How often do I hear people saying they are busy? Every day, right?
However, they seem to be rushing around like headless chooks achieving nought. That seems an inefficient use of the one life you are given.
So, the following 13 Tips For Effectiveness will help you to do everything that that can be done in a day in a more successful and efficient way.
“13?!”, you’re thinking. I know, it’s a lot. But I’m only asking you to pick a few that you want to work on and give them a go for 30 days. Easy!
SPEND TIME PLANNING AND ORGANIZING. Using the time to think and plan is time well-spent. In fact, if you fail to make time for planning, you are, in effect, planning to fail. Organise in a way that makes sense to you and stick to the plan.
SET GOALS. Goals give your life and the way you spend your time, direction.
PRIORITIZE. Use the 80-20 Rule or flagging items with a deadline is another idea for helping you stick to your priorities.
USE A TO DO LIST. Some people thrive using a daily To Do list which they construct either the last thing the previous day or first thing in the morning. (I get a huge buzz from crossing things off as done on my whiteboard.)
BE FLEXIBLE. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. When interrupted, ask Alan Lakein’s crucial question, “What is the most important thing I can be doing with my time right now?” to help you get back on track fast.
CONSIDER YOUR BIOLOGICAL PRIME TIME. That’s the time of day when you are at your best. Are you a “morning person,” a “night owl,” or a late afternoon “whiz?”
DO THE RIGHT THING RIGHT. Noted management expert, Peter Drucker, says “doing the right thing is more important than doing things right.” Doing the right thing is effectiveness; doing things right is efficiency.
ELIMINATE THE URGENT. Urgent tasks have short-term consequences while important tasks are those with long-term, goal-related implications. Work towards reducing the urgent things you must do so you’ll have time for your important priorities.
PRACTICE THE ART OF INTELLIGENT NEGLECT. Eliminate from your life trivial tasks or those tasks which do not have long-term consequences for you. Can you delegate or eliminate any of your To Do lists? Work on those tasks which you alone can do.
AVOID BEING A PERFECTIONIST. Yes, some things need to be closer to perfect than others, but perfectionism, paying unnecessary attention to detail, can be a form of procrastination.
CONQUER PROCRASTINATION. One technique to try is the “Swiss cheese” method described by Alan Lakein. When you are avoiding something, break it into smaller tasks and do just one of the smaller tasks or set a timer and work on the big task for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time, eventually, you’ll reach a point where you’ll want to finish.
LEARN TO SAY “NO.” Such a small word – and so hard to say. Focusing on your goals may help. Be convinced that you and your priorities are important – that seems to be the hardest part in learning to say “no.” Once convinced of their importance, saying “no” to the unimportant in life gets easier.
REWARD YOURSELF. Even for small successes, celebrate the achievement of goals. Promise yourself a reward for completing each task, or finishing the total job. Then keep your promise to yourself and indulge in your reward.
There you go, 13 Easy Tips For Being Effective. TRY a few of them out today. Be in action, in a way, that more than fills your place allowing you to move on to the next when an opportunity comes your way.
Have an effective week.
Kind regards,
Glenn Edley
Quote for the week
“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
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