How to get more done in the new year

Of course, if your work day is mainly composed of various meetings (if you, for example, a doctor or a lawyer), this approach is not particularly suitable to you. However, it can also be used after hours, if you notice that your evenings and weekends fly by unnoticed while watching TV shows and social networking.

Treat time as a meal

Proper allocation of time is given to us so hard, because time itself - the concept is very vague. It can not be seen or touched, even scientists are still arguing about its nature.

So try to think of time as something more specific, such as food. The tendency to be distracted akin to craving for harmful food. Waste of time - it is overweight. A problem (time tracking) solution - a food diary.

What is the general use of food diaries? Firstly, for people who are overweight simply the realization that they eat can sometimes be a shock. All sorts of snacks and desserts like it is not considered until you see them on paper counted. Understanding what you eat, a healthy sense of shame and responsibility that comes with keeping a diary, - all together leads to the fact that the weight is lost faster.

The same arguments apply and the time spent recording. So if you want to pump up their "productivity muscles", start to track how you spend your time.

Pros Time Tracking

To keep track of your time you have to meticulously record the hours and minutes spent per day, for a few weeks or even months. As paradoxical as it may sound, the process itself also takes time.

To begin, let's look at what the pros keep track of time, and then move on to the tips that will help take up the case.

1. This is the basis for other productive techniques

We did not start weight training, without defining an initial weight, which can raise. In the same way we should act and when trying to make new habits and increase productivity. If we do not know exactly how and what we spend the time, we simply will not be able to correctly calculate the time for different things, and we are constantly dissatisfied with themselves.

If you, for example, do not notice that spend an hour a day on social networks, how do you get rid of this habit? You just think that for greater productivity you need to be different to-do lists. While you just need to block Facebook or "VKontakte".

time spent tracking will help you understand what productivity strategy you really need.

2. You will see that overestimated their time costs

Now all they complain of constant employment, and lack of time. But what if this feeling - a problem of perception, rather than the actual state of affairs? It is possible that it occurs because you incorrectly estimate how much time you spent on the implementation of different things.

When we look at your schedule, you exaggerate the amount of time that will have to be spent on certain tasks. And it discourages us the desire to take up the case or start a new hobby. And sometimes we even spend on some sort of action longer than necessary.

Of course, not all things just seem time consuming. Some really time-consuming. But by tracking their time spent within a few weeks, you will notice that some things are faster than you thought. So you may see the time that you have not had time to do.

3.... or underestimated

No less often we underestimate their actual time spent.

The tendency to exaggerate the time spent, for example, various household duties, stems from the fact that such cases we consider it more burdensome.

Time spent on things that do not require a voltage, usually flies by. It is these activities and should be excluded from their daily routine.

4. It develops a sense of responsibility

When you have sat around for an hour on the Internet, and then went back to work, it is possible that no one except you did not notice. It turns out that hour simply sunk into oblivion. Yes, any time you feel guilty, but then just forget about it and to waste another hour or two the next day.

But when we keep track of your time, we will have to write down and the hour spent in vain. There will be a completely different reaction. Recording "from 12:00 to 13:00 sat on the Internet" will cause much greater guilt than just a thought, "Oh, that's another hour has passed." You have to admit that you have spent a whole hour in vain.

Naturally, the evening looking at my notes, I want to see that day was not in vain. If today you are taking the time wasted and recorded it, tomorrow will be better not to be distracted.

5. It helps to do more

Sometimes, analyzing their actions for some time, you find that you really something and nothing to do. You're wasting time on nonsense, because it does not cause too much damage to your work.

If you deal with your work and you still time, but you still feel that a day pass is unproductive, it is possible to take on more cases. If you work for yourself and you can do to manage your schedule, look for new customers or suppliers, or develop your website. If you work in a large company, ask the guide if there is any new projects that you can do. It is unlikely that you will be denied.

6. It teaches us not to be wasted on a few things at once

Everyone knows that multitasking - only obstacle productivity. And the idea of ​​multi-tasking - just a myth. In fact, we do several things at once, but very quickly again and again to switch from one case to another. Our brain not built for multitasking, so we inevitably missing something or do not do very well.

When we track time, we consider each task. And on every task we allocate a certain amount of time, at least in order to make it easier to take notes. We even once proud, when there was that an hour or two was spent on an important matter.

Over time you will develop the ability to focus on something, and one you will not want to combine several things and be distracted from the important work. Most likely, you will have to allocate half an hour or an hour a day on various small things and do them all in one sitting.

How to accurately and efficiently track their time

Here are three key rules that will make the time tracking of the most effective:

• Honesty. No one except you will not see these records, so do not embellish. If you're not honest with yourself with, why bother to take on this matter?
• consistency. To get a full idea of ​​what you're spending your time, you'll need at least two weeks. Keep a record only when you live in your normal rhythm (not to leave or holidays).
• Meticulousness. Think not in hours, but in minutes. For example, in the early days of record all your actions from morning to evening up to every minute. Then you can go on a 5 and later at 15-minute intervals.

There are two ways to keep track of time:

• intervals. For example, from 9:00 to 9:15. Set a timer every 15 minutes (at least at first, then you can increase the time interval), and write down what you did.
• The objectives. Go about your business and make a record every time, when you start something else.

Try it both ways and decide which suits you best. First, write down all the nearest minute. This will help you understand how much time is actually spent on each case and as generally built up your day. Then you can track the time a certain period. It is more convenient to plan things and to notice when you are often distracted.

You can also add to their record short notes. For example, next to the entry "Read", specify what kind of book or magazine you read. Next to "On the Road" is possible to note the weather or what you are listening to (the podcast, audiobook, music) and near record "game with your child," mention a particular game. So a simple time tracking becomes almost diary. Doing this is not necessary, but maybe you will like it.

In two weeks time tracking enters into a habit. Now you can not record all your actions so thoroughly. Just pay attention to the time (at least during working days) and note whether you manage to use it to the maximum. If you feel that you often get distracted, again, go back to the records.

Even if after this two-week experiment, do you really will not keep track of time, try to arrange a check about once a year to assess how changing your habits.

digital media

Now, there are many digital assistants that automatically monitor how you spend your time. And while they may be useful (especially if you do not make entries for several hours and have forgotten what it is doing in any given moment), yet you should not completely rely on them. Only you know what you were doing at any site - worked or idled. The app is for you determines.

• RescueTime. This program runs in the background and keeps track of how much time you spend on different sites and applications. It is suitable for different operating systems, including under Android. More in the program you can set goals and monitor the growth of their productivity.
• Toggl. Although this program was originally designed for freelancers, it is quite suitable for everyone. It has a handy graphs that visually indicate your progress.
• ATracker (IOS only). Just add your ordinary business, push them, when they started to execute, and when you're done, click on the following. Previous work will end automatically, and the application time to put down itself.
• Evernote. As ATracker, it is a kind of combination of digital and analog process. You are using a digital device, but only for record-keeping. Evernote can be used as an ordinary paper notebook.

analogue instruments

• Calendar for 168 hours. During the week (this is your 168 hours), write down what you are doing, sharing the day at 15-minute intervals. Keep a calendar handy, such as a desk or in the kitchen. After a couple of weeks you will know what usually spend time and how you can adjust your schedule.
• Ordinary notebook. No wonder it is considered a classic. Just burn, when one act ends and the other begins, and if necessary, add explanations. For example, if you read some article on the Internet to work, mark it appropriately, not just write: "I read an article on the Internet."

conclusions

When you look at his record in the evening and see a day spent usefully, you feel that you have truly earned your rest and sleep. Track time will change not only how you spend every minute and every hour, but even your perception of life.

Spend time on what's really important. Keep track of time spent. Change your life.