WHERE DID THE TIME GO?
Tips on getting through your day, getting your work done, and not stressing
While I sit in front of my computer at 1:00 a.m., I ask myself, “Who am I to give anyone advice about time management?”
I suppose you should know a few things before you judge me too quickly. First, I’m most productive after 9:00 p.m., so I schedule my day knowing that. Secondly, I included a lot of tasks in my daily planner (yes, the computer version) for today, and this is the last thing on the list.
From time to time, I speak on the subject of time management. Talking to sales staff often involves managing your time to increase ad sales. When leading a class for CEOs, managers, or publishers, I tend to speak about how to get things done without working ourselves to death.
When it comes right down to it, we all have the same amount of time each day. Obviously, things happen to interfere with our plans. Phone calls, never-ending emails and text messages, and unexpected emergencies can throw a wrench in the best-made plans.
When leading a webinar or speaking at a conference about time management, I generally have a to-do list of things to remember when planning. A list like that might include putting long-term events on your calendar first, thinking weeks and months ahead, to be sure you get the most important tasks done. After that, I’d probably suggest laying out your plans for the next week, again keeping an eye on the overall picture, rather than the hour-to-hour activities. Finally, I recommend making daily plans last and making sure the most critical chores are already on the calendar.
In this column, however, I think I’ll just “shoot from the hip” and share some thoughts on how I get through my day and get done what needs to get done, without living in a constant state of stress. Thinking back on my day, it looked like this:
9:30 - 10:00: I bought and sold some stock, a daily routine for me each morning when the stock market opens.
10:00 - 10:45: Answered emails, phone calls, and texts that came in overnight. I get these out of the way, then don’t keep a constant eye on my phone and email the rest of the morning. Studies show that, on average, Americans lose 2.5 hours during the average workday due to these types of interruptions.
10:30 - 12:30: Worked on a design project that was on my calendar. I spent about an hour on the design project (a 170-page book), contacted the writer about changes, and had it finished by lunch. I finished a little earlier than expected.
1:15 - 2:30: Created two email blitz campaigns and studied the results of our latest marketing efforts. I also contacted a potential customer about a new product. I’ve found that daily time spent marketing my own products pays off considerably.
2:30 - 4:00: I’ve learned that I’m most productive at night. That’s why I spend the morning on tasks that don’t require as much focus. I generally spend my early afternoons dealing with marketing and sales. Most people don’t focus as well after lunch, so I left my office and went to another room to “mark up” an Oregon newspaper whose staff I’ll be meeting with later this week. I initially scheduled the work for later this week, but I was feeling sluggish and decided my time would be better spent going through the newspaper.
4:00 - 5:30: Finished work on a book cover and manuscript and sent the files to the printer. Another project finished ahead of time.
8:00 - 12:00: Redesigned two pages of a newspaper from New York. I’m currently redesigning four newspapers, and I know I can’t get behind if they will be finished on schedule. I set aside time each day to redesign pages.
1:00 – 1:30: The last thing on my to-do list today was to write this column.
People often ask how I get so much done and why I never seem stressed. The truth is that I’ve always been good at doing things very quickly. I’m good at making quick decisions.
I don’t attend or host meetings, even though I own three companies. I know that meetings are necessary, but I’ve learned – in my world – I can get my work done, oversee my businesses, and leave plenty of time for disk golf, volunteer efforts, and dinner with friends, if I don’t invest too much time in group meetings. If not having meetings would cause more stress in your world, don’t follow my example. I don’t expect that what works for me would work for everyone. It’s just how I get through my day.
The clock says 1:22 – once again, I’m ahead of schedule – and Microsoft Word tells me I’m at 792 words. It seems my work is finished, at least for today.
Kevin Slimp has been a popular consultant and speaker in the newspaper industry since developing the PDF remote printing method in 1994. His upcoming webinars on design, circulation, and software can be found at newspaperacademy.com.
Kevin Slimp is former director of The University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute and founder of NewspaperAcademy.com.
While I sit in front of my computer at 1:00 a.m., I ask myself, “Who am I to give anyone advice about time management?”
I suppose you should know a few things before you judge me too quickly. First, I’m most productive after 9:00 p.m., so I schedule my day knowing that. Secondly, I included a lot of tasks in my daily planner (yes, the computer version) for today, and this is the last thing on the list.
From time to time, I speak on the subject of time management. Talking to sales staff often involves managing your time to increase ad sales. When leading a class for CEOs, managers, or publishers, I tend to speak about how to get things done without working ourselves to death.
When it comes right down to it, we all have the same amount of time each day. Obviously, things happen to interfere with our plans. Phone calls, never-ending emails and text messages, and unexpected emergencies can throw a wrench in the best-made plans.
When leading a webinar or speaking at a conference about time management, I generally have a to-do list of things to remember when planning. A list like that might include putting long-term events on your calendar first, thinking weeks and months ahead, to be sure you get the most important tasks done. After that, I’d probably suggest laying out your plans for the next week, again keeping an eye on the overall picture, rather than the hour-to-hour activities. Finally, I recommend making daily plans last and making sure the most critical chores are already on the calendar.
In this column, however, I think I’ll just “shoot from the hip” and share some thoughts on how I get through my day and get done what needs to get done, without living in a constant state of stress. Thinking back on my day, it looked like this:
9:30 - 10:00: I bought and sold some stock, a daily routine for me each morning when the stock market opens.
10:00 - 10:45: Answered emails, phone calls, and texts that came in overnight. I get these out of the way, then don’t keep a constant eye on my phone and email the rest of the morning. Studies show that, on average, Americans lose 2.5 hours during the average workday due to these types of interruptions.
10:30 - 12:30: Worked on a design project that was on my calendar. I spent about an hour on the design project (a 170-page book), contacted the writer about changes, and had it finished by lunch. I finished a little earlier than expected.
1:15 - 2:30: Created two email blitz campaigns and studied the results of our latest marketing efforts. I also contacted a potential customer about a new product. I’ve found that daily time spent marketing my own products pays off considerably.
2:30 - 4:00: I’ve learned that I’m most productive at night. That’s why I spend the morning on tasks that don’t require as much focus. I generally spend my early afternoons dealing with marketing and sales. Most people don’t focus as well after lunch, so I left my office and went to another room to “mark up” an Oregon newspaper whose staff I’ll be meeting with later this week. I initially scheduled the work for later this week, but I was feeling sluggish and decided my time would be better spent going through the newspaper.
4:00 - 5:30: Finished work on a book cover and manuscript and sent the files to the printer. Another project finished ahead of time.
8:00 - 12:00: Redesigned two pages of a newspaper from New York. I’m currently redesigning four newspapers, and I know I can’t get behind if they will be finished on schedule. I set aside time each day to redesign pages.
1:00 – 1:30: The last thing on my to-do list today was to write this column.
People often ask how I get so much done and why I never seem stressed. The truth is that I’ve always been good at doing things very quickly. I’m good at making quick decisions.
I don’t attend or host meetings, even though I own three companies. I know that meetings are necessary, but I’ve learned – in my world – I can get my work done, oversee my businesses, and leave plenty of time for disk golf, volunteer efforts, and dinner with friends, if I don’t invest too much time in group meetings. If not having meetings would cause more stress in your world, don’t follow my example. I don’t expect that what works for me would work for everyone. It’s just how I get through my day.
The clock says 1:22 – once again, I’m ahead of schedule – and Microsoft Word tells me I’m at 792 words. It seems my work is finished, at least for today.
Kevin Slimp has been a popular consultant and speaker in the newspaper industry since developing the PDF remote printing method in 1994. His upcoming webinars on design, circulation, and software can be found at newspaperacademy.com.
Kevin Slimp is former director of The University of Tennessee Newspaper Institute and founder of NewspaperAcademy.com.