Have you ever wondered at the end of the day, “where did the day go?” Or thought at the end of the day “ I was busy all day but got nothing done?” You are probably using the tool of time in an improper way.
How Effective is Multi-Tasking?
Many of us pride ourselves on being able to multi-task. The fact is that most of us are actually really bad at multi-tasking and it is the leading cause of “ I was busy all day but got nothing done.” Multitasking impairs our cognitive ability and hinders our ability to avoid distractions. Here is an article telling you just how bad multi-tasking is for you and your brain health: https://www.verywellmind.com/multitasking-2795003
To be more productive pick a task and work on it exclusively until its done. In fact, one of the best ways to facilitate this is to start your day with a list of priorities, typically no more than 3 or 4, and knock them down one at a time. If you leave one unfinished it moves to the top of the list the next day.
Distractions are productivity killers. You may say “I can fix that problem in 5 minutes and get right back to this.” The fact is once you are taken out of your “groove” it can take you at least 20 to 30 minutes to get back in that groove. You see how even a few distractions a day can add up to real time in a hurry.
So close that office door, hang a sign that says when you will be available and make sure your employees know that in order to be disturbed it needs to be a real emergency, not a “where are the coffee filters moment.”
At the end of the day you need down time to be ready to nail it again tomorrow. When its time to go home its time to go home. Over working yourself today will only make tomorrow that much worse. And it is a compounding downward spiral that inevitably leads to a crash.
Here are some some more great tips from tactical retailer to help you manage the tool of time: https://www.tacretailer.com/business/10-tips-to-stop-wasting-time-at-work