Getting More Hours in a Day

I have not been posting as often as I normally do. This is mostly to do with a big deadline on the magazine I design at work. I'm happy to say it has gone to the printer so I'm able to have a little more balance in my life right now.

But this got me thinking...how are some ways I can better manage my time? I know that I have a lot on my plate and I consider myself to be a productive person. But we are ALL busy...isn't that the phrase you hear all the time? Sorry I didn't do X, I've just been so busy...if only there were more hours in the day!

I found an interesting article that gives some tangible ways you can build more time in your day and be more productive. Personally, I am going to adopt two ideas from the article. I'm going to start getting some books on CD to make my commute each day more educational. I also know I could save a lot of time if I could stop compulsively checking my email every 10 minutes!

And some day I very much plan on having an assistant! ;)

Here's an idea: I think for many of us, that hour we could save by turning off the TV (as suggested in the article) should be an hour we spend nurturing ourselves. Because when we say we are so busy, I think we are really saying we are stressed and could use some "me" time.

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Ten Ways to Save 2 Hours A Day or More!
by Chris Widener
article found at http://www.mlm.com/mlm/user/mlmarticles

When you gain 2 hours a day, that is 14 hours a week and a whopping 728 hours a year or 18.2 workweeks!

Take a look at the list below and implement a few - if not all - of them and see how much time you gain this week and how much more you accomplish! (Note: The time saved listed is per day! They are also very conservative estimates.)

1. Turn off the TV. We may as well start at the easy one. The average person watches 3 hours a day. So turn it off for one of those hours. Do something else instead. Read a book. Better yet, start writing YOUR book! Time saved - One hour.

2. Group your projects together. Do all you email at once or make all your calls at once. Starting and stopping wastes a lot of time. Time saved - 15 minutes.

3. Don't answer the phone. Let it go to voice mail. Then, at a set time, listen to the voice mail, delete liberally, and write down the info on a pad to call back when it is best for you. Talk to them only about the issue at hand. Time saved - 30 minutes. Another 30 if you count the telemarketers you avoid.

4. Get up 15 minutes earlier. Go to bed 15 minutes later. If your alarm goes off every day at 6 am, make it 5:45. You don't need that much sleep anyway! Time saved - 30 minutes!

5. Enroll in what Zig Ziglar calls "Automobile University." I have a friend that uses his library card like nobody's business and always has the best cd's with him. And it costs him nothing. He listens to close to ten hours of great material a week. All while in the car. Time saved - 1 hour.

6. Cut your lunch short. No matter how much you take, shave 15 minutes off of it. Side benefit: You'll lose weight without the dessert! Time saved - 15 minutes.

7. Hire an assistant. Let him or her do the smaller tasks like answering email, copying, screening calls, and filing. Time saved - 1 hour.

8. Focus. Different people are distracted by different things. Whatever it is that distracts you, cut it out. Tune it out and lock in like a laser on your work. You will save time and your work will be better! Time saved - 30 minutes.

9. Shift you work hours to include time when others aren't at the office. Being there alone will help you stay on task and you will be shocked at how much you get done. Time saved - 15 minutes.

10. Plan. Spend 15 minutes a day planning your day to work on the most important tasks in the most efficient way. You will lose 15 minutes but gain an hour. Total saved - 45 minutes.

Total if you do them all: 6 hours a day of time saved, improved focus and a dramatic increase in productivity! If you will just implement a few of these - those that work best for you - you will see a dramatic improvement in your time management and productivity - I guarantee it!
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What can you do right now to gain some time in your day? :)