Work/life balance, managing time, increasing productivity, becoming more efficient... These phrases have been flying around quite a bit lately and I have been asked to speak on understanding where your time goes. So needless to say that articles, blog posts, and ideas on these topics have been catching my eye.
While I have seen many similar ideas shared - check email only 2 times a day, schedule time for big projects, etc. - I was surprised by 3 items in the recent article on HBR - 3 Ways to Get More Done Right Now by Kabir Sehgal.
The three tactics that the author used to focus and maximize his time over two months were:
- Go on a news diet.
Sehgal figured he was spending 16 hours a week on consuming news media. So he deleted apps, turned off feeds, etc. As he says, "By not reading the news, you can concentrate on producing items that will make the news many years from now." - Make your phone less appealing.
I had never thought about this, but make your phone something that doesn't distract you. The author did this by putting his phone into a grayscale mode. - Delay your emails.
Another new tip! Sehgal wrote and scheduled emails to be sent when the recipient needed to see them. His point was "Your inbox is other people’s to-do list for you; don’t let other people’s to-dos distract you at all hours. If someone really needs to reach you right away, they should be using a different method of communication."
You can read more about Sehgal's experience and his tips here.
So there are some new things for you to do in trying to get more done. Going on a news diet is something I have been thinking of doing anyways!