| Imagine what would happen to you if you doubled your | | | | another, make a note of the diverting activity, no |
| personal productivity? How would that affect your | | | | matter how trivial. This means that you will record all |
| work? | | | | interruptions, noting their sources and reasons. Give as |
| Have you ever finished your day and reflected on | | | | much detail as possible. Make a note on how much |
| your lack of progress? You seem to have been busy | | | | time you spent on each item. Set a priority for every |
| all day yet achieved very little. Have you ever looked | | | | single item. After a day, you will be able to see what |
| at your "to do" list and realized that it is longer than it | | | | proportion of your time was spent on high priority |
| was at the beginning of the day because nothing has | | | | work. |
| been crossed off? | | | | Record your ideas on how you might have done |
| When you are managing a successful career or | | | | things better. Write these comments as you go along. |
| developing the business of your own, your time is in | | | | This reduces the chance of overlooking details. |
| short supply and therefore invaluable. Your time is | | | | Keep the time log close at hand. When you answer |
| fixed. You can't get any more. This means that you | | | | the phone, write down the phone call. When someone |
| have to do all the things that you need to do in a fixed | | | | pokes their head in to make a comment or pass on |
| time frame. The clock doesn't stop ticking. The secret | | | | information, reach over and jot it down on the log |
| is to make the best use of your time without working | | | | sheet. |
| any harder. It is a case of personal management. | | | | Use abbreviations and shortcuts. |
| Logically speaking, the first step to better managing | | | | Show people by their initials. |
| yourself in relation to time is to find out what you are | | | | Indicate interruptions with a big "X". |
| currently doing. | | | | For phone calls, use a letter "C" with an arrow pointing |
| · Measure how your time is being used. | | | | to the "C" for an incoming call and an arrow pointing |
| · Check out how much of your time is being | | | | away from it for your outgoing calls. |
| wasted. | | | | Each day go over the following points. |
| · Who are the people that waste your time? | | | | · Every time you shift your attention - log it. Be |
| · What do they do? | | | | specific. |
| · Can they be neutralized? | | | | · If you note a 12 minute block as "Phone calls" |
| · How much of your precious time do you | | | | you will not be able to tell if they were necessary or |
| personally waste because of your work habits? | | | | time wasters. |
| Keep a Time Log | | | | · Record everything. |
| You may say "I don't have time to mess around doing | | | | · Do not skip over socialising or brief |
| that!" Keeping a time log is a very effective way to | | | | interruptions because they seem minor. |
| discover your current work habits. You'll gain a | | | | You are trying to determine how much of your total |
| tremendous amount of information about your use of | | | | time is frittered away in such minor activities. |
| time even after trying it for one day. It seems that | | | | Note how much time you spend on interruptions, |
| once you start measuring what you are doing or what | | | | emails, reading blogs, web surfing, planning, phone calls, |
| is happening to you, it creates a situation where you | | | | problem solving, research, filing, eating, drinking tea or |
| become conscious of your habits. Once this happens, | | | | coffee day-dreaming, doing meaningful work, going to |
| you have the ability to examine them and if necessary, | | | | the bathroom and thinking. If you get out of your chair, |
| change them. | | | | it probably means you need to make an entry in your |
| For one week keep a log of your activities. Record | | | | time log. At the end of a typical day, I end up with |
| each activity as the day progresses. Throughout your | | | | around 80 log entries. |
| day record the time whenever you start or stop any | | | | Warning: |
| activity. You can use a stopwatch or put a timer on | | | | Log your time as you go Don't try to catch up at the |
| your desk. Be as detailed as possible in your time log. | | | | end of the day. |
| Whenever your attention shifts from one thing to | | | | |