Of course, we know that there isn’t such thing.  But there IS such thing as using the time that you have more productively.  In other words – how to achieve more results and better results within the same amount of time that we all have in a day.

Here’s how.

1. Act vs. React. One of the worst situations that we can find ourselves in is reacting to something.  We didn’t know it was coming.  We didn’t anticipate it happening during a day.  So we suddenly are in a reactionary mode, where things are spinning out of control, time is going by, and the planned to-do list isn’t diminishing.  To be in the state of acting ( vs. reacting) takes planning.  Planning takes some time.  So the first tip is to take the necessary time to plan your day, your week, your month, your year.  Plan what you want to accomplish in your business life, in your professional life, in your kids’ lives, your family life, etc.
2. When planning, use a calendar. They say that setting goals without a timetable is like dreaming.  Same logic applies to planning.  To create a plan without aligning it with your calendar is like writing a long college term paper on “alienating identity as the common theme of the post-modern literature”– after all that work, you wonder what was the point.  Your plan needs to have dates next to each line item.  For example, let’s say you’re trying to be better at your networking activities.  I suggest you make a list of all groups you might be interested in, plan to spend 2 hours researching all of them, identify 3 that you will join, and plot all of their meetings for a year into your calendar.  Once it’s in your calendar, it’s an appointment (much like a client appointment).  Honor it.
3. Make only 1 to-do list. How many of you have a to-do list?  I bet everyone said yes.  How many of you have multiple to-do lists?  I bet many of you said yes to that.  How many of you have multiple to-do lists AND have additional post-its, scraps of paper, napkins, perhaps with additional reminders of what needs to be done?  I bet many said yes to that too.  The key to being productive is keeping ALL of your to-do’s in one place.  It should be a simple table with 4-5 main categories, in which your tasks fall.  Note that one of these categories should be “personal”.  Everything that comes up during the day, should go onto this to-do list (not on a   scrap, post it, or napkin).  Update it daily to delete items that are done, and add items that you’ve written manually.  Keep it clean.  Keep it simple.
4. Let someone else handle it.  Of course another term for it is delegate.  One person can only get done one task at a time.  Two people can handle two tasks during the same amount of time.  Three people can get done three tasks during the same amount of time.  You will never be as productive trying to get done everything in your business and your life.  Without a doubt, the very first two big areas which every designer needs to delegate out is doing quickbooks and administering purchase orders.
5. Don’t do it as often. Ask yourself:  how many times a day do you check your email?  How many times a day do you check your phone voice mails?  How many times a day do you check your texts?  How many times a week do you check your mail?  I challenge you to cut that number down in half.  Or better yet even more than half.  For example I check my mail only once a week.  There is nothing in my mail box that’s so urgent that can’t wait until Sunday morning, when all the mail for the week have been delivered.  I don’t even take it out of the mailbox, so that the big pile of envelops and magazines doesn’t become an eye sore and starts stressing me out.  By doing it this way, I save myself time and aggravation of not doing the same routine activity every day.
6. Do one thing once. You should only touch something, physically or virtually, once.  Be that an e-mail, piece of mail, customer file, vendor binder, or anything else that you come in contact with.  If you touched it and read it – make a decision on what needs to be done with it and do it right there and then.  Putting it away in a pile only procrastinates the decision, but doesn’t eliminate it from your mind.  And if it’s sitting on your mind, it’s preventing you from being your absolute best productive self.
7. Let go of perfection.  Making something perfect is a belief that will hold you back from achieving quick results.  It will take you time and energy to add that one finishing touch to your presentation, or to add that one extra photograph to your blog post; or to tweak your website one more time.  But will that extra touch and tweak bring you the extra income that would be lost during the time that your presentation, website, and blog are in process?  And what additional things could you have done that would have brought additional income had you worked on something else?  I’ve heard it said, that you should get your project up to 75% perfect, and then move one.  Course correct as you go forward.
8. Have a start and an end in mind. Often times, we put a start time to a project.  For example, I will start researching the fabrics for this client at 10am.  Then we lose ourselves in our work and before we know it hours have gone by and we are still searching for that perfect fabric and that perfect trim.  Instead, have the end time in mind.  So say to yourself – I will work on this project for one hour, from 10 to 11am.  Psychologically, our bodies and mindsets adopt to this new deadline and work much more productively.  It’s a similar concept to when you’re going on vacation and you must complete your to –do list, no questions asked.  One of the great ways to keep yourself on track is by using a very simple kitchen egg timer.  When that ding goes off, you’re done.
9. Turn off your email.  This is very simple, but very hard at the same time.  We have a love-hate relationship with our email in-box.  We all complain that it gets out of hand, that it’s too big, that we get bombarded with information all the time.  Yet, we can’t help it, but press the F5 or the send/receive button much too often than we should.  So to tame the temptation, I invite you to turn off your email completely.  Decide which parts of the day you’ll check it and only turn it on during those times of the day.  I also encourage you to check your email only when you’re in the position to deal with it.  There are 4 ways of dealing with it:  read, respond, delete, move to folders.  If you don’t have the time, energy, or desire to do all of these things, don’t check your email at that time of the day.
10. Batch the alike tasks. Batch your client appointments.  Batch your installations.  Batch your personal appointments.  Batch your in-office tasks.  Batch your ‘at the computer’ tasks.  By doing things that require the same state of mind, same physical presence, same set-up – you’re saving yourself a ton of time!
11. “When will I do it VS. I have to do it”.  I hear it time and time again:  “oh, yeah, that marketing thing, I really have to do it.  Someday, definitely. “  Or “I know I need to be doing more networking, I’m really going to do it”.  I strongly encourage you to make an appointment with yourself right now, put it into the calendar, and respect that appointment with yourself.  Get into the habit of asking yourself “When will I do it?”  vs. saying “I have to do it”.  So for example, you’ve been wanting to start an ezine, and it’s been on your list forever, but you just haven’t gotten around to doing it.  If it’s the case with you, I ask you to look at your calendar right now, set a date and time, and do it when you said you’d do it.

Here are several helpful tips that I’ve picked up along the way and use daily.

1. Set up folders for those e-mails that don’t need checking on a daily basis. For me, they are: on-line magazines, e-zines from industry and marketing experts, invoices, and google alerts. When I get an e-mail on any of these topics, it automatically gets filed away, without even hitting my in-box screen. I then go through these on a weekly basis. Not looking at them every day saves me time and energy.

2. Don’t use your inbox as your to-do list. Your to-do list should be a comprehensive file, while your in-box is not. So it’s not enough to refer just to your inbox. And since you already have a to-do list (right?), why keep it in two places. When I get an e-mail that requires action, the item goes on my to-do list and gets filed away from my e-mail in-box screen.

3. Set up folders for everything. Much like you have physical folders in your drawers and virtual folders on your computer, you need to have folders for your e-mail. My list is long but here’s a sampling: customers, marketing, product, vendors. Many have sub-folders – for example marketing is broken down into advertising, pr, newsletter, direct mail, etc.

While all of the above tips are highly helpful, they are useless if you don’t do them. So I’ve come up with a way that I can actually implement them. Here’s my #1 secret for managing my in-box. Only check your e-mail when you’re in the position to deal with it.

So this means that you won’t check your e-mail because it’s the first thing in the morning and that’s just what you do. Don’t check it because you’re curious and you’re itching to hit the F5 button. Don’t scan it, only opening a few ones that you’re most interested in.

Although it sounds simple, think if you actually follow this advice. Unless you have time and energy to read, respond, delete, and move to folders – don’t be checking your e-mail. Otherwise it will become a big monster of unread, undealt with message that will hang over you and add stress to your life. Of course the idea is to simplify your life.

So there you have it: only deal with your e-mail when you’re in the position to deal with it. There are only four ways of dealing with e-mail: read, respond, delete, and file away. If you don’t have time, energy, and desire to do either one of these actions, it’s best to check it at a different time of the day.

When it comes to scheduling appointments, we are usually more than eager to give everybody else the most convenient slot – most convenient for them that is. Inconveniencing ourselves in the process, we feverishly move things around, scrap our own plans, or forget to take care of ourselves altogether.

Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar?  It’s beginning of the year and you’ve made a resolution (once and for all) to get back into the gym.  You’ve even discovered a class that you really like and swore to yourself that you’ll go every week.  Then, usually after a few weeks, “life happens” and other commitments start creeping up:  from a deadline on a project to a phone call from a customer.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been guilty of this a lot!

Until I discovered a secret to productively managing my calendar, while still being responsive to and of service to my clients.

The secret is to CALENDAR your own appointments FIRST, then everyone else’s – second.

In the beginning of the year, before any other commitments take over, sit down with your calendar, and write in all the recurring commitments you have with yourself.  Here are mine:

1. Gym (yes, I also made that infamous resolution)

2. Hair appointments

3. I don’t get my nails done, but if you do, it should go here

4. Dermatologist

5. OB/GYN

6. Dentist

7. Anton’s (my son) appointments

After you’ve calendared your personal commitments, then write down all recurring professional commitments.  For me, they are:

1. IFDA – International Furnishings and Design Association

2. WCAA – Window Coverings Association of America

3. GKIC – Glazer Kennedy Insider Circle

The key is to put it down on your calendar those things that tend to go by the way-side, once you get busy with your day-to-day dealings. It seems to be ‘human nature’ to keep pushing off those things that ultimately make us healthier, more beautiful, and more energized – all in the name of a short-term gain.

One easy way to combat the human nature is to pre-empt it.  We pre-empt it by scheduling ourselves first, then everything else second.  It’s called honoring our needs instead of shoving them to the back burner.  And when we do that, our productivity soars!