Stoics say: The present is a precious moment. To rush through it is profoundly arrogant and reckless. "Memento mori," soak it in.
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So, what's the practical application? How we view time impacts our entire life, including work.
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In our part 3 of productivity, we're sharing the last tips to help you gain more control of your day and move away from the hurried and overwhelmed life. And it starts with a simple 2-letter word.
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3 Ways to Stop Wasting Time
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1. The Power of NO. Say NO more often (gracefully and politely, of course). The more NO's you say, the more room you make for a "HELL YES!". As James Clear, author of Atomic Habits said, "More effort is wasted doing things that don't matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently." Learn how to say no with this 7-minute video (sample phrases included ). nn2. Make 'Do Not Disturb' Your BFF. On average, people get interrupted every 11 minutes during the workday, and it takes 25 minutes to refocus after each interruption. Turn off your notifications. Schedule time in your day to check your notifications, text messages, and emails (I know this is a big one for most of us). Try doing a small window of 15 minutes at the start of your day to make sure nothing’s on fire. 90% of the time, things aren’t urgent. And then tackle your priorities.
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nAlso, do your colleagues and clients a favor and group your questions and/or communications in one email with clear deadlines on when you would like a response. nn3. Book 25- or 45-min Meetings. Cut down the length and number of meetings you set during the day. Like we mentioned last week about Parkinson's Law, meetings expand to fill the time you’ve set aside for them. So just set aside less time. This will also allow you to take 5 to 15 mins in between meetings to take a break, regain your clarity, follow up, and wrap up loose ends.n
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ICYMI, check out Productivity Part 1 & Part 2.
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