Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent Return on Energy! – Brian Tracy
This is so true, when you are organised and have a proper plan in place this would make your life much easier and less stressed and when things are in order it gives you a better control of your life. Here are some strategies that can help you to save time, focus on things that really matter and become more productive.
1. Plan Ahead – The importance of this cannot be devalued! I would suggest putting a few hours aside on the weekend to plan your upcoming week so that when Monday morning comes, you can hit the ground running without having to think about what needs to be done and how. The same goes for any event or activity you are organising, start planning weeks/month in advance to ensure you capture everything so that hiccups can be minimised and your event can start on time.
2. Use a Checklist – If you haven’t already, it would be good to keep a journal handy where you can document your goals, plans or list of things you need to do. Where necessary, assign them to the day of the week in which you intend to accomplish them and stick to it. Cross off the items when they are completed as this would give you a great feeling of accomplishment and motivate you to get more things done.
3. Meal Prep – Cooking daily, depending on how many persons you are cooking for can take up a lot of your time, especially if you are cooking a number of items. Meal prepping is a great option for giving you back more hours in the day. Set some time aside on the weekend or whichever day is suitable for you, to plan out your meals and prepare them at once to store in your refrigerator or freezer.
During the week you would now have extra time to focus on other activities or start working on your goals. (You can also contact LHNet Meal Prep Services, and they can save you even more time by doing this for you).
4. Employ Service Providers – If you can afford to do so, think about outsourcing some of your work activities to service providers to help free up your workload.
Such activities can be house cleaning, gardening, car cleaning, cooking or even a personal assistant for conducting errands and doing administrative duties.
5. Delegate – Another option can be utilising people in your circle to assist you, whether it is your children, your partner, your friends or even your parents. Many times people take on the responsibility of everything themselves and not enlist the help of others who care for them. Ask for help where necessary to help relieve some of your burden. You may be surprised that people are happy and able to help.
6. Take Social Media Breaks – We are all aware that social media can suck us in and use up most if not all of our time. Logging on to check something for five minutes can end up being five hours. Start looking at ways you can reduce your time if its even to set a schedule of when you would log on daily and limit the time.
7. Consume Healthy Meals – Eating healthier energises your body and gives you the energy to get going and complete more tasks in less time. Combining it with exercise also helps you to stay focused and stay active, thereby getting more things done.
8. Declutter your Space – Ensure that the space around you is clear and in order. It helps to save time when the things you need are right at your fingertips. Also, operating in such an environment means your mind is clear and less confused.
If you enjoy reading my blogs, I have now written a book titled ‘Own It! A Practical Guide to Achieving the Life You Want’. It is available on Amazon in digital and paperback format. Feel free to also follow my Instagram (ownit_2020) and Facebook (Own it – The Book) pages for more information.
