Where is the Summer Going?
July 17th, 2013 by Morna
For some reason I’ve equated the long, lazy days of summer with a slow-down in my work. Well, it never quite works out that way. I have lots on my plate, as I’m sure you do. With traveling and vacation, I seem to have even less time. One of the things I’ve tried to work on for the last few years is working smarter and using my time more efficiently. The key to that is knowing how I am working currently. Here are some tips I’ve been using:
1. Track how you spend your time. At the end of each day and at the end of each week compare the percentage of your time used toward fulfilling your mission and achieving your goals with time spent elsewhere. It’s easy to get sidetracked and not pay attention to the task at hand.
2. Set your priorities for each day. Select your three top goals for the day and work to complete those. If you are clear about what you want to accomplish, it’s easier to say no to something that comes up that doesn’t fit into your time. Having the priorities, aka your to-do list, keeps you more focused on the end result.
3. Keep a copy of your mission and goals where you can see them. If you keep the end in mind, it’s easier to keep distractions at bay. And, when you do get distracted, I think it’s easier to get back on track.
4. Learn to say “no” more often. If you have problems with this one, you can read a great article on the topic in the Spring 2010 Issue of The Professional Quilter. For me, it’s remembering that the person who asked is just looking for an answer. If I say no, she moves onto the next person on her list.
5. Use caller id and/or let your answering machine take a message. Today it seems most of the calls that come in are from telemarketers. You can allot a certain amount of time at the end of the day to return any calls that require your attention.
6. Limit time on social networking sites. Connecting through these sites is important for the growth of your business, but they can be big time vampires. Set aside 30 minutes each day for Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Linked In, etc., and then stay off the sites the rest of the day. I actually like to save Pinterest for after work because it’s so easy to get lost in it.
Please share how you work smarter below where you may “Leave A Reply.”
Kris Poor said:
Good morning Morna! Thanks for reminding us to review our accomplishments at the end of the day – helps everyone to stay on track! I use a single index card – write down my top goal for the week and keep it on my lap top so that I can see it and stay focused! Great article – thanks again!
Morna said:
Kris, I know you love the goal cards! They do keep you on track.
Mary Stori said:
Morna…..as usual YOU inspire me to continue my quest to keep organized. Though I’m coming to the conclusion of my travel teaching career, I’m not retiring to a rocking chair. Instead my focus now will be on selling my work…which really is a whole new career path.
My blog has been a big help to educate followers about the process (and length of time) it takes to create a one-of-a-kind piece. My blog shop which is linked makes it easy for one stop shopping. However, all this internet activity takes time. Therefore, I’ve found it more efficient to document the entire process of a specific piece, next I create all the posts in one sitting and schedule them to publish consecutively. That provides daily interaction without me having to get online each day….because as we all know…..getting online can eat up a lot of time.
Morna said:
Mari, glad I could help! It is a never ending quest. Good luck with the change of focus. Love that we can keep at our art and just switch gears. Thanks for sharing your tip for setting aside time to write the blog posts at one sitting and the schedule. Definitely working smarter!
Katie D'Aprile said:
I like the tip you gave some time back where you write out the 5 things you absolutely must get done that day. Just the act of writing them down brings focus, and I try to keep a balanced list…some quick things to move a project along mixed with something that I might be dragging my feet on.
Morna said:
Katie, thanks for sharing. It’s really find that thing that works for you to keep you in focus.