Most people are careful with what matters most to them: money, possessions, even relationships.

They pay attention to these precious resources, take care of them and don’t take them for granted.

However, there is one precious resource that many, many people don’t pay attention to, don’t take care of and often do take for granted.

And that resource is…drum roll please…TIME!

We all know that time is precious…time is money…and time is LIMITED.

Then why do we:

• Waste time on unnecessary tasks (hello procrastination!)
• Work long hours but get little done?
• Focus on things we should not be focusing on?
• Multi-task to increase our productivity (in theory) but end up doing the exact opposite instead?
• Struggle to say ‘No’ to requests that put unnecessary pressure on our (already jam-packed) schedules?

Are you guilty of any of these behaviours?

Are you also bad at prioritisation? Many people are. When was the last time you told your boss, “Sorry, I cannot attend a video meeting at 6 AM because that’s when I meditate and do Yoga”?

Isn’t it better to take control over how we use our (limited) time?

This may be easier said than done, but it is not impossible.

You can use your time wisely on more fruitful pursuits.

You can have more free time for leisure, relaxation and hobbies.

You can gain time back.

And you can save your sanity!

Try these 5 proven strategies to help you get started!

1. Outsource what you can

Do you really need to spend 3 hours a day on housework?

Will you be better off hiring a freelancer to write your blog?

Does it make more sense to hire someone to build your kitchen cabinet rather than DIYing it?

There’s no shame in outsourcing. But there are plenty of benefits! Think of the amount of time you’re wasting in doing tasks that you think you should do even though you know your time can be better utilised on other, more important tasks. In such a situation, outsourcing is definitely the better choice over struggling with a never-ending to-do list. Look online for outsourcing specialists/contractors/freelancers or ask the people in your network. Even if you have to spend a little money on hiring someone else – especially if it is for low-risk, repeatable or non-complex tasks – in the long run, it will be totally worth it.

But how can you tell today if it will be worth it? Try this hack. Assign an hourly monetary ‘rate’ for yourself. What do you wish to earn per hour? Now factor in the opportunity cost of doing a task that prevents you from earning that amount. Then, compare this cost to the cost of outsourcing. Is it cheaper to outsource than it is to waste time on non-productive/non-earning tasks? The choice is probably clear by now, right?

2. Make use of automation

Not everyone is comfortable using technology. If this doesn’t affect your productivity in any way, feel free to jump to the next section. But if it does, consider adopting technology to automate certain tasks. You will be glad you did.

A number of simple yet effective tools are available to help you automate tasks that eat into your time without delivering the results you need.

So, which of these tasks are your ‘Everest’?

• Document review
• Lead generation
• Data entry/data mining
• Payroll scheduling
• Calendar management
• Résumé review
• Customer surveys
• Content template creation

All of these tasks can be easily automated. Find the tools and use them!

3. Take accountability for the time you spend with others

In modern times, it is almost impossible to work ‘alone’. Even with national lockdowns, social distancing and remote work, most people have to talk to, coordinate with, meet with and occasionally even negotiate with others. Two-way communication is part of the human experience, and that’s a very good thing.

But are you letting your two-way communication destroy your schedule and steal your time?

Are you attending 3-hour meetings where you have virtually nothing to contribute or learn?

Are you following up on the same issue with the same people over and over?

Are you drowning under the weight of emails where you are on CC or even BCC?

Guess what you’re doing?

You are wasting time!

Most things don’t require an immediate response. It’s true! Prioritise what you need to do, who you need to talk to and which email you need to reply to. For the remaining tasks, an ‘I’ll get to it when I have completed my high-priority tasks’ approach is better. If you don’t have time to attend a meeting, say so. If you can’t check an email immediately, say so. And if you can’t sync your schedule with other people’s whims, SAY SO!

4. Learn to say NO

NO is a very powerful word that most people use sparingly or not at all.

They don’t want to offend.

They suffer from ‘proactive’ guilt.

They don’t want to seem ‘pricey’ or arrogant.

They’re afraid of the consequences.

“NO, I can’t join the meeting at 10 PM. That time is reserved for story time with my kids.”

“NO, I can’t come into the office on Saturday. I’m going on a day-long Yoga retreat.”

“NO, I cannot send the report in the next hour. I just received the brief and I need time for research.”

Is it unlikely that you will lose your job if you say NO? Lose the respect of your colleagues? Lose the trust of your boss?

If you answered YES to any one of the above questions, get used to saying NO.

5. Work on your decision-making ability

Some people can take an hour to decide which outfit to wear to work that day, while others can make decisions about expensive purchases in 5 minutes.

Can you see the mismatch between the decision type and time spent on making it?

The former is a simple decision that shouldn’t take up too much of your time.

The latter is a more ‘hairy’ decision that requires forethought and consideration, not impulsiveness and impatience.

It doesn’t matter whether you wear a blue shirt or a white shirt today (unless it’s part of a work uniform, in which case the entire problem of choosing the right coloured shirt is moot).

It doesn’t matter whether you drink tea alone now or coffee with your colleague 20 minutes later.

It doesn’t matter whether the cells in your Excel report are coloured yellow or green. As long as the data is visible and correct, it’s unlikely that your boss will care either way (she may care if every second cell is coloured red – but you already know that!)

Stop treating all small decisions as big decisions. Identify the decisions that are truly important/high-priority and spend more time on them, and only on them.

By making a few small but powerful changes to our behaviour, we can gain greater control over one of the most precious resources we have – time. And when we get better control over our time, we can get better control over our productivity, our happiness and our entire life.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”

–Harvey Mackay

Did you like this post? Would you like create such powerful content for your brand?

Contact us today!!