There is a common misconception that time is moving faster today than it did in the past. This is obviously a fallacy, but why does it seem this way? The answer is simple -- we have more things distracting us today than ever before. With smart devices, social media, and ever changing social situations, life seems to have shifted focus to surviving rather than living. However, with a good sense of time management, you can tackle these distractions and create free time, where you are able to be as distracted as you like. Efficiency expert Chris Hardwick offers some insight to how he juggles his extremely busy life.
Conserve Momentum When Switching Gears In many aspects of life, we are expected to shift from one task to the next with little or no downtime in between. When doing so, it is important to carry momentum from one task to the next. In order to do this, transfer yourself from task to task when you are at the peak of productivity. Although this may sound contradictory to finishing tasks, it will allow you to move more easily into the next task at hand.
Measure Your Productivity! If you don't measure your time, there is no way you can work to improve it. Start by timing every aspect of your day. From the time it takes you to read and respond to emails, to the time you spend perusing Facebook. Look for areas in your life that consume a large portion of time, and transfer this time to more important areas of your life if possible. Good time management starts with measuring your time, and ends with making adjustments.
Figure Out Where You're Needed; Don't Be Anywhere Else If there are certain meetings that you don't have anything to contribute to, don't go! Focus on the tasks at hand that require your direct attention. By doing so, you can eliminate the time consuming tasks that don't have any deliverables.
By studying those who have great time management practices, we can all improve our own time management skills. With a limited amount of time each day, we can never be too good at managing this finite resource!
