Time is a luxury. Each of us only has 1440 minutes per day and they go by quickly, so you surely don't want to waste any of them! By maximizing your efficiency, you can complete every item on your to-do list with time to spare!
Follow these suggestions to help you get more done in less time:
1. Organization. Organization is the key to successful time management. Take a few moments before completing a task, whether small or large, and create a time-saving game plan. Lay out all of your supplies; know exactly where you'll start and where you want to finish.
Create a checklist and check it twice. When laying out your supplies, place them in the order that they'll be used. In doing so, you're able to shave a few seconds off of your project time whenever you reach for supplies.
Even if you don't have supplies, you can still benefit from a checklist. Create milestones. If you're checking the milestones off as scheduled, you'll know that you're on the right track. If you're checking them later than scheduled, it's time to speed things up.
2. Work in spurts. If you have a time consuming task to take on, rather than dreading the hours of work that are ahead, work in spurts. Working in spurts of 25 minutes, with a five-minute break in between, still allows you 50 minutes of work time without feeling worked to the bone.
It's important to focus solely on the task at hand while working in spurts. If you take even a two-minute break, you've lost two minutes of work time and increased your break time by 20%.
Concentrate on the one task at hand. If you're painting a room, the only things that you should be doing throughout your 25 minutes is rolling paint onto the wall and reloading your paint roller. No using the restroom, changing the song, or helping your spouse in another room - just painting.
3. Power-up correctly. In order to be efficient, it's necessary to start the day off on the right foot. First, get a good night's rest. If your mornings are dependent on your consumption of coffee, drink a healthy sized cup of coffee accompanied by an equally healthy breakfast.
Wake up early. You'll find that you're more energized after breakfast and coffee at 7:00am rather than 11:00am. Plus, you'll add extra hours to your day, which allows you to cross off tasks on your to-do list even sooner. Then, the rest of the day is yours!