Ever feel like your life is careening out of control? Or maybe just that you could get so much more done if you only had time to get organized (or just stopped spending so much time on social media)?
If you've ever dabbled in real estate, you're familiar with the term “highest and best use,” a phrase which describes the most economically efficient and profitable use of a particular piece of property. Apply this principle to your time: maximize every moment to get the highest and best use of each one. That takes thoughtful planning, which is—as you probably know—much easier said than done.
There is no “right” amount of planning. Some people plan too much and never actually do anything; others don't plan enough, and end up being reactors rather than achievers. For effective planning, don't insist on 100 percent when 90 percent will do, but always strive for at least 90 percent. Try not to get detoured, but if you do, get back on track as quickly as possible. Execute your plan as soon as possible, evaluate your errors, make any necessary corrections, then re-execute.
Consider these suggestions to help you get the results you want:
• Put top priorities in the right place. Although it makes sense to put your top priority first on your agenda, that's not always the most effective approach. Put your top priorities in the place where you know they will receive the right amount of attention and effort, and that may not always be first.
• Close your door. Managers who adopt an open-door policy to demonstrate their accessibility are inviting constant interruptions that will prevent them from accomplishing their goals. Certainly you want to be accessible, but you also need to control your schedule rather than letting everyone else do it for you.
• Respect the value of time—yours and others’. Just as you work to maximize your own time, you must also respect the value of other people’s time. Being late is not only rude, it also tells the person with whom you are dealing that you believe his time is worthless.
• Know your limitations. To effectively maximize your time, you must know what you realistically can and can’t accomplish with the resources you have. Over-booking your time and over-committing yourself only sets you up for failure. And if there's something you don't do well, delegate it to someone who can do it better. For example, if you're not a good writer but you need to blog, hire a ghostwriter to do it for you.
• Ask the right questions. When you’re seeking information, ask questions that are clear, targeted and designed to generate only the information you actually need, rather than a plethora of data you must then sort through.
• Take naps. Schedule rest into your day and don’t let anything interrupt that time.
• Understand the difference between a schedule and a to-do list. Your to-do list may be the first step in creating a schedule, but a schedule is more than just tasks, it also includes an established time frame for the completion of each item.
• Accept the fact that not everything must be done perfectly. Certainly some tasks allow little room for error, but you can save a lot of time by letting go of the need for perfection when it isn’t absolutely necessary.
• Distinguish tools from toys. Some technological advances are truly valuable tools; others are nothing more than toys, and the difference is not the item but the user. Before you invest in a new item, be sure it will be a tool that will help you be more effective, not just a toy, or worse, something that will actually reduce your effectiveness.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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