Eighteen minutes to manage your time

One day I went to work with a vague idea of ​​what was going to perform. With the best intentions, I sat down, turned on the computer and check the mail. Two hours later, after extinguishing fires couples, help all my friends and doing all that was dumped on me through the phone and the computer, I could not remember what he would do. It was a stab in the back. Since then, I try to be careful.

When I lecture on time management, I always start it with this question: how many of you have too much time and not enough things to do to fill it? In ten years, no one's hand is not raised.

This means that every day we run the risk of not accomplish everything planned. That is why, as well as what we spend time - a key decision for our strategy of action. However, the existence of things you do not mean their performance, because in addition to his points, many other issues require your attention.

To successfully manage time, you need every day to follow certain rituals. The only way you can concentrate on the essentials and do everything.

I propose to do this in three phases, which will take only 18 minutes of the eight-hour working day.

Step 1 (5 minutes) - Drawing up a plan for the day. Early in the morning, before you turn on the computer and take up the phone, put in front of a blank sheet of paper and think about what will make your new day successful. That will bring you closer to your goals today and leave in the evening feeling that the day was not lived in vain? Write it down.

And now, most importantly, take the organizer and write these things in free field - first, the most difficult and important tasks, then all the others. If space is not enough, consider your priorities. Non-urgent and unimportant things pozhdut until tomorrow. If you want to do something, you need to decide where and when you will do it - or should give up the idea.

Step 2 (1 minute every hour) - Change landmarks. Put multiple alarms so that they called each hour. When you hear the beep, leave a business, take a deep breath and ask yourself whether the benefit was that hour. Look at the calendar and think about what you will do in the next hour. You have to manage the time and it does not - you.

Step 3 (5 minutes) - Revision. Turn off the computer and take another look at the passing day. What happened? What did you manage to focus and where you distracted? That can help your work to be successful tomorrow?

Strength of rituals - in their predictability. You do the same thing all the time, day after day. What you get, too predictable. If you want to focus on something and be constantly reminding myself of it, you will succeed. It's simple.

"Vosemnadtsatiminutny" ritual is unlikely to help you swim the English Channel, pushing in front of a loaded boat bound hands. But, in doing so you will leave satisfied and successful office.

And is not that your goal?

An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day [Peter Bregman]