- Let's imagine for a moment that you're shopping at the grocery store. You see several checkout lines in front of you. A couple of the checkout lines are long, but another two are shorter. Which line do you get into? The value of using the shortest line at a grocery store is obvious, right? Yet so many people, when it comes to time, put themselves in the longest line, so to speak, because of the choices that they make in terms of prioritization. For example, in the US, April 15th is generally tax day.
It's the day when everyone needs to submit their tax report to the government to make a payment or to get their tax refund. Now occasionally, leadership at accounting firms ask me to help them be more productive. What they'll report to me is that the weeks leading up to April 15th are the craziest, busiest weeks of the the entire year. Why, because almost everyone waits until that last moment to get their taxes in. But when you do that, it means you're going to get less attention from your accountant.
It means it's going to take longer to get everything done. Why, because everyone is doing it at the same time. The time management principle here then is to figure out when everyone else is going to do something and then try to not do it at that time. By adopting this simple practice, you'll save incredible amounts of time. Think of some activity that you do on a repeated basis, whether it's at work or in your personal life.
Ask yourself, when is it that everyone else does this task? When is it that most people do it? Here's a personal example. My wife and I make it a point to go on a date every single week. However, we don't want to get caught up in the weekend evening crowds that grow when it comes to eating at a restaurant or going to a movie theater. So we begin our dates early on Saturday afternoon. This allows us to go at a time when it's easy to get tickets to any movie that we want to see and we beat the evening dinner rush so that we don't have to wait half an hour or more to get a seat.
It even makes it easier to find a babysitter. If you take a look at each day and each week, you'll notice times where everyone else is doing something, everyone else at work is submitting that report on the last day of the month, everyone else goes to get gas in your neighborhood at the same time at the end of rush hour. Instead, try to find a pattern of doing these things at a less busy, less popular time. If you make a habit of doing this consistently, in a variety of areas, you'll save yourself hours of time, year after year.
Author
Updated
4/15/2019Released
4/11/2016Productivity expert Dave Crenshaw provides techniques on a wide variety of topics, designed to help people better manage their time and ultimately become more productive. Tune in to learn about everything from managing emails and calendars to setting priorities, collaborating with coworkers, reducing interruptions, crafting a "productivity mindset," and creating a more comfortable and effective work environment.
Have an idea for a future video from Dave? Submit it using our course feedback form. If you want more time management strategies now, we recommend watching Dave's Time Management Fundamentals course.
- Reducing interruptions
- Dealing with feeling overwhelmed
- Responding to quick questions
- Making the most of meetings
- Following up
- Implementing a closed door, open calendar policy
Skill Level Intermediate
Duration
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Introduction
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Welcome43s
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1. Time Management Tips
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Power tips for sending email3m 14s
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Positive procrastination3m 15s
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Remove the "busy" tag2m 58s
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Manage digital interruptions4m 19s
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Make the most of meetings2m 52s
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Follow up on delegated items2m 58s
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Become tech savvy4m 33s
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Focus on the person2m 37s
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Time management for students2m 59s
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Ending meetings with action1m 44s
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Building a not-to-do list2m 46s
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Avoiding the crowd mindset2m 58s
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Placing a value on your time3m 30s
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How to schedule a meeting3m 35s
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How to develop flexibility4m 19s
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The trouble with texting3m 48s
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Create a perhaps list4m 58s
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Reduce attention switches4m 46s
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Adapt your favorite app4m 33s
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Make time to get more time3m 49s
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Read vs. unread email3m 52s
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Make time to have fun3m 57s
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Create a morning ritual3m 23s
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When to create new homes3m 26s
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How to reduce spam3m 48s
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Why repetition saves time2m 48s
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Productive passwords2m 3s
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Productive web browser tips1m 51s
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Writing a productive email1m 55s
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Commit to your calendar1m 54s
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What to say instead of ASAP1m 46s
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Set voicemail expectations1m 43s
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Set email expectations1m 46s
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How to use an inbox1m 41s
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How to use an outbox1m 53s
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Video: Avoiding the crowd mindset