4 Practical Principles for (Actually) Getting Things Done

We are not taught how to effectively use our time in life. Instead, we have to work to take control of our time in order to use it the way we want to — to get work done, spend time with the people we want to see, or to relax when we feel exhausted. Here are some common signs that you might need a time management reset:

• You regularly feel incredibly burnt out by the end of the day.
• You find yourself wondering “what did I even do all day?”
• You have trouble getting to the things you really have to get done.
• You feel overwhelmed by your to-do list and feel like you don’t know where to start.
• You feel like your calendar is regularly too packed with meetings for you to get any meaningful work done when you’re not in meetings.
• You regularly put in extra hours at work.

When I coach others on productivity and time management, I emphasize four important principles:

1. Take control of your time
2. Know your priorities
3. Minimize distractions
4. Take time off

In this post, I’ll summarize these principles, and over the next few weeks I’ll be publishing a series of deep dive posts into each one of them. The deep dives will be packed with practical tips and tricks for how to actually put these principles into action to help you maximize your productivity in the time you have, feel more focused and less overwhelmed.

One important note: these principles and tips will not magically decrease your workload or turn a bad work environment into a good one. They won’t really be of much help if you’re dealing with mental and/or emotional burdens that are affecting your productivity. However, they will help you make sense of the work you have and give you strategies for making it doable within reason, while still prioritizing your mental and emotional needs.

1. Take control of your time.

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In many situations, you have much more control of your time than you think you do. This means you can often control your calendar and reduce the feeling of having too many meetings and not enough time to do your work. It’s important for you to identify the things you can and can’t control about how your time is used. You should be actively opting in to every event/meeting/task that takes up your precious, beautiful time. By being intentional about how you spend your time, it will be easier to focus on what actually needs to get done.

2. Know your priorities.

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You need to have a crystal clear view of your priorities. Everything cannot be high priority because you cannot do everything at the same time. There’s no way you can possibly keep all your priorities in your head, which is why to-do lists can be so valuable. These lists help keep us organized and focused! I recommend having a system for documenting and organizing your priorities that goes beyond a single to-do list. If you have a to-do list that’s overwhelming, disorganized, or one that you dread looking at, then it needs a revamp. Be realistic about what you can do in a given day or week. Consider what has to be done today and whether or not those things can realistically get done, given your calendar and capacity for the day.

3. Minimize distractions.

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Distractions are the enemy of productivity! According to this New York Times piece from 2013, it takes an average of 25 minutes to regain focus after an interruption. That’s A LOT of minutes! Distractions also can make you feel more scattered, tired, and overwhelmed. The crux to minimizing distractions comes back to my first point about controlling your time. You have to actively work against distractions in order to stay focused and use your time how you want to use it. Many things that distract us are actually controllable, and therefore preventable.

4. Take time off.

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We need time away from work, no matter what type of work we do. We get exhausted and can burn out by using our brain in the same ways day in and day out. Time away from work can be a day off here and there, a weeklong vacation (or staycation!), or even just a 10-minute break. You need to recognize when you just can’t anymore and need to step away. You also need to think about what kind of break you need, and what will make you feel restored. Being intentional about how you plan and use your time off is just as important as being intentional about how you use your time at work.

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I hope you found these principles helpful and that you’re able to find some more focus and control in the way you use your time and complete your tasks — whether at work or at home. As a reminder, I’ll be publishing a series of deep dives on these principles over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

If you want to dive further into this stuff, some things to think about:

• Think about habit building: How have you succeeded (or not) in building habits in the past? Can you apply those tools to building habits around checking your to-do list, planning your day, etc?
• Start small: For some, making big sweeping changes to how they manage their time might be helpful, but for many I recommend starting with just one or two shifts at a time.
• Target the biggest issue first: Figure out what the biggest thing holding you back from using your time effectively is, and start there. Even if you have multiple things you’re struggling with, targeting the worst offender first will be the most impactful.
• Seek out resources: Talk to a friend, mentor, or manager. Find an accountability buddy if that’s helpful for you. Find popular books or check out a blog (I love this one from Doist!). There is so much information out there, but you have to find what works for you!

I’m always happy to chat about time management, productivity and prioritization! Hit me up on twitter @alikrausman.