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Bits and bobs
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse
Kevin Kruse captures/explains in 15 Secrets Successful People know about Time Management the 15 most useful time-management secrets in a series of revealing interviews with seven billionaires, 13 Olympians, 29 star students and 239 entrepreneurs.
Kevin Kruse is a New York Times best-selling author, frequent Forbes contributor, consultant and Inc. 500 award-winner. He founded several multimillion-dollar companies and conducts presentations on productivity at conferences worldwide.
Take-Aways from the book:
- Highly successful people view time as their most
valuable asset.
- A tightly scheduled calendar relieves stress and
increases intellectual focus.
- Identifying your most important goal will help
you prioritise your tasks.
- Many of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs
carry notebooks so they can jot down their ideas immediately.
- Brief daily huddles can replace long meetings,
reduce emails and unite your team.
- The 80/20 principle holds that 20% of the work
generates 80% of the results.
- Delegating as many tasks as possible frees your
time for your highest-return goals.
- Many entrepreneurs assign themes to days of the
week, such as “focus days” or “buffer days.”
- High achievers deal with incoming short-term
tasks instantly to avoid extra work and clutter.
- Renewing your physical and mental energy with
sleep and relaxation improves your productivity.
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1.
“Time Is Your Most Valuable and Scarcest Resource”
Successful people recognise time as
their most valuable asset. The loss of money, even the failure of a business,
still leaves future opportunities to regain ground, but lost time is
irreplaceable.
“Highly successful people
don’t think about time much at all. Instead, they think about values,
priorities and consistent habits.”
2.
“Identify Your Most Important Task” and Do It First
Successful people focus on their top priority,
long-term goals and identify meaningful, specific short-term goals they must
accomplish first. Breaking short-term goals down into measurable steps guides
high achievers to their “most important tasks” (MIT). They concentrate on
completing all or part of their MITs before they go on to other activities.
3.
“Work from Your Calendar, Not a To-Do List”
A to-do list can become a monster. Vanquishing
one problem only creates many more to add to the list. Most successful CEOs rely on strictly scheduled calendars. Sticking to a
schedule allows time for you to focus first on your MITs. Deciding what tasks
deserve calendar space or blocks of time keeps you from wasting time.
Entrepreneurs report that tightly organized calendars reduce stress.
They also set aside specific chunks of time
for relaxation. Highly successful people set aside time to care for their health and their
personal lives, families and communities.
4.
To Overcome Procrastination, “Beat Your Future Self”
Most people say procrastination is why they
choose easier tasks first or believe they will perform better later, but don’t
measure up. Instead of delaying, try these “procrastination busters”:
- Do now what you promise you’ll do later – Defeating procrastination means doing what
you should do right this minute instead of trusting some future version of
yourself “to do the right thing” later. To succeed, be better now.
- For motivation, imagine your results – Whether finishing a task will give you
pleasure or failing to get it done will cause you pain, imagine the outcome of
your actions.
- Share the burden – Being responsible to someone else who shares your goal, like a fellow
jogger, creates an emotional commitment. Enlist an “accountability partner.”
- Grab the carrot; avoid the stick – The promise of a future reward lures some
people, but often the fear of punishment works better. Devising a personal
non-completion penalty in the form of a charitable contribution can turn your
lack into a community gain.
- Behave like the person you hope to become – Adopt the behaviors of your ideal self to
anchor your values and make a firmer commitment to them. Even going through the
motions will help you achieve your personal best.
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- Embrace the imperfect – The desire for perfection may intimidate you into inaction.
Acknowledging imperfect work is a first step to easing the stress that keeps
you from starting at all. “Settle for good enough;” you can always improve your
output later.
5.
“There Will Always Be More to Do”
“Successful people take
immediate action on almost every item they encounter. They know that to be
efficient, they want to expend the least possible amount of time and mental
energy processing things.”
6.
“Always Carry a Notebook”
Some of the world’s most famous billionaires,
including Sir Richard Branson, attribute their success to keeping a notebook
handy. Jotting down stray thoughts, meeting notes and great ideas creates
indelible impressions, both on paper and in your mind. Research shows the brain
uses several intertwined functions to process handwritten information. This
results in more active, accurate recall than typing. Once you capture your
ideas, notes or lessons on paper, transfer them to a computer for permanent
future reference. Date your notebooks so you can refer back to them.
7.
“Control Your Inbox”
A survey by the McKinsey Global Institute
indicates that office workers spend up to one-third of their days reading and
replying to emails. Be aware that “email is a great way for other people to put
their priorities into your life.” Use the “321-Zero” system to keep email in
its place: Three times a day, spend 21 minutes reviewing your messages. Your
goal is an inbox with no new mail.
8.
“Schedule and Attend Meetings as a Last Resort”
Eliminating formal meetings can save everyone
wasted time. Don’t set up or go to meetings unless “all other forms of
communication won’t work.” Many entrepreneurs use a brief daily huddle as a
more efficient, informative and unifying way to get their team moving.
9.
“Say No to Everything that Doesn’t Support Your Immediate Goals”
Very successful people say no to almost everything.They realise that each
commitment of their time may result in the loss of other opportunities. They
protect their most valuable asset, time, from any request that doesn’t further
their long-term priorities.
10.
Follow the “Powerful Pareto Principle”
The Pareto principle holds that 20% of your
effort accounts for 80% of your results. Aspiring billionaires apply this
economic principle to identify the most efficient ways to deploy their
exceptional skills or to complete important tasks. Use this principle to
identify the 20% of your activities that will provide 80% of the reward for
your efforts.
11.
Focus on “Your Unique Strengths and Passions”
A CEO who regularly delegates to trustworthy
employees gains more energy and productivity and suffers less stress.
Outsourcing easier chores frees up time and mental energy to concentrate
on meaningful goals and high return projects.
“People who actively look for
things to delegate report higher levels of productivity, happiness and energy.”
12.
“Batch Your Work with Recurring Themes”
Innovative entrepreneurs assign themes to their
office days so their employees can concentrate on one specific type of work.
Scheduled weekly and monthly themes can include “meeting” days for one-on-one
discussions, team gatherings or group training seminars. Other themes include
“focus days” to concentrate on certain crucial tasks and “buffer days” for
catching up.
13.
If You Can Do a Task in “Less Than Five Minute, Do It Immediately”
Top achievers seek immediate return on their
time. To expedite incoming work, they enforce a “touch it once” principle:
- Handle email immediately – Delegate as much of it as you can. Complete
instantly anything you can handle in just a few minutes. If you can’t resolve
an email request quickly, add it to your calendar.
- Update your calendar as needed – Move time-consuming tasks from email to your
calendar as a reminder to act on them as soon as possible. Create weekly time
blocks to deal with routine tasks, such as paying bills.
- Constantly clear clutter – Be mindful of time wasted searching for
mislaid items. Maintain order in your surroundings. A messy environment can
cause stress.
14.
Routinely Use Early Mornings to “Strengthen Your Mind, Body and Spirit”
Most entrepreneurs embrace a morning routine to
re-energize physically and mentally. They recharge with plenty of water,
healthy food and exercise.
15.
“Productivity Is About Energy and Focus, Not Time”
Hard workers make room in their schedules for
relaxation. Spending more time on work doesn’t guarantee more or better
results. Maintaining maximum energy levels and working in short spurts aids
productivity. Successful people build the energy and
focus to make each minute count
