Because a lot of us lead busy lives, here are 8 simple ways to get more done! (2-3 minute read)

[1] Audiobooks

An Audible subscription is £7.99/$14.95 per month and provides you with one free credit per month to purchase any book in their vast library. Download, plug in, and listen on your daily commute, whilst cleaning the house, cooking dinner, or even whilst brushing your teeth and flossing! LibriVox offers a free selection of classics and information books on their basic package.

 

[2] Podcasts

Like an audiobook, you can download a selection of episodes and listen anywhere. What I particularly enjoy about podcasts? The ability to learn from an incredible range of topics reduced to easy, manageable bite-sized chunks FOR FREE. The other day, to maintain and improve my French listening skills, I listened to a 15 minute podcast in French on ‘miracle foods’. Try subscribing to: TEDTalks for inspiration, for French-speakers or learners try SBS Radio French which discusses news, current affairs and entertainment, to hear from elite athletes and coaches try the ALTIS World podcast hosted by Olympian Ian Warner, and for budding entrepreneurs and business people try the TOP.

 

[3] Batch-cook emails

Remember my ‘batch cooking for beginners’ blog? This follows the same principle: when you sit down for 30 minutes once or twice a day you save time and energy, and can be more focused when replying to your emails. Checking emails as and when they arrive throughout the day distracts you from your main focus at the time, which may be driving, working on an important project or presentation, studying, family time, and the list goes on! Tim Ferris, author of ‘The 4 Hour Work Week’ first got me on to this idea. He actually only responds to emails once a week!

 

[4] Organise your chaos!

I once read: ‘If you don’t have an assistant, you are one.’ Unfortunately, I cannot afford a PA, so I try to make my life as efficient as possible. Here are a few tricks:

• Get rid of all your diaries and simply use one.
• How many email and bank accounts do you have? Reduce the number!
• Have tons of notebooks and notes for various workpieces all over your office and home? If you are an avid note-taker, one useful tip is to leave a page or two at the front of every notebook you use and create a ‘Table of Contents’ to make your work quickly and easily accessible.

 

Any excess in your life takes up valuable time and brain-space. Declutter for a healthier, happier and freer life.

 

[5] Turn off your Wi-Fi & Data for an hour a day.

Disconnect to reconnect is a topic I’ve touched on previously (see post), but there truly are so many benefits to it, including: connecting with family and friends, working efficiently without continual distractions, decompression through prayer, meditation or reading…

 

[6] Do it, delegate it, defer it, or dump it!

Termed ‘The 4 D’s of Completion’ in ‘The Success Principles’ by Jack Canfield, latch onto this idea immediately! Simply put: if it can be done in 10 minutes or less, DO IT NOW. If not and it needs to be done, defer or delegate it partially or completely to another trustworthy individual. Learning to delegate is a process that everybody must learn. If you can get a family member to do your weekly grocery shop, the school run, or pick up your dry cleaning (even for a small fee), that frees you up to do more of what you want and need to do. If you can find a colleague to collaborate on a project or presentation with you, that splits your work in half and will probably create a better end result! When you defer tasks, add them to your diary to a future date and time. And if it really isn’t that important, dump it!

 

[7] Scrap your to-do list.

Move your ‘to-do list’ items into your diary where possible, then follow the above 4 D’s of Completion principle. To-do lists are lethal because as they get longer and longer you become more afraid of the length of time it will take you to accomplish each task. But often, each task takes a shorter time than you might imagine; you just have to get started.

 

[8] Diarise ‘free time’.

Make time to do nothing. (Once you employ the above methods you’ll feel less guilty doing this!) We often feel overwhelmed or under pressure, run late for appointments and meetings, and have to cancel because we forget to diarise for things like ‘travel time’ and ‘chill time’. How many times have you scheduled back-to-back meetings even within the same office without putting a 10-15 minute buffer between meetings for a quick coffee or bathroom break, or to give you time to write a few pertinent bullet points as follow up notes from your meeting? Diarising free time also includes holiday/vacation time. Don’t just think about it, book it! Put your deposit down and schedule your vacation. Whether it is a weekend break at home or abroad, or a full fortnight vacation, everybody needs free time for a healthier and happier life! Even God rested on the 7th day (Genesis 2:2-3). Obey the Sabbath!

 

Remember: your time is valuable!

 

What was the most useful time management tip for you? Perhaps you know somebody who could benefit from reading and employing some of the easy tips in this post. Please like & share with others!

Thanks for reading!

Be blessed.

Abs. ❤

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