ST - Put More Time Back in Your Day

Time is something we’re always seemingly lacking. There simply isn’t enough of it to do the things we need to do, work-wise and personally. But often, this is not because it’s such a rare commodity — it’s because we haven’t honed a time management system that works

A study by a professor at the University of California, Irvine, found that on average, workers spend just 10 minutes 30 seconds on a particular task before being interrupted.

How do you keep those distractions at bay and put more productive hours back into your day? From timе tracking software to project managemеnt, performing self-research and helping others, here are eight solutions for putting more time back into your day

1. Create a to-do list

It sounds simple enough, but it can actually be transformative. Creating a to-do list — that is, writing down everything you need to accomplish in a given day — will allow you to accomplish that much more

Why? When you’re always thinking about everything you need to do, you’re wasting valuable time, thereby standing in your own way in terms of productivity. Moreover, the act of writing things down helps solidify them in your brain, so you’re on top of the activities you need to do in a given day.

2. Be your own project manager

You don’t need a personal project manager — or a company one — to help you organize all the responsibilities you have on your plate. Be your own project manager!

What does that mean? Essentially, it’s a way of providing structure to your overall workflow and individual responsibilities and tasks. For every project or initiative, maps out the goals, the tools you need, the skills it will require you to tap into, the time that’s necessary, and benchmarks.

In order to help yourself stay organized, consider using project management software, which will allow you to visualize a timeline, track deadlines, and measure your progress

3. Use time tracking software

Businesses often engage in employee time tracking. So can you on an individual basis. Time trackers will help you see how and where you’re spending each of your hours and assess which tasks are taking you longer and shorter amounts of time.

This will yield meaningful data and allow you to glean insights from this information. You’re engaging in real-time tracking, assessing how, precisely, you’re spending the parts of your day. Then, you will be better equipped to understand how you can be more efficient in key areas.

4. Limit interruptions and distractions

Throughout the course of the workday, you face numerous distractions. Your phone, your email, social media — these are all consuming your productivity. And the distractions are amplified when you’re working from home. Now, you’re contending with pets, partners, kids, or neighbors.

If you want to maximize the value of your time, you need to add more structure and limit the interruptions. Silence your phone. Log out of your email. Invest in noise-canceling headphones

There are even distraction-blocking apps and software you can use to prevent you from, say, texting or scrolling through Instagram during a given period of time, thereby canceling out the very thing that’s interfering with your busy day

5. Find your most productive periods

According to one poll, Americans point to 10:54 am as the time of day when they are most productive.

Of course, we all have different periods of the day when we do our best work. Some people are morning people. Others are night people. Still others are somewhere in the middle. Where do you fall?

Keep a log of the times of day when you’re feeling most energized professionally. Many of us hit an afternoon slump, but you could be the opposite — maybe it’s those early hours that are a struggle. It’s important to track your most productive periods so that you can focus on your most complex tasks then

6. Don’t just wait around

We all have errands to run and things to do throughout the time. And a lot of them involve waiting. Instead of just tapping your foot, make the most of those few minutes here or an hour there

For example, when you’re waiting in line at the supermarket, review your to-do list for the day, and see if there are any items you forgot to check off. Spending too much time in the doctor’s waiting room? Bring a book, so you can make headway on your reading list. While you’re getting your car serviced, go for a jog

7. Help others

Surprisingly, paying it forward helps you feel more productive. Researcher Cassie Mogilner from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania found that devoting your time to other people, rather than focusing on yourself, “expands your sense of present and future time.”

That means, when you see room to help others, you’re helping yourself, too. This can happen in a number of ways, such as:

- Lending a hand to a coworker who is grappling with an involved project or task

- Volunteering to complete the tedious work nobody else wants to do

- Providing a reference to a colleague who is in need of one

- Volunteering to assist a friend with their job application

- Mentoring less-seasoned colleagues

8. Be a realist

When you have a new project or assignment on your plate, be honest with yourself. How long will it really take? Remember to account for preparation, meetings, and other pieces that might fall by the wayside. By being realistic, you’re enabling yourself to more effectively manage it.

Perhaps you need to divide it up into more digestible segments. Maybe you need to give yourself breaks after a long period of work. The point is, you need to fully understand the scope of the task at hand

You can’t add more hours to your day. But you can manage your time more effectively, thereby giving yourself a buffer and allowing yourself to work even smarter