- Manage your time instead of letting it manage you
- Track where you are spending your time, make estimates, measure then compare to your estimate
- Put time into a daily schedule (either end of the day for the next day, or at the start of the day)
- Remove tasks from your list that you shouldnt be doing (out of scope, not your priority etc)
- Identify the 3/4 most important tasks and do them first
- Organize tasks based on importance rather than urgency
- Use the eisenhower matrix to help prioritize tasks
- Do - Important deadlines with high urgency, complete right away
- Decide - Often long term goals and strategy, spend most of your time on these
- Delegate - Often distractions, they are important but dont contribute to your output
- Delete - Distractions with little value, ignore these as much as possible
Urgent | Not urgent | |
---|---|---|
Important | Do | Decide |
Not important | Delegate | Delete |
- Where possible, group similar tasks togethor, reduce context switching
- Avoid multitasking, focus on the task at hand and block out distractions, take one task at a time
- Set time limits on tasks - do not attempt to work on it until its done
- Build in buffers - short mental breaks after completing a task help with focus and motivation
- Learn to say no - its better to complete fewer tasks that bring more value
- Organize your notes / task list, automate repetitive tasks where you can
- Eliminate distractions - routinely identify your top two distractions and work on eliminating them / reducing their impact
- Awareness: thinking realistically about your time by understanding it is a limited resource
- Arrangement: Organizing goals, plans, schedules and tasks to most effectively use your time
- Adaptation: regularly monitor how you use your time, adjust to interruptions and changing priorities
- The main cause is a lack of self-regulation
- Resisting the temptation to do something, through willpower and retraining
- Daily tasks / routine help beat procrastination by building your willpower
- Mindfulness helps to build willpower
- Exercise, eat well and drink water
- Push past your social comfort zone, count 3 heartbeats and act, waiting any longer leads to more opportunity to create excuses
- The more you overthink the more you procrastinate
- Plan micro-habits, daily repeatable tasks that take chunks out of a bigger tasks / job
- Its easier to find the right motivation rather than increasing willpower
- Extrinsic motivation: usually doesnt work for cognitivte / creative tasks, better for manual tasks
- Intrinsic motivation: focusing on goals only can lead to unhappiness in the present, reaching the goal gives limited happiness
- Journey based intrinsic motivation: focus on enjoyable activities that lead to your goals
- Focus on meaning and purpose
- Start when you're NOT ready
Books / audio books I should finally get to