Category: time management

Switching to Auto-Pilot

Scott Asai3 Comments

Have you ever driven somewhere so many times that after you’ve reached your destination you completely forgot how you got there?

Believe it or not that happens at work too, BUT it can be a good thing.

airplane the movie, auto pilot, cruise control, auto park, distraction free driving, leslie neilsen, kareem abdul jabbar

Similar to athletes “getting in the zone,” when distraction-free, your mind produces at a phenomenal rate. There are different ways to arrive there, but let me share what’s worked for me the past several years:

Schedule everything into your smartphone with reminder alerts (and I mean EVERYTHING).

There’s a reason why iCalendar has three categories: home, social/out & home. You’re supposed to use them all.

Start with reserving “pockets” of work you need to get done (it doesn’t matter if you work at an office or at home). During that period don’t answer the phone, check emails, play games, etc. (unless that’s you’re actual task)

Next, put down the outings you’re planning on taking: chores, shopping, pick-ups, etc. (basically anything where you have to travel to).

Lastly, what needs or can be done at home? It can range anywhere from washing dishes to calling a friend on the phone.

I know it might sound a bit ridiculous, but here’s the payoff…

If you pre-schedule everything you have to do, you don’t have to remember anything. Even when you get sidetracked, your alerts remind you what to do. I’m obsessed with efficiency so that’s probably why this method works for me, but it really comes in handy when I need to pay a bill online because that’s something I would normally forget to do.

I probably take it too far since I even schedule where we are going to eat and do on vacations, but it actually saves time because decisions are made in advance. Of course there are times when things happen out of your control and you have to adjust, but at least you can re-schedule what you originally planned to do and continue to function on auto-pilot.

Even if you’re a free spirit, creative who hates structure this can work for you (type A’s love it). Running on auto-pilot saves time so you can spend your actual free time on what you please.

Looking for more time-hacking strategies? Check out this month’s free webinars!

How Busy Are You?

Scott Asai1 Comment
“Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.” – Alfred A. Montapert
If you ask people “How’s it going?” chances are they’ll say “Busy.”
What does that mean? That answer is used like a badge of honor these days.
If you’re not busy, does that mean something is wrong with you?
What if you took pride in not being busy? Meaning prioritizing your time to spend it on who and what you value.
Maybe people equate success with being busy. In our fast world, carving out chunks of time can be looked down upon. If you’re not doing something, you must be wasting your time, right?! 
At the heart of the matter, what are you moving towards? If you’re busy because you’re chasing something that is significant, great! If you’re busy just for busy sake, maybe you should take a step back and reevaluate how you are spending your time. 
Time is finite and depending on how you frame it, there’s way too much or never enough. In the end, what really matters: how busy you were or how you spent your time?  
Think about that. How busy are you?

Why You Should Hire Me

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During these challenging times, we need more help, not less. Everyone wants to save money, but how do you expect things to change if you don’t invest in yourself? Results come faster when you hire a professional. See if these scenarios relate to you:
 
1) “I don’t know what I want to do.”
If you lack career direction, I can help you find it. What are you passionate about? What are your strengths? Find a career you love and are great at. You should love what you do.
 
2) “I’m so disorganized.”
Time management is one of the best ways to organize your life. Do you spend time on what’s most important to you? Do you run your schedule or does your schedule run you? Start eliminating useless tasks and spend time on what matters.
 
3) “I never accomplish the goals I set.”
Are you setting S.M.A.R.T. goals? Are your goals aligned with your vision? Goals should be a means to an end, not an end in itself.  Setting the right goals is as important as achieving them.
 
Those are 3 examples of situations that I coach clients on frequently. Your situation is unique to you. Your agenda is what drives the sessions. I urge you to give coaching a try. The first session is free!
 
Imagine how much MORE successful you can be with the help of a coach…

Your Most Important Resource

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The 3 P’s of Time Management
No matter what you do, your ability to manage your time determines how “successful” you will be. We are all given the same amount of time to work with in a day, so being efficient is essential. Through trial and error these are the strategies I’ve used to help me get the most out of my day…

1) Purpose. What is your goal? Start by filling in your weekly schedule based on what you want to accomplish. Eliminate activities that serve no purpose. Being busy is not the same as being productive. Spend your time with a goal in mind. That’s focused efficiency.

2) Prioritize. Having a to-do list is good. Labeling your to-do list based on importance is better. Completing items on your list makes you feel accomplished, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve made progress. For example, make list, but give each item letter grades (A, B, C, etc.) based on priority. Work on the A’s first, B’s second and so on. This ensures the most important items get done first and the ones that can wait are saved for later.

3) Performance. Ever heard of the 80/20 principle? In order to manage your time effectively, spend 80% of your time doing the things that you are good at. Think about it. We all have 1 or 2 things that we would consider strengths. How much more efficient would we be if we spent 80% of our time doing those things? I’m not saying ignore the 20%, but do that when the 80% is complete.

Since we all have the same amount of hours in the day, we need to spend our time wisely. For everything you do, make sure you have a purpose, prioritize your time and perform at a high level. How you spend your time each day is a choice. Choose to manage your time wisely!