Every one of us has a certain amount of time to spend online per day (or per week, or per month.)
Some of us are online whenever we are not eating or sleeping, some of us are simply online whenever we are not sleeping. But many of us might only have an hour or two per day to work on our projects.
Do you ever wonder where the time goes? Do you ever look back at a week, and think, what exactly did I get done this week?
Sometimes you may have accomplished a hundred small but important tasks. Or you may have spent most of your time meandering about and wasting precious minutes which could have been better spent. Or somewhere in between – you might be spending your time somewhat wisely but still be losing time on certain aspects which could be better organized.
Personally over the last few months I have been having a hard time getting everything done. I have constantly felt like I was “behind.” Well, I can blame that in part on the artist in me. I have fallen prey to some degree to that insidious malady – I love to start new projects! New ideas. And when I get a new idea, the whole concept folds out in front of my eyes – of where that new idea could lead and what could be done. It is as if 500 hours of future work flashes before my eyes and I see how wonderful it could all become …. the glitch being, of course, that once I have embarked upon that new idea, but not yet fully carried it through, another one comes along to smack me in the face.
And I find myself, yet again, with 10 brilliant ideas in the works and yet in progress, smitten with another brilliant concept. And try as I might, I usually can not restrain myself from at least kicking it off … so now I have 11 incomplete projects instead of 10, and so it goes.
But I digress. This is not really the point – the point is, that I found myself in the position where I had too much to do and could never feel like I was getting enough done quickly enough. It was as if all my projects and websites were little children begging for more attention. And not one of them got all the attention they deserved and needed. In other words, “spread thin.”
At this point, time management became an essential part of my life. An hour spent organizing can save 50 hours in wasted work. So I have begun to look for new ways to organize life, and essentially get more done faster.
I have begun to collect and use several tools and strategies to minimize the amount of time I waste.
These are a few examples of tools and strategies I have begun to use:
- Project Management Software
- A password protected program where I can store all of my passwords, financial data, logins, and more. All accessible with a couple of clicks and VERY easy to find. (It’s not Roboform, though some people swear by Roboform.)
- Online accounting tools
- Reorganized my email accounts and set Gmail up properly, so that it now takes 4 hours a day to handle my emails instead of 6 (LOL)
- A timer (!?) – More on that later
- Desktop Management
- Outsourcing – investing money I earn online to earn more time which enables me to earn more money …
- An electric kettle (no more time standing around in the kitchen waiting for water to boil!)
- And probably more which I will remember later.
I will post more about these in the near future. I think its important for marketers to be aware of and use the truly useful tools which exist out there – and I mean the ones that really do save us time in the long run, not the ones that are just a waste of time to figure out.
I am also interested to know what others have found helpful and useful. Time is such a valuable commodity! If you use or know of any good, solid, time-saving or organizational tools, please leave a comment and share your thoughts.
I think we could all use a few more minutes added to our days – or at least, I could!
Hi Anna…It’s always interesting to see when others are thinking about this very thing…productivity! I had to laugh when you wrote about your electric tea kettle vs. waiting around for the water to boil. While I’m waiting, in the morning I unload the dry dishes and put them away and/or rush in to get the bed made. It’s sort of a “game” I have to “Beat the Tea Kettle Whistle”! (It doesn’t take much to entertain me!)
Looking forward to reading more of your tips.
Until next time…Annie
Annie T. Baxters last blog post..Comment by Annie T. Baxter
Hi Anna – I think that your management tools and strategies are quite helpful.
You mentioned Project Management Software on your list. I think that is very helpful. I’ve use MS Project and I’ve also made my own online and offline spreadsheets.
I also think that the 80/20 rule is exceptionally helpful. I sometimes find myself spending too much time reading blogs and posting comments both on forums and blogs belonging to others. 80/20 really helps.
Good timing on the article, I have felt overwhelmed lately
Thanks for your feedback and for sharing your own tools and strategies here, I think this can be really helpful to people. I’m hoping to get more input from others as well
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I’m planning some follow-ups on this; there’s more that can be said on this subject than can be fit on one post. So stay in touch. I know what you mean about the 80/20 Rule – this originates from Eban Pagan, if I remember correctly? I think any methods we can think of and share on how to streamline our digital lives can make a big difference in the long run.
@ Annie – Hi Annie, for some reason I had to rescue your comment from my spam cue. Glad I found it. Your Tea Kettle Game sounds like fun, honestly! I think its great.
I also go to the kitchen for coffee in the morning and while the water boils I let my computer start up also do dishes! But before I had a tea kettle I found myself going for hours really wanting a drink but being just incapable of ungluing myself from my computer.
Funny – the little problems we have to solve and sometimes never mention.
Thanks for stopping by, I love your feedback!
my favorites right now are having a real plan to stick to first thing in the morning and not “play around” until that is finished, plus outsourcing … boy that saves not just the time but it also helps you to keep going by not having to do those things that hold you back
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@ Mirjam – Yep, that’s a pretty good tactic. I would like to graduate to getting through my emails (and their ramifications) in under an hour. THAT would be awesome.
Productivity is the key of success in everything we do. If we lose too much time in not productive tasks, we may fail. I try to focus on things that can make my life better and avoid those that are just a waste of time, both personal and business wise. For me, it works.