by Rachel Smith
28 November 2014
Hands up if you’d like another hour – or two – in your day? Yep, me too. And as we ramp up towards the silly season, it’s easy to let your time management strategies slip in favour of sneaky work drinks and long lunches. But, if you’ve got lots of stuff to get through before you knock off for that Chrissy break, here are my five tips for carving out more time in your day.
1. Note it down A to-do list or bullet journal keeps you focused, ensures you don’t miss important tasks and saves you heaps of time if you use it effectively. I have several lists on the go including an ongoing one at Teux Deux, which enables you to create sections for different aspects of your work or life. I also have a bullet journal with an ongoing list and I mark off things as they’re done. On really busy days, I’ll split tasks into sections of the day – ie, ‘Before lunch I will…’ or ‘Must finish by 4pm’. And how you phrase your to-do list items is important too. Specific goals like ’Transcribe expert interview’ or ‘Buy two black printer cartridges’ are far more actionable than vague items like, ‘Start that story on fitness’.
2. Prioritising the right things As a freelancer you quickly learn that if you have a deadline tasks related to that are priority – or you’re in the doghouse. Working for yourself, you have to become good at recognising what’s priority and what’s not, and again, it really is up to you to make that call.
3. Ignoring distractions Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest… it’s all time suckage. And sure, while a business owner will often have to build social media updates into the day, using pre-scheduled posts and tweets and devoting a set amount of time to these platforms is crucial. Otherwise you fall down the rabbit hole and come up for air realising another day’s been wasted talking crap on Twitter with people you barely know. If you can’t stay away from social media, try using a lock-out program such as Freedom (for Mac) or Cold Turkey (for Windows).
4. Learning to say no to work We’ve talked about this before – when you say yes to every job or project and suddenly have so many commitments you feel sick at the thought of not just completing them all on deadline, but turning in a top quality story or product. Chances are, when you take on more than you can handle, you’re more likely to turn in sloppy work that you’ve raced against the clock to finish. Which isn’t great for your reputation. Learn to say no or at the very least, master the phrase, ‘I’ll have to get back to you about that’. Then check your schedule and see if you can feasibly commit to something around your existing work before saying yes.
5. Taking regular breaks It may sound counter-productive, nicking off for a break when you’re trying to create more time in your day to power through your to-do list – but fatigue is actually far more of a productivity killer. Taking short breaks to recharge doesn’t just help you approach work feeling fresher and more motivated but it can also boost creativity. So grab that coffee, take that stroll – and don’t skip lunch!
What’s your best time management tip?
