by Terry Monaghan on June 27, 2012

There is a lot of talk about work-life balance. How do we get the best performance and productivity out of ourselves and our teams?

Many of us are looking for those magic pills – that one perfect idea that will instantly transform our lives. Well, good luck with that.

While you are looking, here is the beginning of my list of 101 things you can do (or stop doing) to give yourself more time!

And who doesn’t want more time? After all – if you can free up even a little bit of your precious time, you might be able to use that time for something really important (to you). Here goes…

1. Deal with your email in batches, 2-3 times a day
2. Create a template for your week – what would a perfect week look like?
3. Give up multi-tasking – really – it doesn’t work OR save time
4. Schedule focused blocks of time for different activities (even just 15 minutes will make a difference)
5. Schedule regular time to goof off, rest, relax
6. Focus on what you do brilliantly – spend most of your time on that
7. Find out what you can automate – and automate it
8. Schedule all regular medical appointments at once (for the whole year)
9. Schedule all personal care appointments at once (for the whole year) – hair, nails, massages, facials – why not make a day of it?
10. Make a map of your whole year (once a year) – it gives a very different perspective
11. Stop doing everyone else’s job
12. Don’t have your email push through to your smart phone (pull it in when you want to deal with it)
13. Turn off all noise makers and pop up alerts for email
14. Turn off the phone when you need to concentrate
15. Determine your work hours, and stick to them
16. Plan your work, then work your plan
17. Manage your interruptions, as much as possible (which is more than you think)
18. Focus on what is important
19. Respond, instead of reacting
20. Don’t set alerts for everything
21. Take regular breaks – at least one every 90 minutes or so
22. Schedule at least one full day off every week
23. Take your vacation
24. Set up email rules to automatically sort incoming mail
25. Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer read

More in the next post…

Now, what are your favorites?

(c) Terry Monaghan, 2012, All Rights Reserved

Want to use this article in your ezine or website? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Consultant, coach, speaker, trainer and entrepreneur, Terry Monaghan, publishes Now What, an ezine for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to double their productivity, improve their performance, and have a life! If you’re ready to jump start your performance and your results, then get your free tips now at www.TimeTriage.com.