Jan Maik Baumann

Zürich, Switzerland

Eviva

You'll learn 12 time management hacks to boost your productivity, including prioritizing tasks, batching similar activities, and embracing the 'done is better than perfect' mindset.

English

In this talk, you'll learn 12 of my favorite time management tips, including using the Eisenhower Power Matrix, Mono-tasking, and Time-blocking to help you increase your productivity and focus so you can do more in less time.

12 Time Management Hacks To Help You Do More In Less Time

 Time is a precious and limited resource that so many of us struggle to manage and maximize. I am often asked, how can I do more in less time? And here are my top 12 tips on how you can do more in less time. The first tip is to remember that it's not just time that you want to be managing. Many of us think of time as our most valuable and important resource. But the most valuable and important resource, perhaps, instead of your time, is actually your energy. If you don't have enough energy, or the right kind of energy, you won't be able to show up fully, and you won't be able to do the things that you would like to do. So remember, prioritize not just your time, but also become aware and manage your energy. Remember, you are your own CEO, Chief Energy Officer, and no one knows yourself, your own energy, better than you. Tip number two, I recommend to keep a schedule, or a visual tally, or overview of all the projects that you're working on, or all the tasks that you have to do, on a to-do list, so that you can go through them systematically. I like to use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the deadlines and progress of the various different projects that I have, including writing, coaching, and other creative programs and trainings. I update and check all of these periodically, and make sure that I'm on track of things. My husband, Luca, who is a management consultant and a very organized person, he likes to use the phone and desktop app, To-Do List, to manage all the tasks at work, and also at home, like when to clean the toilet, when to scrub the towels, when to remove the trash, so on and so forth. What matters is to find a way that works for you. You don't have to use an Excel spreadsheet or an app like To-Do List. You might have a whiteboard or blackboard, or some kind of visual chart, or you might use post-its that you paste on your wall to keep you on track of things. Tip number three. Break large, complex tasks into smaller and more manageable chunks. This is one of the most powerful tips you can do. And if you often procrastinate because some tasks feel daunting or too big, this will be very helpful for you. When you encounter a really big task, like writing a report or renovating the house, break down this task into other smaller, more manageable mini-tasks, and you can order them according to which tasks need to be done first, so that the other tasks can be done. And then you can use the Eisenhower matrix to map the tasks according to how important they are and how urgent they are, so that you can prioritize the most important tasks to be done by yourself, and the other tasks you might then decide to delegate, to delay, or to drop them from your To-Do List. So the Eisenhower decision matrix splits all tasks into four quadrants, depending on their urgency and level of importance. On the top left corner of the matrix, there are tasks that are urgent and important. For these tasks, it is best to do them right now. They are your top priority. For tasks that are important, but not urgent, what is best to do is to decide or to delay when to do it. So you might schedule a time to do it, or put in a reminder so that you don't forget, and you get to do it before it becomes urgent. For tasks that are urgent, but not important, you might think about how you can get help by delegating the task to someone else. Who might be able to help you do this task, so that you can do the tasks that are urgent and important. And for the tasks that are not urgent and not important, you might decide to drop or delete it entirely from your To-Do List because they are non-essential. Tip number 4. Batch your tasks. Group similar tasks together and do them within the same sitting. For example, if you are cleaning all the surfaces in the house, you might clean the surfaces in the kitchen, as well as the surfaces in your study, in your living room. The same thing can be applied to invoicing. So if you work for yourself, or if you have to do your taxes, you might fix a certain time of the month or of the year to do all of your invoicing or to prepare all of your documents for your taxes at the same time. In a similar way, you can also schedule to only check your email, or only check your text messages, Slack messages, or even your social media at fixed times of the day. I recommend having 3-4 allotted times of the day, for example 9am, 2pm, 5pm, to check your email and Slack messages for work. This frees you up to do other more important tasks during other times of the day so that you have longer blocks and bigger chunks of time that are uninterrupted by checking your email. And if an email-related task comes up, only do it during these times. This will help you concentrate your energy and your time better. Tip number 5. Based on the Eisenhower Matrix, you are able to decide and identify the most important and urgent tasks to do. Now once you've identified the most important and often most difficult tasks to do, then eat the frog. This means to do the most important and difficult thing first in the day. Why is this powerful? When you get started on the most difficult thing, and you make progress even if you don't quite finish, this gives you energy and a sense of accomplishment that you can then enjoy and bring with you through the rest of your day. Tip number 6. Time-block important tasks in your calendar, even if they aren't urgent. From the Eisenhower Matrix, you might have decided what was important but not urgent. The crucial thing to do is to delay or to schedule when you actually do it. And you can decide when that is later in time. I use Google Calendar to block out my schedule for when I intend to do something, like writing a meditation, reviewing a piece of writing that I am going to submit for a website, or writing and preparing content for an upcoming coaching and training program. This makes sure that I get these important tasks done before they become urgent. Tip number 7. As you're working through your tasks, get into the habit of monotasking. This means working on one thing at a time. And ideally, work in a distraction-free space. When you're doing work, you can tell others that you are busy. You might close the door. You might switch off social media or your Slack message notifications, so that you can improve and allow your full focus on the task at hand. Put your phone out of sight. And if you're using your computer, close any extra tabs or applications that you've got open and only open and have available what you need to do the task, so that you don't get distracted by something else. Tip number 8. Identify when you are at your best and plan your day according to it. Remember the first tip I mentioned, which is that your energy is your most valuable resource, not your time? Research has found that some people's brains peak in the morning, and they are called morning larks, while others are the sharpest at night. We call them night owls. This trait is called chronotype. And we all have different chronotypes, depending on what times of the day we are at our best. I am a morning person, and I like to get all my best work, all of my writing, thinking, planning and strategizing done before lunch. But you might be different. Perhaps you feel the sharpest in the afternoon or at night. So the most important thing is to identify when you feel the most energized, when your brain is the sharpest, and make sure that you utilize this time well. Tip number 9. Set boundaries to protect your most productive times. For example, if you are a morning lark, and you tend to get your best work out in the morning, make sure you have this time for yourself. For me, between 7.30 to 9am is my sacred time for my morning rituals. I like to do my affirmations, meditations, mindful movement, and mindful refueling by eating my breakfast at this time. Then between 9am to around 11am, I do my best work. I sit down, and I focus on writing content, preparing for my upcoming coaching and writing programs, coming up with new training material. And instead, I leave coaching, training and other more interactive and creative kind of work in the afternoon and early evenings. You might be the same, or your approach might be slightly different. What is the most important is that you set a boundary so that you are able to harness your most productive time in the way that you wish, rather than losing these productive times to meetings with your colleagues, or phone calls from your insurance provider, or having to respond to text messages that are not urgent from your clients. Tip number 10. If you're struggling with procrastination, hold yourself accountable by joining our Tuesday tribe gathering sessions. Every Tuesday, we meet on Insight Timer to take action on the thing you've been procrastinating or avoiding. Research has shown that when you tell someone you're going to do something, you're more likely to do it. And when you work in community, there is this positive social peer pressure. By joining a community, such as our Tuesday tribe gatherings, or being in a physical or virtual community, you can eat the frog and take action on the things you've been holding back from. You might also consider hiring an accountability coach that can make sure that you stay on track and do the things that you would like to do. Tip number 11. Embrace the motto, done is better than perfect. If you're a perfectionist, it's likely that you'll spend more time than necessary on the tasks that you are working on. And as a result, you never manage to get through all of the tasks that are on your to-do list. Perfectionism can exacerbate time overwhelm. When working through your tasks, ask yourself, what would just enough look like for this rather than perfect? What if I went for 95% or even 90%? Instead of 100% or even 200%? For most of the tasks, including cleaning or even writing a report, especially something that is time sensitive, most of the time, as long as you aim for done, as you aim to meet the minimum requirements, that is the most important. It doesn't need to be perfect. Instead, you can use the time that you might be using otherwise to complete or fine tune that 5% to work on something else that is much more important. Tip number 12. This is in relation to the done is better than perfect motto. A very helpful way for embracing done is better than perfect is by setting a time limit for how long you can spend on each task. Parkinson's Law asserts that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Especially if you tend towards perfectionism, you might find yourself working on non-crucial aspects of a task and spending too much time on them. By setting a time limit, you give yourself the time pressure, for example, 40 minutes, a boundary for how long you work on a specific task, or until it is just enough. Done but not perfect. By doing this, you free yourself to move on to the next task. Bonus tip. Tip number 13. Some tasks require us to expand and consider more possibilities. Whereas, some tasks require us to refine, review, and narrow down the options because there is one correct answer, or if you're checking for mistakes and you want to make sure that everything adheres to the format or the correct amount. So writing or creating something, for example, it takes more creativity because you are putting words onto a page, you are brainstorming new ideas, you are exploring new possibilities. On the other hand, editing is a completely different energy. This takes more logic and discernment. It is more about refinement, where less is more. Within the creative cycle, writing and creating something is associated with the energy of the word element, connecting with your vision, embracing an explorative kind of energy, and not censoring yourself so that you can allow the best words, ideas, and images to begin to take shape on your projects and in your life. On the other hand, the energy of editing within the creative cycle is associated with the metal element, which is more about refinement. It is more about crystallizing, looking out for mistakes, narrowing down the options so that there is one or a few correct, refined answers. And one way you can save your energy is to do these two different kinds of tasks separately. You can do them one after the other, but don't try to brainstorm while concurrently assessing which of your ideas that you've just brainstormed is the best, because this involves a different kind of energy that is at odds with each other. By doing these two kinds of tasks separately, you save your energy and your time. So these were my top 12 tips for how you can do more in less time. I hope this was helpful for you. Feel free to share your feedback or your comments and let me know if you have any questions or any areas that you would like me to expand on in future.