Hey Bloggees!
Time seems to be something people have little of. We're busy trying to juggle our careers, families, friends, and personal time. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way of adding more time to your day? What if I told you there is a way? What if I told you that there were simple techniques that you can use that can give you that extra time? Well, good news! There are. I'm going to share with you over the next few weeks, some techniques I'm learning to incorporate into my day. You will probably notice an overarching theme to these methods (which I'll get to at the end of the series).  We begin with a simple technique that has helped me out...
 

Time Saving Technique #1: Write It Down!

This advice came from my Mom and my boss at High Resolutions. I know, I know. It sounds simple, right? Write down your items on a to-do list and work your way through it. But, here's the problem, we don't do it. We don't want to spend the time to slow down and write down the things that need to be done. We tend to keep mental notes in our heads of all the different things we need to get done. This gives us a sense that we are saving time by keeping it all in our head. However, over time, that mental list gets longer and more complicated. At some point, something important will slip through the cracks or you will become paralyzed by the mountain of items on your "mental" list and not get things done. As a result, that mental list will cost you time and, potentially something else (financially or otherwise). By writing it down, you are clearing out that mental list and focusing on what needs to be done. You will have a game plan to work through. It will give you a sense of accomplishment as you see items completed on that list. Finally, it will help you save time and money that would have been wasted from a forgotten item.

In Action:

As a graphic designer at a production company, it's easy to get swamped by the quantity of work that comes in. I used to try keep track of all the various projects that I had without making a list. I was reacting to client work and as a result, I was stressing out over what I had (or had not worked on) and letting the work determine the length of my workday. To solve this, I designed a project list (which you can see here) that I print out at the beginning of the week. I then write down the current projects that I'm working on and I keep track of the work I've done for the day. If new projects come in, I add that to the list. I check through the projects I have worked on and I try to make sure I go through each project once before going back and working on additional revisions or new projects. The list allows me to be proactive with my schedule, focus on the projects at hand, and have a sense of accomplishment on what I have done for the day. As a result. I'm not getting as stressed out about the quantity of projects and I have better control on how long my work day will be. As a result, I'm able to come home at a decent hour and have time to either work on side projects or to spend time with my wife.

I strongly encourage you to do this. Create either a physical list (like what I did) or a digital one for your device. It will be a time-saver. This technique alone can add valuable time to your busy schedule. 


I would love to hear how you have applied this technique to your schedule. Please leave a comment below and let me know how you incorporated this method and how it worked out for you. 'Till next time!