July 11, 2022

Where does my time go?

Red mechanical alarm clocks disappearing in a hole in space

You haven’t stopped all day. The day is done, but not that job you wanted to do today. Sound familiar?

What happened?

One solution is understanding that personal productivity is more about rhythm than perpetual motion. Our efficiency goes in cycles during the day. Our abilities change during the day. So, work to your strengths.

When are you most creative?
When can you handle numbers most easily?
When are you best for physical work?
When are you best negotiating or meeting people?
When can you most easily catch up with a backlog of emails?
What are the signs that you need to walk around the block for a break?

Another solution is to ensure that any task that will take longer than 15 minutes is scheduled for a time slot, not put on a task list.

Think of yourself as having a meeting with that task at a specific time and give it the same undivided attention you would give a meeting.

What are the tasks you will meet with today, and when?

My best wishes, Paul

Paul Matthews

CEO and Founder of People Alchemy

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