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⏰ How 3 Practical Tips Can Help You Tame Time

⏰ How 3 Practical Tips Can Help You Tame Time

Stick 2 the Script + Unleash the Power of Pareto

Gordon Simle
June 13, 2023

Oh hi! 👋 Time flies!

In April 2020, a lot changed. The world went from physical-first, to digital-first, almost overnight. For many, that meant a complete halt in their work and productivity, and for others, things… shifted.

For much of my professional life, I wasn’t great or even good at time management. Sure, I was usually early to every appointment (punctuality may be the hill I die on), and I got my work done, but I wasn’t always making the most of downtime or maximizing my time, in general. You know, the American way.

That all changed for me when I went from one or two, 1-2 hour appointments each day, to suddenly seven to nine, 30-60 minute appointments, every weekday, for nearly three years. 😅

In today’s issue, I’m going to walk through a few simple tips that helped me maximize my productivity while staying on time for those numerous appointments each day.

By adopting these strategies or reevaluating how you’re already using them, you will create more time to focus on what truly matters, accomplish your daily tasks with ease, and reduce the overwhelming feeling of always being behind.

Unfortunately, many people struggle with time management. They find themselves caught in a never-ending cycle of busyness, unable to make progress on their most important tasks. The result? Stress, burnout, and missed opportunities. Common time management techniques are great in theory but often don’t work as they are too complex or create all-or-nothing thinking, which leads to, well, a whole lot of nothing.

Taming time creates simplified discipline, allowing you to be laser-focused on your most important tasks while being free from the stress of what’s next.

Let’s uncover how to make this simple system work magic.

HERE’S HOW IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES:

Prioritize Your 20 ⏳
Tame Distractions with Strategic Notification Reminders 🔔
If It's Not on Your Schedule, It Doesn't Exist 📆

Step 1: Prioritize Your 20 ⏳

Each day, it's essential to identify the tasks that contribute most to your success. The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that roughly 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Using this rule, identify your most impactful tasks—the ones that fall into your 20%—and prioritize them above all else.

By focusing on these high-value activities, you'll make significant strides toward your goals while minimizing time wasted on low-impact tasks. In my experience, I found that many of those low-value tasks would fall off my list as they weren’t necessary in the first place.

To put it into action, finish each day by listing your top three priority tasks for the next day. Commit to completing them before tackling less critical items. By doing so, you'll experience a sense of accomplishment and see tangible progress toward your business objectives.

Step 2: Tame Distractions with Strategic Notification Reminders 🔔

Unfortunately, distractions have become commonplace in our hyper-connected world. Many people fall into the trap of allowing notifications to control their attention 🙋🏻‍♂️, leading to decreased focus and productivity. It's time to regain control.

Jeremy Piven in Entourage via GIPHY

Take command of your notifications. Disable non-essential alerts during your dedicated work time and establish specific intervals for checking and responding to messages. For me, it was usually 10, noon, 3, and a quick check at 5 PM to ensure something isn’t burning down.

During these designated "focus blocks" where distractions are eliminated, you’re able to delve deep into your work, uninterrupted. I would have my phone on Do Not Disturb (my immediate family and a couple of close friends can get through), so only my Google Calendar notifications would ping me and help keep me on track with my appointments.

Most of my appointments would have two reminders, one 15 or 30 minutes out as a heads up and/or reminder for the next appointment, and one 5 minutes before the appointment starts, so I can be on time. As much as this may sound annoying, it actually reduces anxiety significantly because you can stop worrying about missing things and leverage the system for that.

By strategically managing notifications, you'll reclaim valuable time and maintain your productivity flow.

Step 3: If It's Not on Your Schedule, It Doesn't Exist 📆

Let's shed some light on the power of scheduling to bring structure and accountability to your days. Embracing this mindset ensures that no task or commitment slips through the cracks.

Begin by blocking out dedicated time slots for each task or appointment, ensuring you're realistic with your estimates and leaving room for unexpected challenges.

One crucial piece that is often missed is remembering to schedule breaks and self-care activities. For example, each day I found a 25-minute gap in my schedule to get outside and go for a walk. This helped me reduce stress, get away from screens, and think through the day’s biggest challenges.

Adopting the "If it's not on your schedule, it doesn't exist" approach, you'll find freedom in knowing that you don’t have to remember everything, because it should be on your calendar and a reminder notification should be set. This will allow you to be present and focus on what matters most at that moment.

Have a productive and rewarding week, my friends!

ONWARD TOGETHER.

In The Weeds 🌾

Additional resources for you to dive deeper.

10 Time Management Tips That I Genuinely Use Everyday [Sunday Snippets by Ali Abdaal]
10 tips for mastering time management at work [Slack]
Top Time Management Tips for Work [HubSpot]
Pareto Principle (The 80-20 Rule): Examples & More [Simple Psychology]
CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH THE 80-20 RULE [Tony Robbins]