switches from one task to the other. Focus
on a single task, complete it, then move on
to another one!
Avoid Distractions
Distractions can come in many forms,
the most common ones at the workplace
include emails and cell phones. You
could have your day all planned out and
the minute you check your email, you
come across something that throws your
entire day into a spin. Or the email alerts
that ping every 10 minutes making it
impossible for you to concentrate on
writing up your report or doing an analysis
of sales figures. Avoid these by turning off
notifications and scheduling times during
the day when these are attended to.
Take Breaks
Taking regular breaks between tasks means
you can get a few minutes to recharge and
recalibrate making you more productive.
Just standing up to stretch or grabbing a
cup of tea is a great way to separate the
time between tasks.
Self-Awareness
Are you a morning person or do you prefer
evenings? When can you get the most
done? When is your mind the freshest and
able to process information at an optimum
speed. We are all different as human beings,
but once we take the time in self-reflection
we can then understand what works best
for us and take advantage of this.
Self-awareness
could
also
mean
understanding the things that impact our
ability to learn. It takes time to learn or
understand a new task, but over time and
with practice, the speed increases and the
task becomes less stressful.
Learn To Say NO
Of all the tips so far, this must be the one
that is the most challenging for many
people. Being assertive is often a trait
that is associated with having a forceful
personality. However, being able to say no,
is simply being assertive but in a nice way.
Perhaps your boss is always giving you all
the projects around the office. Or you are
invited to every single meeting by every
department head.
As flattering as it may seem to be super-
human and as nice as it feels to be highly
regarded, it is not possible to be the one
doing everything. By saying no to some
things, you will find that you free up
your time for other tasks that are more
important.
Get Sufficient Rest
Go to sleep? But this will mean even less
time for things that need to get done!
Sounds counter- productive but it has
been shown that getting sufficient rest
makes one much more productive when
they tackle the relevant tasks. So relax and
rest. It is just what the doctor ordered.
Bruce Lee, a well known actor once said,
”It is not the daily increase, but the daily
decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” It
makes you think about how best you can
utilize your allocation of time. We are the
masters of the time that is ours. Use your
time wisely and be in the present. For this
time, now, can never be got back!
Thrity Engineer-Mbuthia is the
current Acting Chair – Chartered
Institute of Marketing Kenya. She
an executive coach with an interest
in Personal Development. You
can engage her on this or related
matters via email at: Mycoach@
thrityengineer.org.