Audit your workday

- Figuring out which work tasks…are actually valuable and which ones aren't…can help us be more productive every day.…But to reclaim our time, we have to understand…whether the work we spend most of our time doing…is actually contributing to business goals.…On a piece of paper, create a T-chart.…In the left hand column, label it current tasks…and list all the tasks you do in an average week.…Include everything you can think of.…Recurring meetings, reports, email replies,…HR approvals, brainstorming or ideation,…processing invoices, or submitting expense reports,…even things you regularly do for other people.…

Check last month's calendar and to do lists…to just jog your memory and be sure to list specific tasks,…not general projects and your role on that task.…For example, you can write run weekly staff meetings…instead of just meetings.…Once you've written down everything you do,…take a minute and circle every task that you can think of…as productive and a valuable use of your time.…If you're not sure about the value of a task,…