Do you want to get more done in less time?
Like those important, business-boosting projects? Or the copy for your next salespage? Or even those daily “to-do’s” that never seem to get crossed off your list?
Well, my friend and colleague Cena Block of SaneSpaces.com is going to give you some great ways to get more done in less time. Especially the important projects and tasks that can elevate your business, increase your income, and make you feel tingly all over.
Take it away, Cena!
Are you a multi-tasker?
Do you pride yourself in doing many things at one time?
As a recovering multi-tasker myself, I certainly can relate. It’s taken me a couple of years to reign in my hopper habits and get more focused so I can get more done.
You see, I used to happily brag about my abilities as I proudly wore the title ‘Multitasking Queen.’ But when I started to feel the impact of this style, I quickly could see the results of living life totally scattered, frazzled, and spent.
Plus…
It’s been proven that by concentrating single-mindedly on your most important task, you can reduce the time required to complete it by 50% or more.
In fact, it’s been estimated that the tendency to start and stop a task, to pick it up, put it down, and come back to it, can increase the time necessary to complete the task by as much as 500%.
Wow! And I thought multitasking was helping me get more done.
One reason why multitasking makes you less productive is that every time you delay completing a task and come back to it later, you have to re-orient yourself and build back the momentum you had before you stopped… all before you drop into the flow of productivity again.
In short, once you start a task, you’re better off sticking with it until that task is complete.
You’ve already generated the motivation to do it, the enthusiasm to finish it, and the energy to keep going.
Once you start a task, you’re better off sticking with it until it's complete. - Cena Block Click To Tweet.
And your mind is working at its best.
But, how can you start and complete your tasks most efficiently?
Begin with a Master List
Brainstorm all your tasks by writing them down in one place. (I love to brainstorm using sticky notes – one topic/project per note). Once you have a master list, determine which are “Projects” – something with a clear start, end goal and completion date, and which are “Tasks” – ongoing and/or recurring items requiring maintenance… or those to-dos that crop up on a regular basis.
In my world, a project may be a presentation, workshop, telesummit or program launch, while a task may be my weekly blog posts, my monthly ezine, billing, expenses or my client follow-up calls.
Project work is distinct from Task work because each requires different types of activities and different levels of concentration. Knowing the difference between what qualifies as “task work” and “project work” will help you plan time according to the different levels of effort required to complete each. For instance, if you know you’re able to focus better at certain times of day, use those times for the tasks requiring deeper concentration.
Getting it All Done
The two indispensable keys to leveraging the time you have are:
- the ability to set priorities
- the ability to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing at a time.
And since you can only concentrate on one thing at a time if you’re going to get it done well, why not ask yourself:
“What ONE thing can I do today to get me closer to my goal?”
“When is the best time for me to complete this task in the least amount of time, given everything else I’ve got going on today?”
Get into the habit of defining your Top 3 Results for each week. It will make it easier for you to choose what to work on first.
Then, schedule uninterrupted time to work on your tasks so you can complete your top priority tasks more efficiently. When you work from a master list and identify what’s most important on that list, you’ll be better able to designate the appropriate time and limit interruptions.
While you’re working on your designated task, anything outside of that task is not worth your time. The task you’re focused on is your top priority. If you can stay single-focused while tackling your top priority tasks every day, you will complete your most important work in a lot less time.
With consistency, you’ll stop reacting to the “fire-of-the-day,” breakdowns and everyone else’s problems, all of which take more time than planning your work and working your plan. And you’ll have the discipline to say ‘no’ to the less important things that crop up.
If you want to discover your own natural way of making time work for you, I invite you to check out the Time & Space Style Inventory™ – a truly revolutionary tool for helping you manage both time and control chaos in your environment. When you know more about how to navigate what you do naturally, you’ll be able to make better choices with your time, get more done, and truly enjoy your life.
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Guest blogger Cena Block (sanespaces.com) specializes in helping moms design work on their own terms and build smart supportive systems that create time for living. A business coach and author, she has collaborated with professional organizer and author Sunny Schlenger (suncoach.com) to create the Time & Space Style Inventory™ – a tool that not only identifies natural behavioral styles but also enables you to use that information to create a personalized road map to manage your time and space.