Everyone wants to be more efficient, and do more in the same 24/7 we all have.  It’s a constant battle between doing what we need to do, and doing what we want to do and somehow getting it all done.

How can you become more efficient?  Here are 12 time management strategies to consider.

1. 1. Quit muli-tasking.  

You may think you are getting more done by multi-tasking but the reality is just the opposite.  When you multi-task you are splitting your attention between tasks and the quality of your work declines.  And it’s a waste of time.  It takes time to switch between two tasks and back again, more than you would have had you focused on one task, completed it and moved on.

2. 2. Focus on results, not hours.

Results are what matter, not how many hours you spend doing something.  Hours does not translate to results, and sitting at your desk trying to get more hours in doesn’t accomplish anything.  Determine what results you want, and what you can reasonably accomplish towards those results in the time you have available right now.

3. 3. To do lists can run you ragged.

Making a list of what you need to do can organize your mind, and prevent you from having to hold everything in your head, which is energetically draining.  However, what matters is what you accomplish.  Take a look at your to-do list and ask yourself this question.  “What absolutely, positively has to be done today or the world is coming to an end?”  Then focus on those items.  The rest of your to-do list may roll to tomorrow, or the next day.  At some point those tasks may become the ones that absolutely positively must be done today.

4. 4. Create deadlines, even artificial ones.

Without deadlines tasks take on a life of their own.  In order for you to complete anything, create a deadline for yourself, even if it is not required by someone else.  Whether you want to clean the garage, organize your desk, take a course or anything else, without a deadline they will continue to be on your mental or written to do list, maybe forever.

5. 5. Break down projects.

One of the reasons projects linger is they are often big and we don’t have huge chunks of time to work on them.  We keep putting them off thinking “one day I’ll have the time” but one day never comes.  Break down projects into pieces that you can do in shorter periods of time.  It doesn’t all have to be done at once. 

6. 6. Create a tolerations list.

We all have a list of things we are putting up with that distract us, require mental energy and interfere with efficiency.  These are what I refer to as a tolerations list.  Write them down.  My list will include anything from a light bulb I need to change that requires a ladder, to making an appointment for my car to calling the dog walker, ordering new video equipment for my office,  and even noting that I hate how my front yard looks.  I may not be able to handle everything now (i.e. the landscaping), but it’s down someplace I can access and not have to hold it in my mind.  And when you have 5 or 10 minutes, between meetings or whatever, look at the list and see if what you can knock out.

7. 7. Declutter and organize.

Clutter and being disorganized is energetically draining. You may not even recognize it, but it’s true.  Start by decluttering.  Do you need those physical files you have been keeping because someday you might need them (even though you haven’t looked at them for more than five years)?  Can they be digitized to reduce the physical clutter if you must keep them?  Every couple of years I go through my house, one room at a time.  I have four bags.  One is for trash, things that I have no clue why they are in the drawers or closets because they are obviously trash.  One is for items I can donate or give away.  The third is for items I am absolutely going to keep.  And the fourth is for whatever I haven’t yet decided about. By the time I am done I have decluttered and what stays can be organized effectively.  I do this same activity every December in my office.

8. 8. Follow your biorhythms.

Are you most energetic in the mornings, or afternoons?  When do you have the most creative thinking, the most mental and emotional enthusiasm?  That’s when you need to tackle the more difficult tasks and projects.  I’m a morning person.  I like to get up and get going early (like 5:30 or 6 AM), even on the weekends.  I can and do get a lot accomplished early in the day.  I also find that if I don’t get up and get going, my energy wains and I’m likely not to get most of what I planned on doing accomplished.  Knowing this helps me plan what I need to do, when to schedule meetings to be most productive and more.

9. 9. Eliminate your inner perfectionist. 

Perfectionism can be the enemy of productivity.  Read the article I wrote titled this here.  There are so many places where perfectionism gets in the way of us being productive and effective, and it’s not necessary.

10. 10. Accept your own limitations.

Work, family, hobbies, home to do lists and more are a reality of life.  Accepting that it’s impossible to give every aspect of your life equal time and attention will help reduce the guilt we all feel about not doing enough.  Illness and a host of life situations distract us and take our time.  Don’t try and squeeze in what you can’t do because you feel guilty.   Accept your own limitations.

11. 11. Plan next week’s goals.

Take a few hours and plan next week’s goals.  You’ll get more done if you take the time to plan, instead of just showing up and jumping in.  When I had my recruiting firm every day I had us take the last 30 – 60 minutes of the day and plan for tomorrow.  Who were they going to call?  For what purpose?  Did they have the information they needed (contact information, last conversation notes..).  A lot of time gets wasted looking for the phone number or deciding what next to do.  The same goes for planning next week’s goals before you leave for the week. 

12. 12. Congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished.

Most of us spend time focusing on what we didn’t get done, how far yet we have to go and what we still have to do.  Stop that negative thinking.  Focus on what you have accomplished, how far you have come and congratulate yourself.

Want to have a few easy and quick ways to manage your time more effectively? 

Download our Time Management Checklist and find out how.