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The secrets of Time Management

5/22/2018

If we are not to multitask (multitasking makes us stupid) to improve our productivity, how do we manage our time so that we are at our most productive? We all face decisions and choices throughout the day on how we are to spend our time. Time will go on whether we’re doing something or not, but our choices, we can change. It’s all about planning and focusing.

1- Plan: Optimize your schedule

When you plan your tasks for the day, plan according to the way you feel. When are you at your most tired, when do you work your best. Make sure to plan your priority work at a time you work at your best. The best return on time invested comes from that 20% of your day really focusing on your priority work.
Minimize distractions. Lock your door or have a sign on it, go somewhere else to work if it helps. Do whatever it takes to not get distracted by others. Turn off your phone or put it on silent.
Manage interruptions by scheduling a time for them. Plan a time for phone calls or to answer questions for example or a time to play with the kids.
Be aware of your choices. We all tend to procrastinate on tasks that we either don’t like doing or are hard to do. Do those first and concentrate on how you’ll feel once those are accomplished.
Don’t over-commit yourself at the expense of your priority work or well being, you will do a disservice to yourself and to the person you are commiting to. The key is finding balance. You don’t actually need a reason to say no. Set boundaries and be clear on what your priorities are.

2- We need to learn to Focus.
Focusing on something means doing something and thinking about it at the same time and doing just one thing at a time. To do that we need to put ourselves in the best conditions possible.

Turn off your phone’s notifications
Don’t check your emails every 5 min
Limit social media interaction to only every 4-6h
Take 5 min breaks every 25 min with a timer and move around and breathe.
Make sure you’re eating and drinking and have a good night sleep

Time management starts with good habits that you do consistently. Manage your time and you will become more productive, feel less stress and anxiety, have less wasted time and ultimately experience a better life/work balance.

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Sophie Bent is a Professional Organizer & Productivity Consultant @Bent On Organizing, LLC. She is a NAPO Specialist in Residential Organizing in South Florida and has been organizing businesses and homes since 2008. Contact her at 561-404-7181 or www.bentonorganizing.com

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Did you know? “Multitasking makes you stupid”

5/14/2018

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I know that most of us multitask some of the time. I’m guilty of that although I have been proven many times that I am not good at it and can’t remember what people are actually saying to me. Debbie Rosemont, CPO, in her session on multitasking at NAPO Chicago, demonstrated how multitasking makes us stupid with a simple 2nd grade math test and asking us to retain the information she was reading to us. Needless to say I failed with flying colors! Only 2.5% of people are supertaskers and obviously I am not one of them.

What is multitasking? It is trying to do 2 things or more at once or in quick succession, like talking on the phone and checking emails, reading a book while watching TV. Things you need to concentrate on or think about. So if you think that multitasking is a skill that helps you, think again.

Studies have shown that to multitask our brain has to rapid fire switch with going from one thread of thought to another and it slows us down. Our speed decreases and we have higher chances of making mistakes. We decrease our accuracy and it actually also increases our stress. It also decreases our ability to remember new things or learning new things. Multitasking reduces our efficiency and performance because our brain can only focus on one thing at a time.

The research conducted at Stanford University showed that multitaskers actually took 40% more time than if focussed on one task at a time! 40%. The research also showed that those who multitask a lot and feel that it boost their performance performed worse because they had trouble organizing their thoughts and filtering irrelevant information and they were slower at switching from one task to another. Ouch. Another research at the University of London also shows that on top of slowing you down, multitasking also lowers your IQ by about 10pt same as when losing a night's sleep or smoking marijuana. IQ drops of 15pts for multitasking men lowered their scores to the average range of an 8 year old child.

Still want to multitask? Well as a mom of 2, I know that there’s no way not to ever do several things at once, but we’re kidding ourselves if we think we can do so without cost. As Albert Einstein said “ A man who drives while kissing a pretty girl does not give the kiss the attention it deserves” ;-)

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Part 2- De-cluttering your Head.

5/7/2018

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Studies have proven that clutter is de-energizing, distracting, depressing and causes extra work.
But what about the clutter we carry in our head?

Do you ever get the overwhelming feeling that you have so much to do and so little time and you've got so much on your mind? All those unfinished projects, or future projects mingled with the everyday projects and things to do or buy, people to call or emails to answer back. It makes your head spin. You've captured some on your to do lists, but still, it's all too overwhelming? So, you just do as much as you can some days, and sometimes you even feel like you're on top of things, but little seems clear for very long anymore.
In order for us to deal with all of that clearly and effectively we require the implementation of some basic habits. We were never taught that we have to think in a concentrated manner about our work before we can do it.

1- If it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear. Capture it!
David Allen in "Getting things Done" calls his master to do list: "A collection bucket" and for him it is "a way for us to capture all the things that need to be done; now, later, someday, big, little or in between, into a logical and trusted system outside of your head". Ziegler calls it a "Master List". Anything that you consider unfinished in any way or form needs to be on it. You can use a notebook, an app, just make sure there's enough space in between each entry or a space for note taking.
Your mind will remind you of things when there's nothing you can do about it. So have a pad of paper or a recording app everywhere you go.

2- Think! Clarify!
Writing down a task on your "to do" list is not necessarily enough for you to have it off your mind.
What is your commitment and what do you have to do to go forwards? Have you clarified what would need to happen for you to check this off your list. Describe in a simple sentence your successful outcome for this problem or project, what would need to happen for you to check this project as done. So what is the next action? Write it down.

3- Plan!
Once you have decided on the actions that are needed to be accomplished, you must put reminders in place for the actions that are needed to be taken. Plan your week accordingly.

And don't forget to empty your "Collection Bucket" or Master list often and rewrite/refill a new one. You can do that every week so that you can plan for the week ahead...
Happy Organizing! :-)

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Sophie Bent

"Helping people get organized and transforming their lives has been one of my life's greatest enjoyments. Thank You!"

Sophie Bent has been a professional organizer and productivity consultant since 2008 and is a member of NAPO and a member of the South Florida Association of Professional Organizer.

The secrets of Time Management

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Did you know? “Multitasking makes you stupid”

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Part 2- De-cluttering your Head.

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Sophie Bent

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