Tough time-management

I think many will agree that working hard and working efficiently are not the same thing. The modern lifestyle sets a very fast pace, where there is not always a place for calmness and rationality, which are often the basis of personal effectiveness. Many of us are often faced with apathy, emotional burnout, and rapid fatigue from trying to live in a “do it all” mode. How to manage everything, keeping calm and your personal efficiency, while increasing your income, is described in his book "Tough Time Management" by Dan Kennedy. The author believes that success, that is, the ability to work as productively as possible, depends on how smart you use your time and how much you allow others to steal it. Statistics show that on average, out of 8 working hours, only 3 are productive. Dan Kennedy argues that everyone should know the cost of their working hour (or the desired cost). After all, if you do not know the value of your time, you should not expect others to appreciate it. It is calculated using an easy formula:

Based on the data above, the productivity index in our case is just 3. Dividing the resulting figure by 60 you get the cost of a working minute. Having received information about the value of your time, most likely you will begin to use it more rationally: you will stop doing what does not bring the money that your hour is worth; start to appreciate the time of others and those people who value your time; you will do everything to ensure that the value of your hour matches its effectiveness.

A separate chapter of the book is devoted to the so-called “time-sucking vampires” - those people who uselessly and brazenly take up your time every day. The author divides them into groups and gives advice on how to deal with each of them. Here are just a few of them:

• Mr. "Nonsense"

Vampires of this type do not know the difference between important things and nonsense. They distract you from your business so that you can solve their absolutely trifling affairs.

How to confront this vampire: “Today is a very busy day, so I can only be distracted by matters of nine- and ten-point importance. Everything else is waiting until tomorrow. Are you sure that your question is 9 or 10 points on a scale of ten? "

• People with inadequate and too emotional reactions to any difficulty

They are able to turn any problem into a tragedy, they exaggerate everything, make an elephant out of a fly. It is important to understand that they do not need a solution to the problem from you. They want to involve you in their drama. Therefore, the best way to deal with them is not to get involved, to seize the initiative and become such a vampire yourself, remembering some sentimental story from your life.

Two ways to scare them away:

• Get to the bottom of their problem and tell them what to do. This is not what they want, they want drama.

• Intercept the thread of the conversation and indulge in long memories like: “It reminded me of how my Uncle Harold, who lived during the Great Depression, ended up in the Dust Cauldron. His story will be useful to you. So ... “In other words, turn into a vampire yourself.

• Mr. "There is a minute

What can be done? Do not think that the "There is a minute" behavior is something insignificant. Therefore, it's time to stop being nice to him, he doesn't deserve this, as he clearly shows that he doesn't care what you do and that he doesn't value your time.

How to scare away people like that: “I'm busy right now. Let's meet at 4:00, I will have 15 minutes, we will discuss everything at once "

And remember: Chronovampires will suck as much blood out of you as you allow. If you're sucked dry by the end of the day, it's your fault.

And here is a list of effective time management tools that Dan Kennedy personally uses and encourages readers to follow his example:

№1. Taming your phone Pick up the phone less often when the phone rings, or leave it alone. Call back at a convenient time for you. Be less distracted by notifications or turn them off altogether during business hours. This technique should be mastered firmly, since it is the phone for most of us that is the first factor that distracts from work.

№2. Absolute punctuality The author says that punctuality is the main rule of a successful person. It is by him that other successful people evaluate you.

№3. Making lists It is IMPOSSIBLE to remember everything. The author suggests that you always make 4 lists: a personal schedule (whole year, day by day), a to-do list (by months, weeks, days, and categorized by importance), calls, and a meeting / meeting planner. You should have your own organized and consistently used list system to help you get started. Those who don't make lists usually don't make money.

№4. Away from the herd Plan your trips and activities to avoid queues and traffic jams. The author also suggests flying light so as not to wait for your luggage after landing.

No. 5. Everything is at the service of your goals. The real reason many people don't get much better at business is because they have no reason to. Therefore, the secret to personal effectiveness is finding compelling reasons to be effective. That is why you need to try to tie everything you do (and everything you decide not to do) to your goals. Effectiveness is the awareness and long-term application of your time, talent, intelligence, energy, resources, and capabilities in a way that gives you measurable progress towards meaningful goals. Am I getting any measurable distance closer to the goal from what I am doing at this moment?

№6. Time blocks. If you spread the calendar in front of you and allocate or block as much time as possible in advance - but in a way that is carved in stone and not scribbled in pencil - you are left with only a fraction of disorganized, empty days and hours.

№7. A minimum of unplanned activities. Ideally, you need to schedule every day for half an hour, from start to finish. If you plan ahead for the job, then it is important to estimate how many hours or minutes it will take and work by the hour, finishing by the target date. Any work is done more efficiently if you determine in advance how long it will take to complete and set a completion time.

Also, the author's attention is paid to the question that many people have no result for years. He writes that the main reason why there is no progress is that people too often spend their time and energy on anything other than what can actually benefit them and provide income. If you are familiar with this problem, Dan Kennedy advises the following:

Identify and write down the three most important, most significant, most fruitful, and valuable things you can do to increase the success of your company or your own. Only three. Write them down. Then translate each item into an action that you can do every day. And go for it!

And make no mistake: someone who is good at making excuses cannot be good at making money. These are mutually exclusive skills.

Congratulations, you are now a tough time manager!