Step 1: Detect the biggest problems
Time Management Ninja recommends first writing down a list of things that unnecessarily take up too much of your time, distract you from working on important tasks and cause you the most trouble. Every day, over the course of one week, you should write down why you did not manage to stick to the work plan for any given day, and after one week establish the most common and significant reasons.
Step 2: Consider how to eliminate these time-eaters
Think about how you can reduce the impact of time-eaters, namely the things that distract you from genuinely important tasks on a given day. Maybe you can delegate these items to someone else, or block a specific time during the day when you will work on these problematic tasks.
Step 3: Work on the most difficult tasks first thing in the morning
When thinking about how to eliminate time-eaters, keep in mind you should always work on them as early as possible on each working day. There is a general rule that says you should work on the most unpleasant tasks first thing in the morning so that for the rest of the day your mind is free to work on the more important tasks.
Step 4: Eliminate time-eaters in the long run
The final step is to reduce these time-eaters in the long term. Try to think of systemic and sustainable solutions that will help eliminate the way these unexpected distractions interfere with your plans and work.
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