Productivity Skills That Can Help Us Regain Our Precious Time And Still be Efficient At Work

By Moon Harper

Dec 28, 2023 02:49 AM EST

Productivity Skills — (Photo : Unsplash/Matt Ragland )

Many of us are cautious with our money, but we often neglect how we use our time, which cannot be regained. We agree to unnecessary requests, treat everything as urgent, attend pointless meetings, hesitate to delegate tasks, stay connected to our inboxes and smartphones, and persist in doing tasks that machines can handle.

The first step to becoming part of the new rich, those who use their time wisely and enjoy more free time, is embracing the paradox that we can accomplish more in less time. This concept is explained in "The Case for the 6-Hour Workday." Not believing is a choice to spend eleven hours a day staring at screens.

Here's how to regain your time while working efficiently:

1. Automate

Automation tools provide valuable data and analytics and offer insights, patterns, and areas for improvement, leading to increased productivity, improved decision-making, and a better work-life balance.

Email Responses- Set up automated responses for routine email inquiries.
Social Media Posting- Craft, schedule, and automate posts on various social media platforms.
Appointment Scheduling- Use scheduling software to automate the booking and confirmation of appointments.
Invoice Generation- Automate creating and delivering invoices to clients or customers.
File Organization- Automatically organize and categorize files and documents based on predefined criteria.
Customer Surveys- Use automation to send and collect responses for customer satisfaction surveys.
E-commerce Order Processing- Automate order fulfillment, tracking, and customer notifications in e-commerce.

2. Outsource

In a Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode, AngelList founder Naval Ravikant recommended establishing a desired hourly rate for yourself and consistently adhering to it. He advised against engaging in tasks that fall below this rate, be it attending meetings or handling Amazon returns. If the cost of returning an item is less than your hourly rate, Naval suggests giving it away instead.

Identify Tasks- List time-consuming or repetitive tasks suitable for outsourcing.
Define Objectives- Clearly outline the goals and expectations for each outsourced task.
Budget Analysis- Evaluate the budget to ensure cost-effectiveness in outsourcing.
Communication Plan- Establish effective communication channels with the outsourced team.
Monitor Progress- Regularly track and monitor the progress of outsourced tasks and establish a feedback system for ongoing improvement and collaboration.

3. Using Asynchronous Communication

Having 12 people for a three-hour meeting when 10 had minimal contributions wasn't necessary; it was inefficiency, hampering company productivity and lowering morale, according to Steve Glaveski.

A better approach is embracing asynchronous communication, where responses can wait. Most issues don't need an immediate reply, and meetings shouldn't be the primary way to share information. If a discussion is essential, consider scheduling shorter meetings, like 15 or 30 minutes, instead of the default one hour. If a meeting isn't necessary, explore asynchronous communication tools instead:

Instant message: Slack, Facebook Workplace, Microsoft Teams
Project management: Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Airtable
Pausing email and websites: Inbox Pause, Blocksite

4. Time Blocking and Prioritization

Set blocks of time for different task categories throughout the day. This method enhances productivity by providing structure to your schedule and helping you focus on one task at a time.

Time Blocking for Themes

Set aside particular days or periods for specific subjects or kinds of work. As an illustration, set aside Mondays for meetings, Tuesdays for strategic planning, and Wednesdays for creative work.

Time Blocking with the Eisenhower Matrix

Sort tasks using the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks and avoid procrastination.

Quadrant 1: Urgent and important

Quadrant 2: Important but not urgent

Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important

Quadrant 4: Neither urgent nor important.

Time Blocking with 90/90/1 Rule

Your most significant task should take up the first 90 minutes of your workday. Devote the next 90 minutes to learning or developing new skills, and set aside the last hour for planning and reflection.