HowToBeMoreProductive.com – Time Management Tips

Is there anything that you should UN-automate? Absolutely. And it could increase your productivity effectiveness several fold.

It helps to remember the definition of time management. There are several definitions out there. Here’s mine.

Simply put, the definition of time management is the art of arranging your business and personal affairs in such a way that you and your things show up when, where, and how you’ve intended them to, as frequently, effortlessly, and ubiquitously as possible, and to facilitate getting things done as quickly as possible with the least amount of resources (time, energy, money, and people) necessary.

Here’s a rhetorical question. Do you think you’re more effective at getting things done when you’re able to totally focus on the task at hand without interruption or when you frequently get interrupted throughout the task?

The answer is obvious. Studies show that it takes up to 20 minutes or more to get back into the highly focused state where ‘flow’ happens to support getting the job done as quickly as possible.

Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 and Mac Mail defaults to automatically checking email every 5 (or 30) minutes. I would highly recommend turning this option/preference OFF.

Is your email program set to automatically check email every 5 or 30 minutes? If so, WHY? TURN IT OFF NOW so YOU can be the master/supreme controller of your email and your time. Check your email when YOU want to so you can totally concentrate and focus on the task at hand until it’s done. Then, when you’re ready to check email, check it manually.

In Microsoft Outlook use the F9 key to Send/Receive email manually. In Mac Mail just hit the Get Mail button. But first you need to turn off the option/preference that automatically checks email at regular intervals. Here’s how to do it.

In Outlook, select Tools (menu) > Options… > Mail Setup (tab) > Send/Receive… (button). Uncheck the check box in front of “Schedule an automatic send/receive every __ minutes.”

In Mac Mail, select Mail (menu) > Preferences… > click the General icon > change the “Check for new mail” drop-down menu to “Manually.”

Once you’ve done this, YOU will be in control! I understand that not every particular job will permit you to do this. But if it does, by all means do it now and notice how much more productive you are.