By Kenna Rathai, AAEA 2021-22 Board Member
I’ve been to a lot of time management seminars and by no means am I an expert. Well, I know a lot of the things. But do I truly practice them every day, all the time? Nope. No judgment, please. I have, however, gleaned several good nuggets along the way, and some I do use regularly.
Take a look at this list, and let me know if you find any that work for you!
EMAIL:
Turn off new message alerts: it’s a huge distraction if a new email beeps on your screen and even if you briefly review each new message as it comes in that equals activity without productivity.
Process email in batches, just like regular mail: Try minimizing your inbox and checking it every 15 minutes (every 30-60 minutes if you’re cranking on something important)
Cover only one subject per email, and if the subject goes off the rails, change the subject line: this helps decrease the chance someone will miss something, and the email is easier to file/find
Use a call to action in the subject line: “For review,” “For final approval,” “FYI,” and even deadlines, will all help others be more productive
Respond only when necessary: gone are the days when you’re not sure someone got your email. Writing and opening even a “thanks, got it” email is unnecessary and inefficient.
Minimize the use of Reply All: be respectful of everyone’s time
SCHEDULE:
Schedule time between appointments: Even if it’s 5 minutes…to record notes from the last meeting and prepare for the next, or even to take a breather. Also, 15 is the new 30, and 45 is the new 60. Cut your meetings by 15 minutes – you’ll be amazed that you can still get it all accomplished.
Regularly survey your landscape (*a favorite of mine!): Don’t jump right into your email and begin responding in the morning; take stock of what you have on your plate, your task list, papers on your desk, etc. Prioritize and then dig in. Do this midday and again at the end of the day. Adjust as necessary. If you notice midday you didn’t get anything on your to-do list done, review and reprioritize for the afternoon. At the end of the day, figure out what’s most important for first thing in the morning.
Take short breaks: Feeling like you’re spinning your wheels? Get up, walk around the office, step outside. You’ll feel more refreshed, and then, more productive!
TASKS + PROJECTS:
Limit interruptions: When you are interrupted, it takes 23 minutes to get back on your task in the right frame of mind. In addition to blocking time on your calendar and turning off alerts, try these tools: StayFocused, MarinaraTimer.
Do one thing at a time (baby steps – 2?): Multi-tasking makes you feel like you’re getting more done but reality is you’re not as productive.
Identify TODAY’s “one thing”: Your to-do list rolls over to the next day, which is fine. But circle one thing every day that you commit to getting done no matter how crazy your day gets. You’ll have more of a feeling of being in control for at least part of your day.
Spread priorities out: Don’t give and don’t accept ASAP for a deadline. Survey your landscape and nail down a date and time.
Conduct regular core dumps: You have a ton of stuff in your head, you learn at meetings, etc. A good memory doesn’t work in our jobs. Figure out some way to record all the “stuff” that pops into your head – carry around a small notebook, type it into a notes app on your phone, or laptop. Then you don’t have to “think” about it, you can keep your mental space quiet and focused on the task at hand.
Do one more (little) thing (*favorite alert!): At the end of the day when you’re packing up your bag, do one more little (not big, not two things) thing – respond to a short email, put a file away, return a quick call, etc.
TO DO LIST:
So many people, so many different ways. Figure out what works for you. A fancy print planner? Notes app on your laptop organized by category (that’s my go-to)? Notebooks for different categories? Plum Paper, Erin Condren, Trello.com, Monday.com – check ‘em out.
MORE COOL TOOLS:
Otter.ai: real-time transcription, so you can listen actively
Videoticle: turns YouTube videos into articles, paste the link in
Comeet.me: asynchronous meetings; record <2-min videos to send around to each other vs. one, 30-min zoom call
Spotify: search for gaming soundtracks, they’ve been proven to help you focus
Brain.fm and Focus@Will: patented, personalized technology for functional music to help you focus
haveibeenpwnd.com: shows if you’ve been breached; best type of password is long and complex (per government research), and you should have a unique one for every site you visit
IFTTT: helps you connect all your devices to boost what they can do together vs. on their own
Krisp.ai: filters out background noises from everyone on video calls
Wakeout!: iPhone app of the year; mini exercises for different scenarios to help you focus
Some of these tips are my own. But many are curated from all the seminars, webinars and workshops I’ve attended. I have not credited everyone here (because some I can’t remember), but here are two of my time management heroes: Paul Burton, QuietSpacing.com, and Beth Z, YourNerdyBestFriend.com.
So what two things are you going to try next week? What two more things are you going to try next month?
Kenna Rathai is the VP of Public Relations at broadhead marketing agency.