Working Harder...OR Working SMARTER?

If there is a truism out there, it is this:

EVERYONE has more on their plate than they did a year ago…or for that matter, a MONTH ago.

Corporate downsizing and layoffs-combined with the extra efforts that all companies are making to increase revenue have resulted in an increased “in-box” for those still fortunate to have a job. Those glancing at the now-empty seats of those who used to be their colleagues are not complaining (at least not out loud) about their increased workload, grateful that they still draw a paycheck.

With a busy day BEFORE the increase, the trick is to then somehow manage the extra load without completely losing your mind. Because your coworkers are likewise “piled on” may actually be a blessing—each of you understands that the survivors are in the “same boat”.

How do you accomplish all the tasks on your “to-do” list? Well, part of it is prioritizing your work. There may be things that you USED to do that simply need to go undone. Using the old 80-20 rule---that 80% of your relevant results come from just 20% of your activities should help guide you. Part of that lesser 80 may be best left undone-if they come at the expense of more important issues. I would have suggested you delegate these tasks to other people….but most of those people are now GONE>

Here’s what I do—and not only does it appear to be fairly efficient—it is a GREAT stress reliever. Keep in mind that much of the internal stress comes from trying to remember things that you need to do. Eliminate that stress by jotting stuff down…which happens to be my first commandment!

RULE NUMBER ONE: Write EVERYTHING down. Before scheduling, make an exhaustive list of everything that you need to do in the next 24 hours, without regard to its importance or priority. Refer to your daytimer/calendar and transfer everything to a list.

RULE NUMBER TWO: Schedule those duties with an eye towards priority and another towards efficiency. For instance, the most important task you may have could be a phone call—and while time management experts say—“Do First Things First”, that particular task may be impractical if you arrive at work at 7am. So, instead, from 7am until 9am or so, schedule the “busywork” that every job has—doing it at a time when the phone won’t ring and people won’t interrupt.

I use a “linear” clock, where each hour is a horizontal line-on it, I list the numbered tasks from my daily list. That way, you look at ONLY the tasks for that hour. FOCUS is important—and it’s amazing how much you can accomplish with this method. I have my day planned out so specifically that if you give me ANY hour in the day, I can tell you EXACTLY what I have planned.

RULE NUMBER THREE: You WILL be interrupted. You WILL have daily emergencies that throw your schedule off. How do you deal with it? Simply move the items in whatever time period you were delayed into a later time in the day. At the end of the day, you will have a number of tasks that were NOT done. Simply transfer these to your NEXT day. As the system works, you will discover that you instinctively delay those tasks that are either NOT URGENT or long-term projects that need work over time. The one pitfall is to be diligent that the latter don’t get passed off day to day without action on your part. The process of having to physically write it down each day will keep it forefront in your mind!

Hope the above tips that work for me—will work for you too! Let me know—and of course, feel free to share tips that work for you!