the sick leaves employees take off work. Sleep deprivation hampers a healthy state over time and reduces productivity level.

A 2011 research also found that sleep strengthens the "working memory capacity," associated with problem solving, vocabulary, decision making; all of which are soft skills necessary to get the job done in record time.

It can be difficult to detach your mind from work and all the things that have to be done but for the sake of the same work, it has to be done. Watch what you introduce into your system as foods and drinks, be physically active and importantly, learn to manage stress. Imbibe the truth that agonizing over something will not miraculously give rise to a solution.

Let go of it, breathe, rest, relax and sleep. Allow yourself to be, and watch your productivity level surprise even you.

50 cent once said, "Sleep is for those people who are broke." It's catchy, isn't it? Until you realize you have to be alive to make money and not be broke. To be alive, you have to take care of your health, and one of the ways to do that is by respecting your body's right to and need of sleep.

It is a cycle where one factor impacts sometimes irreversibly on the other. And I daresay it's a no-brainer.

### Chapter 4: Using Your To-Do List

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To-do lists are pretty much like knowledge – if it ain't used, it's useless. Further, if it ain't used well, better not use it at all. So if you want to use your to-do lists well, consider the following useful tips.

Cleanliness is next to usefulness

Clutter is one of the most distracting things in the world, whether it's in terms of physical clutter or mental (to-do list) clutter. Have you ever been in situations wherein you were in a hurry to go but couldn't simply because you can't find your keys? Well, it happened to me ages ago and because of that, I missed a very important event in my friend's life. Why couldn't I find the keys to my car? It was buried in tons of clutter at home.

Clutter can impede your personal productivity in a similar way. When you have too much "task clutter" in your to-do list, it's not impossible that you may actually overlook some high priority tasks as it can get lost in an ocean of other tasks. For the most part, junk or clutter tasks are mostly those found in Quadrant IV, i.e., worthless ones like spending 3 hours on Facebook everyday – unless you're a social media content manager or marketer. One of the best ways to minimize or task clutter is to periodically check your to-do lists to see if by any chance, some worthless Quadrant IV tasks managed to slip in undetected. If so, clean up your list and delete them.

Another source of task clutter is procrastination, which leads to continuous build-up of pending tasks that would've been accomplished and removed from your to-do lists already. These are particularly dangerous to personal productivity simply because they tend to eat time that's meant for other scheduled tasks. We'll deal with overcoming procrastination in more detail towards the end of the book but suffice to say, don't put off for another time what you can do now. Whenever possible, make sure that your daily to-do lists are cleaned up and clutter-free by the time you hit the sack.

Pareto Principle and Parkinson's Law

I guess you're already familiar with the Pareto Principle, which states that on average, 80% of results come from about 20% of resources. On the other hand, you may not have heard of Parkinson's Law up until now. Well, Parkinson's Law in a nutshell is the reason why many people seem to be more effective when cramming – or at least they claim so. It says that a particular task's perceived value or importance increases when the time given to accomplish it shortens. In other words, tasks whose deadlines are fast approaching become more important. I believe the proper term for that is urgent. Parkinson's Law is also referred to the magic of the imminent deadline, according to Tim Ferris in his best-selling book The 4-Hour Workweek.

So why are we even talking about this and what has this to do with using our to-do lists well? We can use the Pareto Principle to determine which tasks to prioritize. What the Pareto Principle is trying to say is that you should give more importance to tasks that account for the biggest share of the results you're looking for. Even without the technicalities of Quadrant logic, you can easily deduce that in most cases, work related tasks should come first. This is why in general, most people spend most of their waking hours on work.

Parkinson's Law on the other hand, can help us become more focused on finishing our tasks and finishing them well. By setting relatively shorter than normal deadlines for certain top-priority tasks, you'll be able to prioritize them accordingly and focus on the essentials. Many times, we tend to complicate many tasks if we're given too much time to finish them. Why?

For one, nature – us included – abhors a vacuum and as such, tends to fill it up. Simply speaking, our tendency as humans is to fill up the time given to us for accomplishing tasks. With more time given to us, we'll probably think of ways to make the task more complicated than it really is. Tim Ferris gave a really good example of this – his own. He said while he was in university, it was already the night before his term paper or thesis was due and still we weren't anywhere near finished. Without the benefit of an extended deadline, he was forced to focus on passing a paper the next day. With less than 24 hours and having to practically start over, he had to focus on the essentials of the paper. By focusing on the essentials, he was able to submit a very well written paper. The lack of time forced him to stick to what's important and that allowed him to do well.

Pareto Principle and Parkinson's Law (In-depth)

So how do you combine the 2 when it comes to managing your to-do lists? Use the Pareto Principle to identify the important, high priority tasks to focus on and set relatively short deadlines (Parkinson's Law) for accomplishing them. Not only can you finish your tasks ahead of schedule, you can also accomplish them well.

In case you want to explore them separately, here's what to consider for each. Starting with Pareto:

•Identify your key result areas

The modern day world allows information to be all over the place and for real-time response via email, phone or voice chat. With so many opportunities you will also be easily distracted.

So, you're going to a need a compass. Not necessarily one that points to the four directions, but one that directs you to what is most important for your thoughts or actions, like from the Disney "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series.

In this case, your compass are the goals and objectives that you want to achieve in a week/quarter/year (whatever your preference). The top priorities you should have are those aligned with your performance criteria, or what you're really good at, as well as your goals.

Any incoming information or requests for your need will need to be assessed against your goals. Once you have your compass set you can assign the incoming task as your "north", or priority.

•Set your priorities via Pareto Principle

List all the activities you have to get done over the next week on your to-do list. Then put an A, B, or C letter next to those items.

'A' letters are for the most important activities, such as those in the top 20%. 'B' letters are somewhat important, in the mid 60% range, and 'C' letters are the bottom 20%, and the least important items.

Put a time limit on each activity you listed 'A'. Take care to note how long each of the 'A' items will take, especially if you are prioritizing them.

•Protect the vital few from the trivial many

Gather up all of your top priority actions that you have to do next week. If you have followed through with the process, each action should have a duration time next to them. Then make time for these most important activities, rather than trying to find time later on.

Ask yourself these questions about time and scheduling:

1.How much time are you spending at work?

2.What essential tasks must you protect and do?

3.Do you have time available for your "big rocks" (or important jobs)?

4.How flexible is your schedule, and can you make it work?

5.What is your discretionary time? (Time you have left)

6.Have you analyzed your schedules and activities?

Now back to Parkinson's Law. The best thing you can do is to embrace the deadlines and time constraints. When you are given a task without a deadline, set yourself one and hold onto it. Promise yourself something to get it done faster. It can be a reward for positive reinforcement (such as your favorite dessert or a night out at a restaurant), or a punishment for negative reinforcement (like eating a can of dog food).

If you're really going this route, gun for a deadline for your task. The shorter the time, the more pressure is built to get done on time. As you get more focused, you'll be able to complete more work, in theory.

One example is to try 25 minutes of burst work, and then a five-minute break to rest up, and no work. This pushes you to do as much as you can before time's up, and might be good practice should you ever get into a similar situation in the future.

Action steps

When you include outcomes in your to-do lists, you run the risk of either being distracted or overwhelmed that you may fail to accomplish your tasks. Remember clutter? Minimize it by making sure that only action steps are included in the tasks in your to-do lists. No more, no less.

A good example of this is a task that's written down merely as "chest day at the gym". To make it more action oriented, you can re-write this as "Perform 5 sets of 10 reps on the machine chest press using 50 pounds."

And speaking of actionable tasks, starting them with verbs makes them so. Keep in mind that our choice of words can subtly affect how we feel about certain things. By writing down tasks with verbs at the start, we subconsciously tell ourselves that we must act on it. Instead of "blog" for example, you can write the task as "write and post social media marketing blog by 12pm" or instead of "groceries", you can write it down as "get food supplies from the grocery store."

When you begin tasks with verbs instead of nouns, you minimize clutter by keeping your list clear of outcomes as well as making it easy for you to know at first sight what you need to do. Using verbs that can also be used as nouns like "blog" or "deposit" can lead to potential use of outcomes in your task lists.

Why?

If a task has no valid reason for accomplishing, why bother putting it in your to-do list? It'll just be clutter and keep you from doing what really matters and continue being productive. So keep in mind that tasks that to aren't aligned to what's really important to you, impossible to finish or worthless (Quadrant III and IV items), spare yourself the trouble and don't put them on your to-do list.

Time

Each task on your to-do list will require different amounts of time to accomplish. When you factor in the time needed to accomplish them, you'll know if you need to break them down further or simplify them.

One good indicator is that if it takes more than an hour to finish, a task may be too big or complicated. Not scaling back may result in discouragement or procrastination. When you break them down to smaller chunks, you avoid being discouraged or the temptation to procrastinate.

An example of a relatively big or complex task is preparing your home for a birthday party. These may include, among others, house repairs, vacuuming and trimming the lawn. It's a good idea to just break them down into those smaller tasks and treat the original task as a project instead of a task.

If you find that your estimates are a bit off at first, don't despair. It's a skill that needs to be practiced to become good at. You'll eventually get it as you go along so don't be too hard on yourself.

Fast forward

While it is good to focus on the task at hand, good preparations require that you think ahead to prepare for the succeeding actions steps. When you do so, you minimize the amount of time lag from accomplishing a pre-requisite task and succeeding ones because you can immediately hit the ground running on the next one as you've already identified and prepared for it before hand.

Reviews

Reviewing your to-do lists on a regular basis, say weekly, ensures all's in order and help you prepare well for the following week. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to do so but the benefits you'll reap from doing so can be so much more. Just like going on an out of town trips, you make regular stops to see if you're headed towards the right direction and if not, adjust accordingly. Often skipping periodic reviews may be an indication that you already have too much on your plate.

Necessary Info

Procrastination becomes even more tempting when you're inconvenienced. Have you ever experienced being inconvenienced simply because you put off things today for tomorrow? Me, I've experienced this before when I kept on putting off doing the groceries simply because I'm "tired". The usual consequence? I end up spending more money for household food by ordering for delivery.

One way to minimize such inconveniences brought about by procrastination is to include important information as you list your tasks in your to-do list. This saves you a whole lot of time spent just looking for them especially when you're in a hurry. An example is looking for a car mechanic to fix your car at home. If you don't list down the contact information of the mechanics you plan to contact as you include the task in your to-do list, then you may spend more time than necessary trying to look for such info later on. If you're in a hurry, those precious minutes can spell the difference between being able to accomplish the task and procrastinate – forever!

Remember, success favors those who do their homework and by including important information or references together with your tasks, you can minimize the risks of procrastinating due to inconvenience.

Write your list the night before

You'd be surprised how this works for many people. If you write the to-do list the night before, you can hit the ground running as early as the next morning. Morning time is where most people have the most energy and having the to-do list already at hand means you don't waste time thinking and/or remembering what you need to do.

Qualify the Contents

Everything that goes on your daily to-do list should have two things of note: something important that you need to do (as opposed to what doesn't really need to be done or can be delegated to someone else) and something that needs to be done by the end of the day. We don't need everything on the list, and especially not items that don't help to the daily goals. Keep the important and urgent task, so you can be able to move on to tomorrow's tasks easier.

Assign Time Estimates

Be sure to always estimate how long tasks get completed. Whether it's a few minutes or a few days, timing is everything. Knowing this can help you plan ahead and make decisions on how to make them fit the rest of your day.

Use Sections

If you need to, sometimes breaking your list down further can keep your thoughts and plans organized. For example, Robert C. Pozen, senior lecturer of Harvard University and author of Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, says some tweaks to your list can make it into a better productivity tool.

Pozen divides his own list into two categories. On the one side, he makes a chronological list of things that need to be done, such as meetings and conference calls. On the other side, he writes down what he hopes to get done during those other side events, like coming up with a plan on a certain issue.

Under the chronological side of his list, Pozen also has items and/or tasks that must be done, but have no time frame or priority. Those items are there in case he has a few extra minutes in his to-do list.

Re-evaluate what you have removed or haven't put on

If you're repeatedly putting aside an important task for later or the next day, you need to figure out why. Maybe it's not as important as you once thought and it shouldn't be on the list to begin with, or you have a problem you need to resolve first before that task can be done. Either way, it's a bad omen if this instance of pushing off keeps happening.

### Chapter 5: 25 Time Management Tips To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

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Time management encompasses a wide variety of skills and abilities, many of which can only be mastered through discipline and perseverance. Basically, proper time management includes the ability to prioritize tasks appropriately, make proper schedules, and avoid procrastination. Once these skills are mastered, it should become easier to manage your time and become more productive.

By knowing more about the following techniques, you will eventually be able to improve your time management skills.

Setting Priorities

Remember the Pareto Principle

According to this theory, for any series of tasks, 20% of the work requires 80% of the total required effort. The other 80% of the work only need around 20% of the effort. Therefore, you need to identify those tasks which require high levels of effort and focus on completing them. Don't drain your energy for other tasks that can be finished with minimal effort. Remember that you should preserve your energy for other tasks.

Don't bite off more than you can chew

Recognize that you can only do so much, even if you have excellent time management skills. Learn to say "No" to some tasks that are unsustainable, and you will reduce the amount of stress you receive.

Deal only with the essentials

Similar to the previous tip, only do tasks that are truly relevant. By refusing to take on nonessential responsibilities, you leave more room in your schedule for the important things in your life.

Know the difference between the words ''urgent'' and ''important''

Both words are used to designate tasks which need to be prioritized, but the two words differ significantly in meaning. Tasks that are deemed urgent are those that need to be finished quickly, while tasks deemed important are those that have grave consequences when not dealt with. Tasks that are urgent but unimportant are usually the biggest time wasters. Fortunately, they can be minimized by avoiding bad time management habits, such as procrastination.

Spend some time categorizing tasks and assigning them priorities

While it might take some time for you to sort out tasks, this process of prioritization will help you focus your energy and resources on appropriate tasks, instead of wasting time on tasks that are actually irrelevant. Setting priorities will increase your overall efficiency.

Creating Schedules

Write all tasks on a to-do list

This will help you remember the tasks that you need to finish. This also lets you assign priorities to those tasks.

Make your to-do list easily accessible

It is too easy to forget to check on your to-do list. Make sure to place it somewhere visible to ensure that you comply with it.

Be strict with deadlines, but take account of possible mishaps or delays

Being too rigid with your plans leaves you vulnerable. When unexpected shocks occur, you might not have the flexibility to adjust and accommodate any changes.

Never spend more time on creating to-do lists than on actually doing tasks

It might feel satisfying to create to-do lists, but always remember that they are useless if you do not actually do the tasks written on them.

Create an energy map and plan accordingly

Since your energy levels change throughout the day, it is important to schedule tasks based on the amount of effort needed to complete them. For example, it might be a good idea to do challenging tasks during the times when you feel most energized.

Maintaining Willpower

Take note of hyperbolic discounting

This idea, based on various findings under the field of psychology, states that people usually discounts the value of events that are further into the future. Thus, they are easily tempted by small distractions, which provide more immediate satisfaction than long-term tasks. Therefore, you should be wary of this phenomenon and try to compensate for it.

Split large tasks into smaller activities

Due to hyperbolic discounting and short attention spans, humans tend to prefer small but instant sources of satisfaction. In light of this, you should split large tasks into more manageable chunks. The frequent feelings of satisfaction derived from finishing those small tasks will help motivate you to finish the entire task.

Give yourself small rewards for every task finished

Similar to the previous tip, rewarding yourself every time you make progress will help counter the negative effects of hyperbolic discounting and avoid becoming demotivated

Use the Pomodoro technique

People have some difficulty sustaining their focus. After a short amount of time, they start to struggle with maintaining the level of concentration required to finish the job at hand. For many of them, the Pomodoro technique, pioneered by Francesco Cirillo during the late 1980s, might prove to be useful. This method uses a timer that is set to ring every 25 minutes. Once the timer rings, the person takes a short break, then resumes working. By using this technique, you give your body and mind a chance to rest and to prepare for the next period of work.

Recognize that willpower, although imperfect, can always be improved

Studies in the field of social psychology have shown that willpower is reduced after a person has finished a task that requires intense concentration. In addition, research has provided evidence that willpower, like physical strength, can be enhanced through regular practice.

Strive to reach the state of being "in the flow"

When people say that they enjoy being "in the flow," they refer to the state of sustained concentration only achievable in a distraction-free environment. In this state, people see dramatic increases in productivity.

Think of why you started in the first place

When your willpower starts to falter, think of the reasons you started the task in the first place. Reorienting yourself of the things you need to accomplish will help you regain any lost willpower.

Avoiding Distractions

Block access to distractions

Since willpower can fail, you should not rely on it completely. Do not assume that you will be able to resist any temptation that arises. Rather, take steps that limit your exposure to distractions, such as logging out of social media sites and notifying your friends that they should not disturb you unless necessary.

Work in an environment that promotes productivity

For this reason, it might not be a good idea to work in your bedroom, since you might feel the urge to stop working and go to sleep. Instead, work in places which you clearly associate with productivity. It would also be beneficial to pick places that minimize distractions and have a calming ambience.

Finish one task at a time

In contrast to multitasking, finish the current task first before moving on to the next task. This will minimize interruptions and decrease the likelihood of becoming distracted.

Drink moderate amounts of coffee

Caffeine, a chemical found in coffee, has been shown to increase concentration and attention. Of course, too much will make you too hyperactive to work properly, so limit yourself to a cup or two of coffee.

Take small snacks

Having something to eat will reduce hunger pangs and help you avoid distractions.

Listen to music

As long as you pick tunes that you actually love, listening to music will help you concentrate more on your current activity.

However busy you are, never forget to sleep

Sleep deprivation has been linked to decreased focus and increased susceptibility to distractions.

Make sure to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly

Proper nutrition helps supply the brain with essential vitamins and minerals, while exercise increases blood flow to the brain.

### Chapter 6: Learn to Delegate or Outsource Work - Get Help When it is Necessary

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You might be highly competent and, on most days, can handle every responsibility handed to you at work but there are times when you will need extra sets of hands. This is where outsourcing and delegation enter the picture. It basically means having another individual complete a task on your behalf.

There is nothing wrong with delegating a task or two to someone else. Not only will it help you meet deadlines much faster but it will also free up more of your time - time that can be used focusing on something more complex and in need of greater attention.

The problem with most professionals is that they cannot help but be controlling micromanagers when they outsource work. Although you can update for progress, looking over the shoulder of the person you've delegated a task to defeats the purpose of delegation.

Delegation is an important and highly beneficial time management strategy and here are some simple steps that will help you overcome your doubts and trust your outsourced colleague.

Control your instincts to hoard work.

Everyone has an urge to be in control. In the workplace, there are plenty of professionals that take on more than they can handle because of this very reason. They put themselves in situations wherein they have to juggle multiple projects with coinciding deadlines.

Aside from wanting to be in control, the urge to prove oneself worthy of praise is another reason behind why people hoard tasks at work. Everything turns into a self-serving competition for recognition and worth.

If you can handle the load, then taking on a number of tasks is fine but if it is beginning to affect your output and demeanor then it may be high time to share those tasks with other people. It may be difficult at first to control this habit but at some point, you will realize that you will benefit tremendously by trusting others to handle some aspects of your project.

Find the right people to delegate tasks to.

If you have convinced yourself to delegate some of the tasks on your master list, the next thing that you have to do is find the right people to delegate these to. You should always consider the skill level and competency of the individual that you have in mind.

Delegation should ease your stress, not add to it. Make sure that you assess the skills and expertise of your colleague to ensure that he or she can deliver excellent output without the need for constant management. Go for self-starters with an entrepreneurial mindset as these are the kinds of people that invest in their work and ensure that everything is done in the most efficient way possible.

Establish a timeline and set all expectations.

When you've found the right person for the job, see to it that you clarify all expectations, deadlines, and address all concerns they may have before any of the work begins. Early on, you should already be on the same page as to what you want to achieve and what processes need to be followed.

Try your best to be as specific as possible with regard to what tasks need to be completed and when they should be delivered for review. Make sure that the person you are delegating the tasks to understand all of these and can commit to the guidelines and timelines that you have provided.

Define your involvement in the process.

You may be delegating the task to someone else but this does not mean that you will have zero involvement in the process. It is very important that you define your level of involvement early on so that your colleague will know what to expect and you won't end up burning bridges due to any misunderstanding.

Trust, but verify. Recognize. Allot windows for mistakes.

Part of outsourcing work is trusting that you've chosen the right person for the job and that this individual will provide you with the kind of output that you require. Recognize their efforts and give praise when and where it is due. Everyone makes mistakes, even yourself, so set a window for revisions and the like.

Create alliances at work.

One of the best ways to have an available support team when you need it the most starts with you creating alliances in the workplace. As much as possible, be sincere, show concern, and be ready to help your colleagues when necessary. When it's you who needs assistance, you can rely on most of them to return the favor.

### Chapter 7: Only Do These Things When It Comes To Set Your Priorities

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One of the greatest time wasters when it comes to effective time management is misplaced priorities and a lack of personal goal setting. In order to best manage your time, it is important that you set your priorities straight first. However, most people tend to go wrong when it comes to setting goals. If you are currently making $6 per hour, and find it hard to cover your bills, the next goal in your mind should be to make more money. Take a moment to reflect on what you want to do with your life. Sometimes this may require you getting an education as opposed to taking another low income job. On the other hand, if you find that your work is using up most of your time with your children, you may want to make some time for them NOW, since they are bound to grow and move out eventually. If you identify these goals, you will be able to make effective decisions to better utilize your time.

Before you decide on a goal, it is important that you take stock and review your personal circumstance from a different perspective. Setting long term goals is an excellent motivator. It helps you see beyond today and also reminds you that there is a greater objective for the time you are spending. If you find a certain task particularly tedious, think about how achieving it fits into your goals. On the other hand, if you realize that most of the time consuming tasks in your schedule do not have bearing on reaching your goals, then you may want to cut them off, or at the very least, cut back on the time you spend on them. If your long term goal is to spend more time with your family, make it specific and set aside a date to be accomplished.

Your short term goals are interdependent with your long term goals. For example, if you decide to first finish incomplete projects, you will need to be more selective on the kind of assignments you can handle. You can even set a date to stop working overtime. The activities that you spend with your family should be planned with no interruptions. Make clear goals with vivid steps to achieving your goal, which is spending more time with your family in this case. These short term goals can be used to measure your progress towards achieving your long terms goal.

Steps to Creating Achievable Goals

*Prioritize: If you have several goals you want to achieve, put them on a list and prioritize.

*Be Positive: be positive in your language. Use words like, "I'll be", "I will", and so on. There is a power in what you say. By simply telling your mind that you can't do something, you create some sort of mental block and your mind being very obedient will ensure that you do not do that task.

*Be Precise: Be precise. For example, saying that you will have supper with your family for 3 nights a week is better than saying that you will try to get home earlier.

*Check Performance: Estimate your efficiency. Set the time when starting and completing your goal.

*Be Practical: Let your goal be practical. Do you have what it takes to complete your work or do you have to depend on others to meet your goals?

*Is it Personal: Is the goal you want to achieve a personal objective or is it someone else's wish for you.

Creating an Action Plan

This will have a lot to do with your daily scheduling. Since you have already determined your long term goal and have established your guide posts, the next step is to simply implement an action plan in order to get control of your time. You can then implement your action plan using your short term goals. If your aim is not to make radical changes but rather to eliminate your daily stress, you may find that the time you used to set your goals is enough to set your priorities in order. If you have to refocus on your goals, then you will need to give your short term goals a starting or completion date and write it down. Write down the actions you need to take within this period in order to realize that goal. If you find the tasks somehow overburdening, you may have to seek the services of an assistant or just break down the tasks to make what needs to be done doable.

The Secrets To Beat Procrastination

Generally, procrastination is simply putting off things that need to be focused on right away, usually in the favor of doing enjoyable or comfortable tasks. When you keep procrastinating doing something, you may end up spending a lot of time later on doing the task when you could have simply done the task in a short time. For instance, if you keep postponing every utensil you use to the end of the week, you will find that by Saturday, you have so much work to do and you may either not end up washing the dishes or you may have to spend a lot of time washing the dishes because the dirt and grease has stuck on the plates and spoons and you have to use more effort washing. If you simply decided to wash that plate, one pan and cup after a meal, every day, you would only spend a few minutes doing the task and not have to waste several hours of your precious time on Saturday doing the task. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to overcome this self-destructive habit:

Acknowledge that you are procrastinating

You can probably know when you are procrastinating by being honest with yourself. A few indicators of procrastination include:

*Having low priority tasks at the top of your to do list

*Revisiting emails several times without taking action on them

*Sitting down to start an urgent task but almost immediately taking off to get some coffee

*Postponing a task on your to do list for a prolonged time, even when you are aware that it is important

*Having difficulty saying no to other people's unimportant tasks, rather than using the time to get on with the relevant tasks at hand

*Waiting for the right time or the right mood to carry out an important task

Determine the source of your procrastination

This could be on your side or the side of the task. Some people may find a particular job to be unpleasant, and as such, will try to avoid it for that reason. The challenge is that most jobs have some boring or unpleasant aspects, and the best way to deal with these is to do them quickly so that you can concentrate on the more pleasant aspects of the job. On the other hand, some people are simply disorganized and therefore find it hard beating procrastination. However, if you have a prioritized schedule and to-do-list, you will know the relevance of the task at hand, and you can even calculate the time it will take to complete it, then work back from that point to avoid being late.

On the other hand, if you are organized but feel overwhelmed by the task, you may doubt you have the skills and resources needed to complete the assignment, so you end up doing the things you are sure of. Perfectionists are surprisingly often procrastinators, and they may divert from a task completely for fear of their inability to do the task perfectly right away. Underdeveloped decision making skills can also make you procrastinate. If you can't decide what you want to do, then you are more likely to avoid taking action in case anything goes wrong.

Adopt Anti-procrastination Techniques

Since procrastination is a deeply ingrained habit, it is not possible to break it overnight. You will need to work on this bad habit day after another. Here are some general tips to get you moving:

*Set rewards for yourself: E.g. promise yourself a piece of chocolate cake or you favorite steaks if you complete a certain task by lunchtime.

*Ask a pal to check up on you: Self-help groups use this technique, and it is widely recognized as a very effective approach.

*Determine and acknowledge the unpleasant consequences of not finishing the task.

*Evaluate the cost of your time to your employers. Since your employers are paying you to tackle the tasks they think are most relevant, if you are not doing these things, you are not delivering value for your earnings.

*Keep a to-do-list in order to avoid the overwhelming or unpleasant tasks slipping off your mind.

*Become a master of project planning and scheduling in order to know when to start the all-important projects.

*Set time limits for your goals

*Concentrate on one task at a time

*If a project seems to be overwhelming, break it into smaller, manageable bits.

*If you are avoiding a task because you find it unpleasant, just go ahead and give it a try. It may turn out to be the opposite of what you were expecting.

### Chapter 8: Making Attitude Changes

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As much as I have been identifying the need to prioritize, what I failed to mention is that a lot of times, our priorities are skewed. In simple terms, prioritizing is putting things in neat little boxes to give your life order. The problem is, however, that the workbox gets bigger and bigger and the home life and fun box gets smaller and smaller. In the past few decades especially, the need to become bigger and more successful has become a huge sensation. We want more money, a bigger house, and a bigger car and the list goes on and on and on. In this race, however, we lose out really living life, and in the end, that is what time management is all about – being able to balance your work with your private life so that you can stop and enjoy the birds chirping or the smell of the wet mud after a heavy shower.

Success is measured by the size of your house or the position you hold at your company. That's what businesses and media tell you it's supposed to be like. Psychologists, though, have found that those workers who have fun and who are able to make that fun box as big as the workbox actually fill their lives with energy and are thus more productive at work. They don't have resentment. They don't have this negativity that goes hand in hand with putting fun time away and giving work priority.

Of course, this isn't something you can change overnight. In the course of your long life, you have internalized what is the dominant discourse – that more money equals success and time management is synonymous with getting more work done, and you need to be smarter than your peers to come out on top. What you need is an attitude change – a complete one-eighty that will allow you to be more productive and efficient while enjoying every moment life has to offer you. So here is habit number ten – relearning your attitude.

Habit No. 10 – Appreciating Your Own Importance

As adults, we undertake a huge amount of responsibility on ourselves. One of the main reasons children enjoy life far more than we do is because they do not have to worry about paying the bills, or financing someone's education or paying off student loans, and so on and so forth. Adulthood means freedom definitely, but that freedom is also burdened with a sense of responsibility, especially when we settle down and raise a family of our own.

We start prioritizing differently. At least when you are single and living by yourself, your sense of responsibility is lesser, since you only need to look after yourself. That's not to say that you don't need to take care of yourself, only that you have a comparatively lesser number of things to worry about. Family, for all that it is an essential quality of life, does come with its own set of problems and difficulties, which are, unfortunately, propounded by the society and the media.

For instance, we are taught from a young age that unselfishness is a very good thing. We should never put our own needs above the needs of others. We have internalized this ideal to such an extent that it has begun to be harmful to us. The worst of it is we don't even realize it. When your parents taught you this fundamental thing, they didn't mean that you need to run yourself into the ground and put yourself last.

A lot of people think that unselfishness actually is a positive attribute and they use it to a degree that it harms who they are. For example, if you let other people have priority over you all of the time; you are not giving yourself any happiness. What true selfishness is, is putting yourself in a position where you are more important in the priority list than someone else. To put it simply – there is one ice cream and you are standing with a child. Both of you want that ice cream. You eat it. The child gets upset because he/she didn't get it. That's selfishness; you made the child cry. But it is not outside the realm of possibility to admit that you wanted it too; the media would have you believe that you should be a saint, who will sacrifice your wants simply because you are an adult. It is okay to want the ice cream and it is okay to eat it too. Only thing is, you could share it with the child, so that instead of either one of you being happy, both of you learn the joys of sharing and enjoy that single moment life has to offer you.

Actually looking after your body and mind by giving it some of your time for creative pursuits or just to have fun is not selfishness. Like I said before, your 'me-time' is essential to de-stress and relax, if only because you need to hit that more efficient mark that your bosses want you to cross. Give yourself and your wants and needs as much importance as of those around you; unless you learn to be at peace with yourself, you're not going to go anywhere.

If you don't know how vital you are to your own life, how can you ever give yourself priority? You are central to your life. The balance of time that you have in your life dictates who you are. Thus, it should include equal amounts of fun time as it does work time. This is probably how your life looks right now, the sky area representing your work or responsibilities and the little shaded area of the pyramid representing the importance that you give to yourself and your own needs.

Doesn't that tell you that you have something out of perspective? The obligations of life tend to swallow you and you don't have any time for just hanging out and being you. You need to draw yourself a pie chart and write into each area what it represents, but it's not sufficient just to draw one and idealize. You need also to draw out a timetable. Over the years, you have forgotten about timetables as you're not at college any more, but they are just as relevant to your life. These timetables and pie charts will help you identify where you are spending your time the most and just how much priority you are giving to yourself in the grand scheme of things. Once you analyze, you will realize just how little importance you've allotted yourself. That is when you will have to step back, look away from your responsibilities and take a breather.

If you work from home in front of a computer, decide upon the times when you must close that computer and just enjoy yourself. This is not being self-indulgent; it is allowing yourself to remember why you like living. It's essential to the balance of your life. Do you find that the kids are getting you down? How can you be the perfect parent when you feel you want to escape? Call in the babysitter and get some time away from the little rascals. They deserve nothing less than the best from you; the parent who comes back after sometime to him/herself is happier and more balanced. Kids are sensitive, and they can pick up on your negativity or resentment. So make them happy by being happy!

People tend to put aside what they want in favor of responsibilities and, just as in the pie chart above, the blue area swallows them if they let it. Yes, the responsibilities of life are important but if you don't give yourself that little bit of rest and relaxation, you become grouchy and negative and no one really wants to be around you. Switch off the computer. Step away from it and let yourself be who you are. It is the simplest formula out there -

Work + Home life + Fun = A happier you who will be more productive.

Here is a lovely corollary to go with that. Have you ever seen a mom holding a baby in one hand, steering a toddler away from something dangerous with the other and trying to talk on the phone? It's a very common phenomenon. In this case scenario, the mom is not giving her full attention to her children and is certainly not giving her full attention to the telephone, but she still does it through obligation. What she hasn't learned is the power of being unavailable. If you are trying to balance your time, you need to make yourself unavailable when you need time for yourself. So often, we complain about not having enough time to spend with family or friends; did you know that it can be as simple as switching your phone off so that dinner is not disturbed by a work call?

You need to work out a way that you can get personal calls and avoid business calls when you are at home. Your employer would be angry if you spent all day making personal calls, so you should be angry about work calls interfering with your home-life. Have a cell for work and switch it off, leaving a message that you will be back on Monday. Be firm and tell your colleagues to call you only if there is an emergency; if it is something they can sort out themselves, let them do so without having to call you up for every single thing.

Remember this applies as much to family time as it does work. It's better if your family knows to contact you at work during emergencies only; push that a little further, and tell them to leave you to yourself when you are relaxing. So many times, we kick back and try to relax, only to have the kids rush in and demand to help with homework. Get someone else to do it, or for just this once, allow Google to help them out. You need your 'me-time'; don't be ashamed of it, and don't postpone it. That will only do you more harm than good.

And the most important idea of all – accept that you are human and that you cannot do everything at once. You limited in your ability to do things, because you have to rest and you have to relax, and that is perfectly okay. You cannot be perfect and you cannot work endlessly and you cannot always be in a joyful mood. You are a human being with needs and wants and you need fulfill these as much as you need to devote yourself to your work. Sometimes it is okay to step back and remind yourself that you are not a mindless drone.

### Chapter 9: Productivity - The Myth of Multitasking

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Many people take great pride in being efficient multitaskers. Watching TV while having a meaningful conversation and obtaining the ability to do some work for tomorrow appear as something everyone tends to do. It allows us to join our tasks and errands into one, multidimensional cluster.

Doing it all at the same time now will allow us to take some rest later so we can focus our energy on do something else. This may just be true, but how effective is it really? How productive can we be if we are doing two or more things at the same time? The illusion of productivity exists but are we just disguising our pour attempts at one task by doing many of them at once?

Multitasking involves engaging in at least two tasks simultaneously. This can only be possible if at least one of those tasks is so well learned that we don't need to focus our mental effort to perform it. We should be able to do it automatically, like eating or walking.

Even more importantly, different tasks can involve the same brain mechanisms. As you might notice by yourself, focusing on the lyrics of a song while trying to read significantly lowers your ability to retain information about the topic covered in the book.

This happens because both tasks activate the brain's language center. Information from one interferes with the information obtained from other which significantly hinders your ability to pay attention to both. Just imagine talking to two people about two different topics at the same time.

On the other hand, listening to music doesn't affect your ability to drive a car. This is because listening to music activates different brain regions that have nothing to do with you motor skills. But is this really multitasking or does it simply mean that human cognition is a multidimensional thing?

Does multitasking even exist? Researches from the fields of cognitive science and psychology have discovered that our minds are not designed for heavy-duty multitasking. We simply don't have the mental capacity to effectively do it. Going into detail about this would turn this book into a neuroscience handbook. We won't do this. But the fact still remains that we are simply not wired to do it.

Serial tasking

At some point in our life we were all in the situation where we needed to do two things at the time - whether it was talking on the phone and listening to a radio show, or doing physical exercises and explaining to your friend how our weekend was.

Instead of "multitasking", a more accurate term to describe this would be "serial tasking". When subjected to many different tasks, we are not engaging in them simultaneously but rather shifting from one task to another in rapid succession. For example: you switch from a phone conversation to listening to a radio show and back again to your phone. This gives you the illusion that you are doing it at the same time when you are actually not.

But that's enough of this hair-splitting business for now. What is more interesting here is the effect this kind of task-solving has on our productivity.

Switching Costs

Switching between tasks takes a lot of energy. Frankly, it can be exhausting. Imagine yourself continuously running from one side of the room to the other in an attempt to be at both sides at once. This mental juggling therefore claims some costs; costs that can lower the successful outcome of a job, task, or whatever you want to do. Even more importantly, these switching costs usually influence the time that you need to finish an assignment.

While serial tasking can appear as a faster solution to solve two or more problems, it can actually take more time than if each of those problems is addressed individually. Usually, switching costs are not that high but they can accumulate through the long periods of time. The longer the serial-tasking period is the longer are the switching costs.

Goal Shifting and Rule Activation

People tend to undergo two distinct phases when confronted to a situation which demands their full attention to be split to different fields. The first stage is called Goal Shifting. It is really simple: when doing two different things, we need to decide which one is more important to us. We have to ask ourselves a question and answer it. Something like this: "I want to do this now instead of that."

The second stage is Rule Activation. We are masters of adapting the rules to our needs. The same happens when we are deciding how we want to undertake a certain task.

At this stage, we tend to turn off the rules for this and turn them on for that. Example: there is a deadline for two reports. Both are important but you won't be able to finish them both in time. First, you need to decide what you want to do. You then go through the phase of goal shifting. When you decide which way you want to go, you probably still don't feel very confident that your decision was correct, so you start to bend the existing rules: "Ok, I'm going to finish the first report, because I have to, but the second one - that one can wait, it is not that important anyway."

Shifting between goals and activating the rules that suit you best is not considered harmful. It can actually be quite useful. It can help you to get the job done. The problem appears when, during this process, the switching costs are so large that they interfere with your productivity. In this case, your actions can become counterproductive and as such just draining energy from you without any visible results.

Choosing the strategy to boost the efficiency of multitasking

Avoidance

The most effective attempt to increase your productivity is to stop multitasking, or better serial tasking. Try to focus on one task at a time and do your best at it. Many of the world's top athletes, businessmen, or programmers support this claim. The goal of those top performers is not simply to increase productivity and efficiency but to be the very best in their respective fields. Try adopting this strategy if you can and observe the results. For cases when this is just not possible, you can try to work with what you've got.

Training

Whatever you might be doing - playing the piano or trying to learn how to juggle, repeating it over and over will increase your skills. At the same time, this will actually allow you to multitask more efficiently. When you master the piano to such a degree that you can play your favorite song without even thinking about it, a vivid discussion about the current political situation can take place while you are performing. Another step is to practice doing two things at the same time.

The same process will take place while doing so, but this time on a multi-dimensional level. Soon, you will be able to introduce watching TV into piano-discussion session.

You will have to decide for yourself what kind of activities the training should include. Regardless of the contents, the exercise could look something like this:

Talking on the phone while driving can be dangerous

First Attempt:

1)Find a stopwatch and prepare to begin

2)Recopy the phrase "Talking on the phone while driving can be dangerous" in the third row. Immediately after that, move down a row and write down the numbers 1-43

3)After you have written down the last number, stop the timer and write down your total time.

Second Attempt:

1)Again, prepare the stopwatch. For best results, ask somebody to time you

2)Start with the letters of the phrase in the first row. For every letter, move down a row and write down its corresponding number

3)After the last number is written down, note your final time

4)Compare the final times of both attempts

5)Try to improve your multitasking time

Knowing when a task requires undivided attention

Switching focus between different things in a rapid succession can reduce your memory capacity. Think of your brain as a computer. Working with multiple programs and having numerous windows opened on your screen can slow down the operational capabilities of your machine. While it is pragmatic and it enables you to quickly jump between programs you need to complete your work; it can (and in most cases it does) result in a lock-up.

The same goes for your brain. When you are performing multiple tasks that require your undivided attention your brain can suffer from overload. Therefore try avoiding multitasking if the assignment requires your full attention. After the urgent part of the task is complete, you can return to your standard routine.

Using a tool to help you multitask

To avoid a (potential) mental overload and still be self-sufficient in what you do, you could seek some assistance offered by your environment.

Scientists call this phenomenon extended cognition. The simplest way to extend your thinking power is to take a piece of paper and write down some things.

But don't write down just everything. Accessing that information will require a special set of skills, not much different from the ones you are trying to mitigate. Write down things that you will use in a particular task the most.

If you are working with computers, have a list of most commonly used (and most easily forgettable) commands right beside your computer screen. If you are working in export department, some telephone numbers will definitely come in handy. Be creative and extend your cognition to your working space.

Allow your mind to reboot

Focusing your attention on a single task can help your mind to reboot. Our brain uses more energy than any part of the body. This capacity can be useful but it can also backfire. As computer needs a reboot every now and then, to be reminded who is the boss in that relationship, so does your brain.

Rest is one of the key components of increasing productivity. It may not sound as much, especially if you imagine yourself staring out the window for 15 minutes, but it may help in consolidating the information learned and making room for new things.

Every two to three hours you should take a 15-20 minutes break. You can also go for some fresh air and even for a walk if you have the option to do so. This will also increase your blood circulation and provide your brain with fresh supplies of oxygen and nutrition.

Taking a brain break

When you start to feel that your attention is drifting away, take a minute or two to relax. Even that short period of time should be enough to clear your mind for a while. Simple conversation with your co-worker can also do the trick.

The effect will last you for some time, at least until the time of your next walk or coffee break. And don't worry; most of the employers are aware of the effect of this kind of behavior on productivity. If you don't overdo it, they probably won't mind.

### Chapter 10: Nothing Happens Overnight

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Many people are going to read this book and think that they are going to make all of these changes, everything will be different tomorrow. I hate to break it to you but that is not how it is going to happen. You are going to have to put some work into this. It is not going to happen just because you read a book and what it to happen. You have to make it happen. So where do you start?

The first thing you should do is start with a schedule then go through this book and honestly look at your life. Choose one tip that you think will be the most effective and start making those changes. For example, if you are not sleeping enough like we just discussed, choose for that to be your number one goal. Once you have taken care of that you will move on to another area such as motivation and rewards.

You may find that several of the tips in this book work together and it is important that you work these tips together. What is also important is that you do not try to change too much at one time. For example, yes you can get more done if you get up earlier in the morning, yes diet and exercise has a lot to do with it, and yes all of the tips in this book will help, but if you try to change it all at once you are going to fail completely. Think about it like this. If you are climbing a mountain you have to carefully plan where you are going to place your feet. You need to take small steps to get where you are going. If you rush and try to do too much at one time you are going to fall. The same goes for everything in life!

This brings me to living a healthy life. Let's start off talking about what you are eating. If you are overeating, or eating a bunch of foods that make you feel sluggish, you are going to be less productive. If on the other hand you are eating foods that fuel your body and give you energy, you will be much more likely to get more things done.

Exercise is the next thing I want to discuss. Many people do not understand how adding another thing to your list of things to do is going to help you get more done, but stay with me on this. You should make sure you are getting enough exercise because your mental health is a reflection of your physical health. If you are living a sedentary lifestyle and not taking care of your body, this can lead to depression. If you allow yourself to become depressed you will procrastinate even more which will lead to more depression. If you exercise and take care of your body you are going to have more energy and be less likely to put off the things you need to get done.

You have to remember how important it is to take care of yourself. If you do not take the time to take care of yourself, you are not going to be able to help others take care of the things they need from you. This includes your any responsibilities at work as well as at home. If you take the time to exercise you will find that you are actually completing more during the day because this helps to motivate you and you begin to feel better about yourself. As a result, it also helps to overcome any self-doubt or fear of failure you may be dealing with.

Get rid of the things in your life that are not benefiting you. Many times we put off the things we know we should do to the last minute because we feel overwhelmed. Make a list of all the things in your life that are taking your time away from you. Once you have an entire list you need to make a list of what are the three most important things you value in your life. Now go through your list and identify the things that you take part in that support these values. You see everything that is left? Get rid of it.

This same rule applies when it comes to people. Let me tell you a story. There used to be these people who would show up at my home anytime they pleased. They would never call or even try and see if I was busy. It got to the point where they were showing up before I was even out of bed and staying until well after dinner. Now I am not the kind of person who can be mean to someone but this started getting on my nerves, they knew I had work to do. I tried to work while they were at my house, but this only ended in them trying to tell me there was a better way to get it done. When push came to shove I had to tell these people if they could not be respectful of my life, my space and of my business as well, they did not need to come to my house any longer.

Today these people don't come around anymore. Do I miss them? Honestly no. I like to be alone and be able to focus on what is important to me. There are just times when you have to put your needs and your values above other peoples and often that means removing people from your life.

Stop trying to be so perfect all of the time. I know what it is like to want to do everything that you do perfectly. You need to start thinking realistically. Is it absolutely necessary that everything is perfect for every minute of every day?

Don't beat yourself up if you fail. I said it before, this is not going to happen overnight and you need to make sure that you are not beating yourself up when you make a mistake. If you fail, try again. Eventually you will succeed. It took me 6 months to become successful and it is still something that I work on every day.

Break things down into smaller projects. If you are looking at a project and it seems unmanageable, break it down into smaller segments that you will be able to manage. For example, if you are cleaning your house, remember one room at a time, one job at a time. If you find you are doing two or three things at once just remind yourself of that. You will get more done if you focus on one job at a time.

Learn to recognize the onset of procrastination. If you pay attention, you will notice a feeling, or an action or a thought that is common when you start the process of procrastinating. For me it was the beginning of the month when I knew my bills were all paid for the next 30 days. Just like by the end of the second week I could feel the scramble coming to do it all again. I learned to catch this and even though it had become a habit to put things off at the beginning of the month, I pushed myself even harder during that time to get as much done as I could. I told myself if I worked in the beginning of the month as hard as I could, although I would still work through the end of the month, I would be able to be much more relaxed than I had been and I am.

Focus on the end result! Think about what you are working towards. Are you like me working toward paying your bills? Maybe the end result will be a clean home that you enjoy being in or beautiful flowers planted outside that you will enjoy. Whatever it is you are working toward keep focused on that. Keeping your eye on the prize will help you from procrastinating in the future.

Delegate. If you have others in your family that can help you with what you are trying to accomplish, then start delegating. Kids can make their beds, pick up their toys, do the dishes and even help with laundry. You need to understand that you cannot do it all on your own so start getting some help.

### Chapter 11: Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix

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For most people, the end of the year is a time to think back and reflect on their goals in life. Which priorities did you neglect in the past year? How do you plan to address them in the coming year?

Whatever your answers are, there are universal principles that you should use to help you reflect on the past year and plan for the next. You can also use the time management matrix that was created by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

This matrix lets you schedule your weekly activities according to their importance and urgency. By using the four quadrants, you can easily identify the tasks you need to do and decide on which ones you have to prioritize. According to researchers, not setting priorities is among the more common reasons people fail.

The following image is taken from First Things First, which was co-authored by Covey. It illustrates the time management matrix:

The two major criteria on which you should evaluate your tasks are: importance and urgency.

The Four Quadrants

Quadrant I, also referred to as The Quadrant of Necessities, contains tasks that are important and urgent. They have to be dealt with right away.

Some examples are family emergencies and project deadlines. If you do not attend to these matters immediately, things can go terribly wrong. However, even though the time you spend in this quadrant cannot be avoided, you can significantly reduce it if you spend more time doing the activities that belong in Quadrant II.

Quadrant II contains tasks that are important but not really urgent. You have to do them, but not necessarily right away. You do have to plan for them, though. The quadrant is highlighted because you need to focus on the tasks it contains in order for you to achieve your long term goals.

This quadrant is also referred to as the Quadrant of Quality because it is all about proactive tasks that improve or maintain the quality of your life. The more time you spend on this quadrant, the less time you would need to spend on the other three.

Some examples are: maintaining a healthy diet, forming good personal relationships with family and friends, exercising, acquiring new skills, and reviewing your career path.

Quadrant III contains tasks that are urgent but not important. You have to minimize or eliminate them. They typically drain your energy and waste your time, inefficiently.

This quadrant is also known as the Quadrant of Deception. If you focus your time and energy doing the tasks found in this quadrant, you will find yourself wondering where all your time went. You will realize that you just wasted an entire day doing things that are not helpful to your cause.

Some examples are answering non-important phone calls, talking with someone on the internet about trivial matters, and replying to messages that only contain gossip! You can reduce the time you spend on these activities or tasks by saying 'no' to them, and delegating work to others.

Quadrant IV contains tasks that are not urgent and not important. You do not have to do them right away. You should also minimize or eliminate them since they do not add much value to your progress.

This quadrant is also known as the Quadrant of Waste. Sometimes, you need to be mindful of when you are in it. Usually, it begins as a restful time. The tipping point starts when you spend so much time doing mindless things, that should be really be allocated in your free time.

Some examples are watching TV shows, engaging in gossip, surfing the internet for funny images, and spending too much time on social media.

Urgent tasks require your immediate attention while important tasks contribute to your goals, mission, and values. You should focus your energy on tasks that are important but not urgent or the tasks found in Quadrant II.

Forming relationships, making plans, and taking on new opportunities all belong in Quadrant II. Crises, on the other hand, belong in Quadrant I, which is why you should stay away from this quadrant as much as possible. Interruptions, unnecessary meetings, and other unimportant matters belong in Quadrant III. Things that waste your time and trivial matters belong in Quadrant IV.

The time management matrix seems simple and easy to follow. However, most people have the tendency to deal with urgent activities first, even if they are not that important. This happens because such activities constantly press for your time and attention. They insist on action. They are always right in your face, making it difficult for you to ignore them.

For example, when the phone rings, you feel the need to answer it. It might or might not be an important phone call. The person on the other end of the line may have an emergency, but he or she may just be a telemarketer calling to endorse a product or service. Either way, you have no way of finding out unless you answer the phone.

The tasks found in Quadrant II do not have the same immediate consequences, which is why they are often ignored. You know that exercising is important and necessary for good health, but nobody is forcing you to do it; so, you tend to delay it. You keep telling yourself that you will go to the gym tomorrow, but then something urgent comes up and you choose to deal with it instead of exercising.

Covey provides an example of how the conflict between importance and urgency happens in real life. He asked several managers of a shopping center to determine a certain change that they would make, to achieve something great. All of them stated that they would form a personal relationship with the store owners in the shopping center.

However, when Covey assisted these managers in analyzing their daily tasks, they realized that they only spent 5% of their time on the tasks found in Quadrant II, because they are often busy dealing with other tasks that seem important but are actually not that important. These tasks are found in Quadrant I.

On the other hand, the store owners had a lot of problems with inventory and employment among others. They also had little to no management training. So, the managers decided to become more proactive and spend 1/3 of their time forming relationships with these store owners. Afterwards, Covey found out that the number of the managers increased to 20%. They also had more tenants due to improved sales in the stores.

This only proves that sometimes you have to step backwards so that you can clearly see the difference between how you spend your time, and how you should spend it. Once you realize this, you can create a great plan to modify your schedule and allocate more energy and time doing activities that produce long term results instead of short term ones.

Covey says that when you do this, you will have fewer tasks in your Quadrant I, allowing you to have more time and energy doing things that are productive and good for you, as well. Your problems and crises would lessen to more manageable proportions since you would be working on their roots, thinking ahead, and doing preventative measures that prevent these problems and crises from occurring in the first place.

Unless you are a senior manager, you would be hard pressed to state that you no longer show up to unimportant meetings. Nevertheless, you can still resist the urge to take phone calls, reply to emails, and give in to the requests of your co-workers. This does not mean that you should not attend to these activities completely. You can still deal with them, but at a later or more convenient time in the day.

You should use your time wisely and plan ahead for major projects that can greatly help you in the long run. This is fundamentally important.

### Chapter 12: How to Delegate Important (But Boring) Crap

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I hire people brighter than me. Then I get out of their way."

Lee Iacocca

This chapter covers my favorite topic in the world. (Save for 3rd-Level Wizard Spells that can "stun" a tribe of kobolds in their tracks.)

But there's no doubt this chapter will cover my second-favorite topic in the world. And that is: outsourcing, delegating, and streamlining all that daily (but important) business crap I don't want to do...to somebody else.

Now there are entire books devoted to this subject. One of my favorites is Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker, a deep-dive into how to off-load 90% of your work load to virtual assistants. (And if you want to get a Doctoral degree in outsourcing, that book is a great start.)

What I'm going to share with you here are some easy ways — some of them take ten minutes to set up, some a bit longer — that I've used to boost my productivity 300% with less effort, less stress and far more efficiency.

Sound enticing? (As enticing as a "Magic Missile" spell?)

So, with that, let's jump right in with my 3 Steps to Delegating & Streamlining Awesomeness:

Streamlining Secret #1: Outsource Stuff That's Hard (and You're Not Good At)

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're not AMAZING at everything.

Somewhere in your life lurks a myriad of activities that are important to both your business — and your personal development — but you monumentally suck at....err...I mean, tasks you don't possess the required skill to execute.

And these nettlesome (but important) tasks will depend entirely on what your day-to-day looks like. But having worked with clients — and having made every outsourcing mistake in the book — here are some common business tasks most folks should leave to the experts:

Website Design

Website Development (Anything involving code)

Graphic Design (Book covers, logos, banner ads)

IT/Computer Stuff

Press Releases (Often better when written outside the inner sanctum)

Photography (Trust me, you ain't that good at it)

SEO Stuff (A dark art few know anything about)

Video/podcast editing (Unless you enjoy it)

Written content (Unless you're a whiz-bang writer, good to get somebody else to do it.)

Copyediting (More important the message, more important you get a copyeditor to look at it)

And I'm sure there are hundreds more. (I could spend 12 hours making a list of all the things I'm not good at.)

There are a few things, however, I would NOT outsource. Such as:

Video On-Air Creation - Unless you're completely terrified of the camera — and other humans — I highly recommend you try your best to communicate your message on camera. (You are most likely the best person to communicate your company's message.)

Copywriting - Not only are top-drawer copywriters super expensive, but this is some of the most profitable work you can do in your business.

Ad Management - Once you've got a grasp of your numbers — what each dollar you spend delivers on the back end — then you can hand it over to that agency with the waterfall in the reception room. Until then...get your hands dirty and learn the ins and outs of running your ad campaigns.

Marketing Plan - Sorry, this is a path you just can't outsource. Time spent here — even on marketing plans that never see the light of day — will pay big dividends.

So, how do you figure out what you can outsource in your biz? And how do you find somebody that isn't in a psychotic break to help you out?

Here's the process I recommend:

Make a list of all the work activities you do on a daily and weekly basis. Go over old calendars and see what recurring and frequent tasks you find yourself involved in consistently. (Or better yet, use that newfangled "time-tracking" tool some devastatingly handsome author recommended.)

Put a "*" next to important tasks beyond your expertise. And tasks that can't currently be fulfilled by somebody on your team.

Head over to a site like Upwork, Fiverr or CraigsList to find under-employed talent who can help you out on a one-time basis. (Don't bring on a regular employee unless you absolutely need one.) I like to use Fiverr for one-off jobs (such as logos or SEO), Upwork for more complicated tech work (anything involving your website), and CraigsList for finding depressed English majors desperate for writing jobs.

Commit to removing one of those "beyond your comfort zone" tasks off your plate once a week. You don't have to do it all at once. But try your best to slowly wean yourself off activities that don't utilize your strengths.

Remember time spent learning Photoshop or becoming a mediocre HMTL practitioner is time better spent on stuff that moves the needle on your business.

Speaking of moving the needle...

Secret #2: Outsource Stuff That's Easy (and Below Your Pay Grade)

Once you've got a whiff of the sweet aroma that is delegating stuff you ain't an expert at, it's time to tackle that most pernicious of tasks: handing over activities in your business life that you CAN do but SHOULDN'T.

And I want to make it clear: this is gonna be hard.

Because delegating isn't just about divvying up your scheduled tasks and deciding who's going to take what. This is about overcoming a profound psychological obstacle most folks face. (We're wired to see a problem and decide the only solution must be "another two hours of work.")

But, chances are, you're involved in quite a few low-priority tasks (without even realizing it) because:

You're good at them

You've been doing them for years

It feels like a huge pain to have somebody else do them

And what kinds of tasks should you take off your plate? Well, the same-old caveat applies; it depends on your business...yadda, yadda, yadda.

But here's a list of huge time-sucks that, when removed from your schedule, can free up serious time (and major-league brain capital):

Social Media Updating - Probably the #1 time-waster in the world. No matter what you do, try to spend time creating stuff that can be shared on Facebook and Twitter. Do not spend time "managing" or "promoting" stuff on Facebook and Twitter. Ain't worth it.

Moderating Comments/Discussions - Don't tread in this cesspool of nightmares.

Content publishing - No matter how clunky and out-dated your system is, almost anybody can publish content for you. (Including someone not named "you.")

Answering emails/Managing spam - We're gonna cover emails more in-depth later, but for now your goal is to have somebody ELSE handle email for you. (A lofty dream, I know.)

Anything related to customer service - Unless the client (or future profit) impacts are huge.

Research - Probably my favorite thing to outsource to somebody else.

Photo Editing

Database Management - Includes email lists.

Appointment Scheduling & Travel Arrangements - This was made to be done...by somebody else!

Data Entry (of any kind) - If I find you doing any data-entry, I will hunt you down and make you watch "Transformers 3" all the way through.

Presentation Builder - Your days of creating Powerpoints and Keynotes are done. Time to hand off the reins to somebody else.

Analytics Reports - I hate analytics. Which is why I like to have my VA prepare them in pretty reports that my ADD can handle.

And again, the list of things to have your Virtual Assistant take on is endless. (And the best book I know for mastering the outsourcing process is "Virtual Freedom" by my buddy Chris Ducker.)

But let me give you a Cliffs Notes version:

Make a list of all the work-day (and life-day) things you do on a daily and weekly basis. This may take a week or so to complete. That's okay. It's worth it.

Put a "*" next to anything that isn't big-picture stuff (Facebook posting, customer service, responding to insane YouTube comments, etc.) and that you could have somebody else do.

Choose ONE task and write out a step-by-step document outlining how to accomplish that one task. Be super clear. No metaphorical language. "Do this. Then do this..."

Head over to Upwork, Fiverr or CraigsList to find somebody to add to your team. Be sure in the screening process you a) Include a phrase in your job description, such as "GO PADRES," which proves they read the entire description b) Give them a SHORT test related to the ONE task c) Talk to them on Skype before hiring. This will ensure you filter out the crazy nut-balls. (Unless you're the crazy nut-ball.)

Start slow, by asking new VAs to perform one task off your list for the first week. Though make it clear you want daily (or weekly) email updates at an EXACT time. (And I mean exact.) If they can't do that, find somebody else.

Slowly add ONE task each week. Allow for starts and stops. Just be sure they communicate and don't make the same mistake twice. Communication and steady improvement are the keys.

Continue to off-load tasks (one each week) in your business and personal life until you have so much free time — and creative energy — you invent a new kind of belt buckle for "Shark Tank." (I expect a 10% royalty!)

Secret #3: Let the (Automation) Robots Take Over

Once you start off-loading your day-to-day tasks, you'll become so addicted to the process of doing less (and accomplishing more), you'll be asking...what now?

What now, indeed.

Let me introduce you to the stunning power of Automation Robots — a term my buddy Jack Born over at AW Pro Tools came up with — to define "systems" that perform automated functions that trigger when you take specific actions. (Theme parks have been using this technology for years to automate things like crowd control and concession availability.)

But you don't have to open a "Tomorrowland" in your backyard to derive benefit from these automation robots. (Although having an "Autotopia" in the back of the house would be awesome!)

So, here are 4 Automation Robot tools I promise will change your life (and give you plenty of extra time to start working on your own neighborhood theme park.)

Automation Robot #1: IFTTT (If This, Then That)

IFTTT is a free tool which lets you sync almost every account, profile, and technology you use daily — social media accounts, your car's Bluetooth, even your refrigerator — and then create recipes (pre-designated protocols) for stuff you want to happen. ("If I publish a video on YouTube, automatically post an update about it on LinkedIn")

Want to have every tweet you send out archived in a Google doc spreadsheet?

Or want every blog post you publish automatically promoted on Twitter, Google-Plus, LinkedIn and Tumblr?

Or want every picture you're tagged in on Facebook automatically downloaded to Dropbox?

Well, IFTTT can do it! But that's just the tip of the iceberg, because you can do super-ninja stuff like:

Get an email when Kindle adds "free books" in your favorite category. (If you like "vampire novels" you may get an email every 10 seconds.)

Automatically have your phone turn down its ringer when you hit the office. (Or even your local movie theater.)

Have your phone automatically send your kid a text message when you're within 5 minutes of their school.

The possibilities to save time — and become a super-interesting person at parties — is endless.

For More Info: IFTTT.com

Automation Robot #2: Evernote

Forget that Evernote is the single-best note-taking and research-gathering app around. (It seamlessly syncs all your notes, jottings, and website grabs across all devices.)

And that it's FREE! (They also have a paid option.)

But the two things I absolutely love about Evernote are:

The ability to scan my business receipts and automatically put them, with the use of tags, in organized folders. (Super awesome.)

And the ability to sync with IFTTT to automatically send LinkedIn messages and connection requests to folks whose business card you scan with your phone. (Super, super awesome.)

I know that last one may not seem earth-shattering but trust me if you can instantaneously "connect" and "sell" to folks you meet — especially at conferences or on sales calls — you'll be shocked how much more professional and organized a person you'll appear to be. (Even if you're none of those.)

More Info: Evernote.com

Automation Robot #3: Text Expander (Mac)/Phrase Express (Windows)

There are few things in this life more annoying than having to type the same bits of text repeatedly. (Especially on those confounding mobile devices that were designed for tiny-fingered Millennial hipsters.)

Luckily, you don't have to re-type the same auto-corrected words repeatedly. Because with these text automation tools you can train it to generate automated messages based on the keystroke prompt of your choosing.

Most people use it for things like:

Email addresses

Phone numbers

Email signatures

But I've used it to automate things like:

Customer service responses

Email media pitches

Facebook page responses

Twitter replies to common questions

Again, I know these minor time-saving automation robots may not SOUND life-changing. But it adds up. (And more importantly it makes you more productive than a Millennial hipster.)

More Info: SmileSoftware.com/TextExpander (Mac/$4/month) - PhraseExpress.com (Windows/50$ - flat fee)

Automation Robot #4: Google Voice (FREE)

Google Voice can do so many cool things I'm almost loath to share it with you. (Gotta keep some secrets, don't I?)

But here are just a couple of awesome, kick-ass hacks you can do with Google Voice:

Create a number based in any area code you want (Good if you're trying to cater to a local market, even if you're operating your business from an underground bunker)

Have calls to your Google Voice number forwarded to any phone or device you like (or all at once)

Allow you to "screen" a call before deciding to jump in or not

Provide you a simple dictation service (as all voice mails to your Google Voice number are transcribed and sent to you via email)

It's that last one I love the most. If I get an idea for something — especially when I'm driving — I'll just call my Google Voice and leave a message with my brainstorm.

I have friends who've written entire novels that way. (Here's hoping there weren't any vampires in there.)

More Info: Google.com/Voice

### Chapter 13: Focus

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Focus is simply your ability to keep your attention and energy on a specific activity, goal, objective, task, or idea for a sustained length of time.

And, one thing is certain: you can CHOOSE to focus on your goals... or, to be distracted by the challenges and obstacles.

You can allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the big picture... or, you can keep the big picture in mind while you focus on checking off bullet-point after bullet-point on your list of steps to achieve your goals.

Sure, most success coaches and gurus talk about creating a 'dream board' and 'focusing on what you want in order to create your own reality'; but, many neglect to include the most practical (and, necessary) step, which is to create and organize a way to accomplish that goal piece-by-piece.

The key is to focus your attention on what needs to be done in order to get where you want — and, not allow the big picture to overwhelm you in the process.

And, when you combine this focus with taking action, you'll find that your life really does start to shift in the right direction.

Of course, this likely won't happen overnight.

It takes practice; it takes trial and error; and, it takes the occasional failure to learn and understand the next steps you may need to take.

If you stick to your personal plan and keep your focus, it's very likely that you'll find yourself much further along than you were before – and, you're much better at sticking to your time management plan.

Another useful practice to maintain focus is visualization. When you can visualize or imagine the results of accomplishing your goal(s) – whether it's the reward at the end, the sense of accomplishment, or the relief – it can be easier to maintain your focus on what you need to do.

Seeing yourself score the winning point, get a high mark on an exam or school report, or turn in the exact result your boss was looking for at work can create an extra sense of focus and diligence on the tasks in front of you. And, you can stimulate that sense by visualizing yourself after the task or activity in front of you has been accomplished.

This is what many successful professional athletes and performers do right before they act – they can see the result of their own success ahead of time and simply focus on the step(s) towards achieving that result.

This focus also serves the purpose of occupying your mind and preventing doubts, fears, and inhibitions from creeping in.

When you lose focus, self-doubt can start to infect your thoughts... and, eventually, your performance.

Therefore, it's imperative to maintain your focus on your short- and long-term goals, on the end results, and then directly on the steps you need to take to accomplish them.

### Chapter 14: Never Begin the Day with an Apology

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Fashionably late is for celebrities; you'll just end up saying Sorry

Laugh and the world laughs with you, be prompt and you dine alone.

Gerald Barzan

Here's a little test. Think back and determine how often you start your day with "I apologize for being late..."

Is sorry the first word you use every day? Imagine how your day would progress if it begins with an apology – and that for something as irresponsible as being late! Think of yourself as this harried individual who's always rushing into meetings, the last person to sit at the conference table. Someone who's forever embarrassed, whose papers are always flying, blaming the watch. The one whom others grumble about for keeping them back. Would you like to work with a person like that? Would anyone?

How you keep time mirrors your personality. It is been proven that punctual people also show character and integrity, as against latecomers who tend to be casual about everything. It may look like a minor issue – just a matter of being delayed by five minutes – but it could be indicative of a larger problem, the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

It is quite possible: You don't realize the fact that you are a chronic latecomer. What to do then? First, acknowledge that tardiness is a problem that you need to tackle, because awareness is where change begins. Next, take the necessary steps to counter it. Why waste time? Make a new beginning right away.

Punctuality – make it a priority

Often, lateness turns out to be a habit learned in childhood. Hence it takes more than just a wish to be punctual. It requires a complete attitudinal change. And this change involves the clock. Earlier, you looked at it only when you were running late. Now you need make it the center of you attention through the day.

Put in on paper, commit to it

Take a piece of paper and jot down every activity you need to get done for that day. Against each, mark the time required and the hour on the clock you'd attempt to do it. Then you go about accomplishing them, one task at a time. Keep a close watch on the time you take on each, and the hour you do it. Close monitoring is the only other way. There's tremendous joy in ticking off tasks on a list! So let the watch drive your day rather than frenzy.

Don't cram it with stuff:

When you make your list, don't be too ambitious. We're trying to solve a problem here, not running a marathon. So get real, and get going. Again, use the Urgent-Important technique (see previous chapter) to prioritize your list. Accomplish less, that's fine, as long as you do it well. With practice, you can start adding more tasks and eventually you'll master the art of doing more, and in time.

When scheduling meetings, less is more:

The same rule applies at work. Just attending meetings is no sign of efficiency if nothing concrete comes out of them. The same applies with appointments. It is good to be a busybody but it is better to be an achiever. This is why it makes sense to have fewer meetings that are more productive than have a chockfull day with nothing achieved in the end.

Understand that meetings don't end on time:

How often have you sat at the tail of a meeting worrying if you ever get to the next one on time? This is precisely why you shouldn't stack your appointments back to back. As meetings telescope into each other, people across the board get upset that you are late, causing stress and angry reactions. Not only that – it cements your notoriety further as a chronic latecomer who can't be trusted with time.

Before fixing a meeting – do you need a meeting?

Meetings have become the bane of the corporate world. Executives need to be seen as busy, so the easiest way out is to fix meetings - discussing with other department colleagues, rushing in and out of cabins and pretending to work. So ask yourself: Does this task warrant a meeting? If it is just a Yes or No that you seek as an answer, do you really need to meet the person? Often, a call or a short mail is all it takes. You save a lot of time, which can be used for other tasks.

Expect things to get delayed during the day:

If you anticipate something, you are mentally prepared for it. When you expect the unexpected you are accepting that things don't always go like clockwork, and that sometimes there will be genuine traffic jams and colleagues who fall ill. Account for such unavoidable occurrences in life. However, if you plan for them and set aside time in advance, no delay happens or when it does it won't affect the workflow.

Avoid distractions that delay you:

Today, it is common to engross yourself in one or the other gadgets – be it watching videos on YouTube or chatting with friends on the cell phone. Though most people indulge in these to de-stress themselves (and a good thing too), you'll not realize how and when the gadgets take control over you and your time. Make no mistake, a gadget can make your life simpler and more efficient however, you often end up becoming its slave. In turn you become a hapless victim to its many attractions, taking your mind away from critical tasks at hand. Delays result.

Finish stuff the same day and have an easy morning:

If possible get to the finish line on as many jobs as possible the same day – even if it means staying back a little. This not only gives you the satisfaction of having 'accomplished' things but also leaves you with a less crowded morning the next day. Usually, mornings are the most hectic when the whole world seems to crash on your head, so if have an easy first half you'll feel blessed.

Have an overnight list:

Let's say you couldn't finish everything by evening. No sweat, make a small list of the remaining jobs and carry it with you. Paste it on the washroom mirror – it will help keep you focused. You'll see the list again in the morning as you get ready, giving you a snapshot of work that needs immediate attention. Also, you'll get the chance to review them mentally, and you can launch into completing them as soon as you reach office.

Time management is the single most important habit of successful entrepreneurs and that the rest of us need to emulate it. They know that punctuality is not just about coming to work on time or reaching appointments on the dot. It is also about meeting work timelines, every single time. That requires practice, and the patience to understand how time works for you – and how you respond to its demands. You must get on top of punctuality because that's an important quality in you that tells your employer that you are money well spent.

It is a skill you need to master like any skill; it needs learning a few things and unlearning a few others. Above all, it requires your application – and appreciation that chronic lateness can be a problem that requires focused attention. It needs your single-minded commitment to attack it, and come to a satisfactory set of solutions. Keep reading and we'll feed you more methods to do just that.

Punctuality Punch

What's worse than running late for an appointment? Not letting the other party know about it. In today's times of cell phones and tablets, the easiest thing is to let people know how late you are likely to be. It indicates that you treat the client with respect and that you value their time, but let your reason be genuine. For example, if you are stuck in traffic, it is a helpless situation. So the least you can do is inform your client that way they can get something else done in the meantime. It is the polite things to do, and it helps you forge a better relationship with your client.

TRY THIS TODAY!

Listen to the radio in the mornings. Most stations (or radio jockeys) keep announcing the time every now and then, so you can be on your toes without physically checking the clock.

### Chapter 15: Managing Your Productivity

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After making sure that you start your day right, your next task is to manage your activities during the day so that you yield maximum productivity with your limited working time. Here are some tips on how you can do this:

Divide your day into quadrants

During planning, you should divide your day into 4 quadrants. If you are awake for 16 hours per day, each quadrant should contain four hours. By planning your day this way, you will be able to put tasks into blocks of time. You will also be aware of how productive you have been by checking your output at the end of each quadrant.

We usually spend the first quadrant preparing for the day ahead; this is where your morning ritual takes place. If you live far from your workplace, part of this time will also be used for commuting. Part of this quadrant will also be spent for the start of your workday. You should take on your most important tasks in this quadrant.

The second and the third quadrants are where the rest of the workday happens. This is when we are most awake and productive. The last quadrant is usually spent with the family over dinner (or personal leisure time if you live alone). If you have a special project, you may also use this part of your day to work on that.

Divide each quadrant into 15-minute chunks

If the 4-hour quadrants do not work for you, you may also choose to divide your working period into 15-minute chunks. A 15-minute period is long enough for you to start something and short enough for you to start and finish most of your shorter activities. Let's say you plan to work for an hour. You set your alarm to go off every 15 minutes. Every time the alarm goes off, you check your mood. If you still feel like working, you should continue until the alarm clock goes off again.

If you feel like you are tired when the alarm clock goes off, you should take a break. Your break time should only be 15 minutes long. The next time the alarm sounds, you should get back to work. This works better for people who get bored easily.

This method is also very effective if you often neglect important tasks because you think there is not enough time. We often neglect tasks that we classify as "important but not urgent."

Manage your energy

Your will power to work weakens as your energy level goes down. By the time you start your final quadrant, your energy level is at its lowest. This is the reason why most people no longer have the will power to work at home.

Now that you know how your energy level depletes during the day, you should try to readjust your schedule so that the most important tasks are done at the time of day when your mind is most awake. If you are working on a personal project outside of work, for example, you should put it in your schedule early in the morning right after your morning routine. If there is too much commotion at home, you can also do your project in your office right before you start the workday.

Motivate yourself for work right before a new quadrant starts

The advantage of dividing your day into parts is that you get to restart your day for each division. Let's say you are already tired after your day's second quadrant. Most people will give up on the workday. They will spend the rest of the workday with half the energy level they had in the morning. When doing their tasks, their attention is on the time rather than on their tasks.

It is not that they do not have the energy; they just lack the motivation to do their work. Over time, this becomes a habit. They habitually decrease their energy level on the third quadrant of their day. For most people, the habit develops because they forget their reason for working at this point of their day. Even if they were extremely productive in the morning, they still end up providing output of mediocre quality.

If you usually enter the same mental state in the later parts of your day, you should find ways to re-motivate yourself right before you start a new quadrant. By doing so, you remind yourself of the things that motivate you to work.

You should also consider that lack of energy might also result from lack of proper nutrition. You should replenish your energy level at this point. Diets high in simple carbs and sugar have been shown to cause people to experience an energy "crash" causing them to lose concentration and motivation part way through the day. Ideally making fruits and vegetables the core staples of your diet will help you to maintain energy levels. Some people boost their working stamina by taking a second cup of coffee before starting with the third quadrant. You should also choose the types of foods that you personally believe would energize you.

Time blocking

Blocking your time is one of the most effective ways to get tasks done. You use this strategy on complex tasks that require focus and multiple hours of work.

To start time blocking, you need to choose one task. You should then remove all the distractions around you before you start working on that task. If you have anything else scheduled in the next hour, you should reschedule it. You should also tell the people around you not to disturb you for the next hour. If this is not possible, you should relocate to a place where no one can disturb you.

Before you start working on your chosen task, you should declare your goal for this task. Your goal will determine whether you are done or not. In the next hour, you should work only on your chosen task. If it is not done yet by the time the hour ends, you should block another hour for the task. You should only stop working when it is done or when you have a more important task in line. If you have to leave your current task without finishing it, you should find a later time slot for it before moving to a new activity.

When time blocking, there are instances when you randomly think of important thoughts and ideas that are not related to the task you are working on. You should not allow these thoughts to distract you from your work, however, you should also not let good ideas go to waste. You should keep a notebook by your side when you work. When these ideas come, you should write them down in your notebook with the intention of getting back to them when you are done with your current task.

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