Mark Twain once remarked that it was a good idea to invest in real estate, because “they’re not making any more of it.”
By that logic, it’s just as wise to make the most of every minute of the day, because they’re not making any more time, either, and you can’t replace a single minute that you’ve wasted.
But there are better reasons to make the most of your time than simply avoiding the loss of it: there’s a strong correlation between how much a person accomplishes in a given amount of time, and how happy, successful, and satisfied that person feels.
What’s more, developing the habits and practices of high-level productivity positions you to be more of a leader, more of an entrepreneur, or more of whatever else you want to be. Whatever you aspire to, whatever you wish to accomplish, increasing your productivity is a proven way to improve your chances of getting there.
Fortunately, it’s not all that difficult to increase your productivity. Assuming you have enough motivation to get where you want to be, all that’s necessary to instantly see your “out” pile start growing faster than ever is to practice two basic techniques.
Choose Wisely
The central principle of increased productivity is a simple one: choose your next task so as to make the best use of your time. On one level, take into account your energy level and frame of mind. Some moments, for example, you’re primed to do detail work, while at other times you have less patience for detail and more for broad brush planning and strategizing - so choose accordingly. On another level, you must also rank the various tasks on which you can choose to work: which one is most important? Most urgent? Most advantageous?
Schedule Smartly
The other basic technique for increasing productivity is smart scheduling. It’s fun to be spontaneous, of course, and to take up whatever task strikes you as most interesting at the moment. There’s also the pleasure of getting “in the flow,” where you start a task and get so wrapped up in it that you continue working on it, even when your time would be far better spend on other tasks.
Smart scheduling helps you avoid such traps. It lets you apply your experience, intelligence, and strategy toward selecting the tasks to which you’ll primarily devote your time.
Generally, it’s helpful to spend time at the start of each day planning and scheduling those tasks on which you will expend your time. It’s also a good idea to start each task by taking a few minutes to plan and schedule how you can most effectively accomplish it.
Don’t program your day too tightly, though, because a little flexibility in scheduling is a good thing. You may underestimate how much time you’ll need for a specific task, for example, or a new task may come up that actually, seriously requires your immediate attention.
Mark Twain once remarked that it was a good idea to invest in real estate, because “they’re not making any more of it.”
