Last week I delivered a presentation called “Making the Most of Your Time” to a group of about 40 people, mostly women, from the Women’s Business Council Southwest in Dallas. This was a delightful group of people who were most appreciative of the opportunity to slow down a bit and take an hour to think about how they want to spend their time. I shared these opening quotes:
- From Henry David Thoreau: “It’s not enough to just be busy. So are the ants. The question is ‘What are we busy about?’
- From Stephen Covey: “The key is not in spending your time but in investing your time.”
- From Lee Iaocca: “If you want to be truly effective at managing your time, find out what’s most important and give that all you’ve got.”
We spent the hour discussing simple, but powerful concepts, like how to be sure you are spending your time on what is truly important. The best method I have found for doing this on a daily basis is this: At the end of each day, write down the top 3-6 most important things you need to do the following day, then number them in order of priority. The following morning, begin work on the first one, and before you do anything else, especially before checking email and voice mail or tuning in to any kind of electronic media, complete your first item. Proceed with the others, in order. Even if you only get a few of them done, or even just one, you will know you are focused on what is most important. And any time you catch yourself losing focus, just ask yourself, “What’s the most important thing I should be doing right now?”
Try it. You’ll be amazed at how much more productive you can be in a day!