Eight Ways to Trick Time in split format
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From the following online article: http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/eight-ways-to-save-time-20130408
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From the following online article: http://www.mensjournal.com/expert-advice/eight-ways-to-save-time-20130408
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== Eight Ways to Save Time ==
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You can't change the number of hours in a day, but you can fill them moreefficiently, with less stress and mental effort. You've likely heard thisbefore, and perhaps your past efforts at time management have been, well, awaste of time. But most people's attempts to increase productivity get derailedby two virtues of modern living: technology and options. Today's onslaught oftech - smartphones, iPads, search engines, social media - is fragmenting ourattention spans, gumming our mental gears with useless facts, and turning usinto surface-level thinkers. At the same time, all the communication choices wehave today - email, IM, text, Skype, or Gmail chat - are thwartingefficiency. But we don't have to give up technology to regain control. "Youneed to set expectations of yourself and other people," says Daniel Markovitz,a blogger on time management for the 'Harvard Business Review.' "You need tosay, 'Here's the Bat Phone number. Use it if there's an emergency. Otherwise,leave me alone to do my job.'" Here are eight ways to manage time.
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You can't change the number of hours in a day, but you can fill them moreefficiently, with less stress and mental effort. You've likely heard thisbefore, and perhaps your past efforts at time management have been, well, awaste of time. But most people's attempts to increase productivity get derailedby two virtues of modern living: technology and options. Today's onslaught oftech - smartphones, iPads, search engines, social media - is fragmenting ourattention spans, gumming our mental gears with useless facts, and turning usinto surface-level thinkers. At the same time, all the communication choices wehave today - email, IM, text, Skype, or Gmail chat - are thwartingefficiency. But we don't have to give up technology to regain control. "Youneed to set expectations of yourself and other people," says Daniel Markovitz,a blogger on time management for the 'Harvard Business Review.' "You need tosay, 'Here's the Bat Phone number. Use it if there's an emergency. Otherwise,leave me alone to do my job.'" Here are eight ways to manage time.
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=== Finish Simple Tasks ===
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Always complete easy tasks, like reading a memo - never switch between smallprojects. "The mind holds only about seven pieces of information at a time,"says Carnegie Mellon psychologist David Creswell. "If you switch to othertasks, those pieces of information get scrambled and need to be relearned. It'sa complete time waster." Bottom line: Don't try to do two simple tasks at once.
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Always complete easy tasks, like reading a memo - never switch between smallprojects. "The mind holds only about seven pieces of information at a time,"says Carnegie Mellon psychologist David Creswell. "If you switch to othertasks, those pieces of information get scrambled and need to be relearned. It'sa complete time waster." Bottom line: Don't try to do two simple tasks at once.
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=== Break up Complex Tasks ===
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Complex tasks like building a budget differ from simple ones: You can completethem more quickly and efficiently by breaking them up. Creswell found peoplewho had to complete challenging tasks did so more effectively when they took atwo-minute break and worked on something completely different - for example,doing a crossword when trying to finish your taxes. "Your brain isunconsciously processing information during distractor tasks, and it does abetter job," he says. "Even a two-minute period of checking email can have abeneficial effect." But note he's not advising multitasking here - alwayslearn the contours of a problem thoroughly before distracting yourself with amenial task for a few minutes. Also, choose something completely different fromyour main project. "The more distinct it is, the better," he says.
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Complex tasks like building a budget differ from simple ones: You can completethem more quickly and efficiently by breaking them up. Creswell found peoplewho had to complete challenging tasks did so more effectively when they took atwo-minute break and worked on something completely different - for example,doing a crossword when trying to finish your taxes. "Your brain isunconsciously processing information during distractor tasks, and it does abetter job," he says. "Even a two-minute period of checking email can have abeneficial effect." But note he's not advising multitasking here - alwayslearn the contours of a problem thoroughly before distracting yourself with amenial task for a few minutes. Also, choose something completely different fromyour main project. "The more distinct it is, the better," he says.
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=== Build Willpower ===
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Willpower is key to efficiency - and just like the muscles in your body, ifyou exercise it more frequently, you can improve it. Florida State Universitypsychologist Roy Baumeister found that making people perform simple willpowerexercises - like using their nondominant hand to open doors or brush theirteeth - strengthened their focus during more important tasks. "When youpractice overriding habitual ways, you are exerting deliberate control overyour actions," says Baumeister. "If you can get people to do willpowerexercises like these, it will improve how well they manage their time and helpthem develop the willpower to make better decisions." Hone your willpower bybreaking a routine like driving the same way to work or by giving up a badhabit like junk food for a week. Willpower gets depleted when you use it toomuch - which is why judges and surgeons, who make decisions all day, begin tomake generic or underinformed ones later on. Avoid making major decisions aftera series of hard choices. When possible, make the toughest decisions when yourwillpower is strongest - in the morning for most, says Baumeister. You canidentify this time by experience, he says. Are you more likely to forgo aworkout in the morning or afternoon? Do you get more done at work when youfirst get in or before you leave
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Willpower is key to efficiency - and just like the muscles in your body, ifyou exercise it more frequently, you can improve it. Florida State Universitypsychologist Roy Baumeister found that making people perform simple willpowerexercises - like using their nondominant hand to open doors or brush theirteeth - strengthened their focus during more important tasks. "When youpractice overriding habitual ways, you are exerting deliberate control overyour actions," says Baumeister. "If you can get people to do willpowerexercises like these, it will improve how well they manage their time and helpthem develop the willpower to make better decisions." Hone your willpower bybreaking a routine like driving the same way to work or by giving up a badhabit like junk food for a week. Willpower gets depleted when you use it toomuch - which is why judges and surgeons, who make decisions all day, begin tomake generic or underinformed ones later on. Avoid making major decisions aftera series of hard choices. When possible, make the toughest decisions when yourwillpower is strongest - in the morning for most, says Baumeister. You canidentify this time by experience, he says. Are you more likely to forgo aworkout in the morning or afternoon? Do you get more done at work when youfirst get in or before you leave
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=== Develop Google Discipline ===
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Gorging on all the data available today has made us a nation of distractedthinkers. How many times have you searched for an answer online only to findyourself wandering through a hyperlink forest, gobbling up factoids, switchingfrom LinkedIn to Facebook to email? Research shows when people look for ananswer on the Web, they visit too many sites when only one or two would do.Limit your searching to what you need for a project. Whenever possible, turnoff all other technology, like email and your phone, when completing a projecton your computer.
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Gorging on all the data available today has made us a nation of distractedthinkers. How many times have you searched for an answer online only to findyourself wandering through a hyperlink forest, gobbling up factoids, switchingfrom LinkedIn to Facebook to email? Research shows when people look for ananswer on the Web, they visit too many sites when only one or two would do.Limit your searching to what you need for a project. Whenever possible, turnoff all other technology, like email and your phone, when completing a projecton your computer.
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=== Keep a Calendar, Not a To-Do List ===
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To-do lists are ineffective because they lack context: Research shows peopleleave the most difficult tasks undone at the end of the day. Instead, Markovitzadvises laying out blocks of time for each task. "I tell people to have ahealthy relationship with their calendars," he says. "How can you prioritize ifyou don't know how much time you have? You need to make mindful decisions aboutthe finite amount of time you have to work." Blocking out time providesstructure and gives you micro-deadlines to complete tasks. Leave a few emptyspaces for inevitable crises and interruptions, and to make room for tasks thatmay take longer.
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To-do lists are ineffective because they lack context: Research shows peopleleave the most difficult tasks undone at the end of the day. Instead, Markovitzadvises laying out blocks of time for each task. "I tell people to have ahealthy relationship with their calendars," he says. "How can you prioritize ifyou don't know how much time you have? You need to make mindful decisions aboutthe finite amount of time you have to work." Blocking out time providesstructure and gives you micro-deadlines to complete tasks. Leave a few emptyspaces for inevitable crises and interruptions, and to make room for tasks thatmay take longer.
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=== Pull, Don't Push ===
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Most of us are bombarded with emails, calls, and requests that don'tnecessarily need our attention that moment - or even that day. "People pushinformation on us when it's ready, not when we need it," says Markovitz.Instead, Markovitz suggests pulling information when needed rather thanpassively receiving it anytime. How to pull, not push? If a project iscomplicated and involves multiple people, talk about it instead of emailing.Don't constantly check and respond to emails - process messages in batches,like once every three hours. Create an email signature that says you don't havetime to respond to everything, and if it's urgent, to call. The same goes formeetings: Do you really need to be there? "You need to set expectations," saysMarkovitz. "You need to slow down the avalanche of information coming at you."
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Most of us are bombarded with emails, calls, and requests that don'tnecessarily need our attention that moment - or even that day. "People pushinformation on us when it's ready, not when we need it," says Markovitz.Instead, Markovitz suggests pulling information when needed rather thanpassively receiving it anytime. How to pull, not push? If a project iscomplicated and involves multiple people, talk about it instead of emailing.Don't constantly check and respond to emails - process messages in batches,like once every three hours. Create an email signature that says you don't havetime to respond to everything, and if it's urgent, to call. The same goes formeetings: Do you really need to be there? "You need to set expectations," saysMarkovitz. "You need to slow down the avalanche of information coming at you."
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=== Limit Your Choices ===
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While you can't change the number of decisions you make for your job, you canlimit daily choices at home. For instance, President Obama wears only blue orgray suits to curb unnecessary decisions. He also uses "decision" memos withthree check boxes: agree, disagree, and discuss. "Too much choice isparalyzing," says Sheena Iyengar, a Columbia University business professor."You walk into your office and a bazillion people will come at you from everyside - emails, calls, meetings. Ask yourself: Are you being proactive or justreacting? If you're reacting, then half the day goes by before you say, 'Wait aminute, what am I supposed to be working on?'" Establish routines that let youfocus on what you need to do first.
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While you can't change the number of decisions you make for your job, you canlimit daily choices at home. For instance, President Obama wears only blue orgray suits to curb unnecessary decisions. He also uses "decision" memos withthree check boxes: agree, disagree, and discuss. "Too much choice isparalyzing," says Sheena Iyengar, a Columbia University business professor."You walk into your office and a bazillion people will come at you from everyside - emails, calls, meetings. Ask yourself: Are you being proactive or justreacting? If you're reacting, then half the day goes by before you say, 'Wait aminute, what am I supposed to be working on?'" Establish routines that let youfocus on what you need to do first.
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=== Prep the Night Before ===
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While it's important to get a good night's sleep, the time just before bed isideal for getting your thoughts together for the next day - and not justbecause it lessens what you have to do tomorrow. Scans of sleeping people showour brains work on solving problems when we're not awake, so reviewing a littlework before bed helps imprint on your brain exactly what needs to be solved."We've all had that aha moment in the shower the next morning," says Creswell."That's because you've let the unconscious mind operate organically on theimprinted information." But avoid overly stressful projects before bed, whichmay cause you to toss and turn with worry. And don't work on anything with ascreen within an hour of bed: Studies show the blue light in screens can leadto fitful sleep.
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While it's important to get a good night's sleep, the time just before bed isideal for getting your thoughts together for the next day - and not justbecause it lessens what you have to do tomorrow. Scans of sleeping people showour brains work on solving problems when we're not awake, so reviewing a littlework before bed helps imprint on your brain exactly what needs to be solved."We've all had that aha moment in the shower the next morning," says Creswell."That's because you've let the unconscious mind operate organically on theimprinted information." But avoid overly stressful projects before bed, whichmay cause you to toss and turn with worry. And don't work on anything with ascreen within an hour of bed: Studies show the blue light in screens can leadto fitful sleep.
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