The key to saving time is to observe how you choose to use it. That being said, tracking your time for several days in a row is the fastest way to identify places where you may not be using your time as efficiently as you would like. Below are three common areas where opportunities are likely to exist.
Social Media and E-mail
These are common areas of distraction so you are likely to find some opportunities to save time here. Instead of sporadically checking email and social media, try scheduling some specific times during the day to do these tasks. Most people find 15 – 30 minutes at each occurrence is plenty of time.
Interruptions
The key to reducing interruptions is to notice when they occur and if they are necessary. Once you have this information, it becomes your choice to allow the interruption or not. Tracking your time is a great way to determine which interruptions are necessary and which you can avoid.
Administrative Tasks
Many of us choose to do administrative tasks ourselves because we think we don’t have the time to train someone or the money to pay them. However, keep in mind that delegating these tasks to someone with the right expertise will save you valuable hours every week you could use for other things you may not have had time for previously.
Track Your Time
Start tracking your time today by downloading a copy of a daily time log from my website (see exercise named “tracking your time” under “Free Time Management tools/Exercises”.
