Warren Buffett once said: the difference between successful and truly successful people is that the latter answer almost everything with a refusal. It's not so easy if you're not used to it, you're afraid to offend someone or miss a good opportunity. But if you constantly agree to everything, you will never have time for your own affairs.
Try saying "no" to these things first:
Going for a run every morning? Are you rushing from one meeting to another without giving yourself a break? Are you trying to complete all the tasks from the list for the day in one sitting? All these are signs of unsuccessful planning. Moreover, such a stressful lifestyle can harm your health.
Try to get up a little earlier to calmly get ready for work. Leave plenty of time between meetings and business so that you can catch your breath. Take breaks to rest and reboot. If it seems to you that all this is impossible, it's time to seriously reconsider your priorities.
New services and techniques are constantly appearing that promise to solve all our problems with time management and give us back control over our lives. I really want to believe that the next novelty will become a universal tool, but this does not happen. First of all, because the creators develop them for their own needs, and they are all different.
And in the same way, people have different work styles, biorhythms and motivating factors. Try to understand what exactly is behind your problem over time, and look for a specific tool to solve it. For example, if you have difficulties with planning, it makes no sense to download an application for concentration.
You are often reminded that you break deadlines, forget about agreements and do not keep your word. Perhaps they even avoid working with you. Don't rush to blame your colleagues. Understand that this is a signal that you are not all right with time management.
Figure out why you always have deadlines burning. Perhaps you need to spend more time on tasks, learn how to cope with procrastination, or transfer some of your responsibilities to someone else.
Before agreeing to something, think carefully about whether you have enough time for it. Try to estimate more realistically how many minutes or hours it will take for a particular case. For example, if you have a meeting at two, do not arrange a call at half past two, hoping that you will finish early.
Take a good look at it. Do you still have a window between tasks or do they overlap? Do you have time for yourself personally? If you see that your schedule is overloaded, try to put it in order.
When planning meetings and meetings, lay out an additional 10-15 minutes for them in case something drags on. Make breaks in advance in the calendar when you will not respond to messages and think about work. Figure out if it's possible to give up something that no longer fits into your life. And do not agree to every request to devote your time, appreciate it.
Do you constantly feel tired and tense? Have you started eating junk food more often? Do you notice that there is no time for sports and recreation at all? All these are alarming signals that say that your health is in danger. Of course, the reasons may be different, but an unsuccessful time allocation is one of the most frequent.
For example, you do not get enough sleep because you are working late at night. You eat fast food because there is no time to cook a normal meal. You don't move much because you're too busy doing things. But health should always come first. Without it, you will not be able to succeed in other areas. So try to change your lifestyle to start taking better care of yourself.
Remember the last time you spent time leisurely with your loved ones, read a book, engaged in your hobby, or just looked out the window and soared in the clouds. If it turns out with difficulty, perhaps you do not leave yourself time for this.
But favorite activities are no less important than sleep, nutrition and physical activity. They help relieve stress and be more productive at work. Therefore, instead of crossing them out of the schedule, try to give up something else and find time for them.
This is one of the most obvious signs that something has gone wrong with time planning. Of course, there are cases when it is necessary to linger, for example, to cope with the consequences of an unforeseen situation or to launch a new product on the market in time. But this should not happen regularly.
According to scientists, recycling is literally capable of killing M. Fadel, G. Sembajwe, et al. Association between Reported Long Working Hours and History of Stroke in the CONSTANCES Cohort / Stroke . And besides, it still brings little results. When people work more than 50 hours a week, their productivity decreases The Relationship Between Hours Worked and Productivity , so the extra time spent on tasks is actually wasted.
Train yourself not to overwork. All the same obvious, but no less effective tips will help in this: prioritize and not waste time on trifles, learn to say "no" so as not to take on too much, and allow yourself to rest in order to recover and be more efficient during working hours.
