How to Cram 48 Hours Worth of Work into a 24-Hour Day

There is NO way to cram 48 hours worth of work into an 8 hour day.  This mindset is actually the source of your problem.  We all have the same 24 hours in every day.  You get no more, and no less, than the guy next to you.  However, if you use your time wisely through delegation and time blocking, you can be more productive than most people in the world.  The secret of the most successful people: prioritizing.

In order to be at the top of the effectiveness game, you have to be a master of prioritizing. You have be willing to make tough choices and figure out what is most important to accomplish in your day. Delegate the rest, or let it go. The fact is that one person can only accomplish the work of one person… the secret is prioritizing such that the most important work gets done.

The best way I have found to prioritize your daily tasks is NOT a to-do list, a Franklin-Covey system or an electronic task reminder. The best way to manage your effectiveness is to manage your daily schedule with timeblocking. Timeblocking is a system whereby you assign every task a time in your time, like an appointment. You start by scheduling all of your routines (showering, eating breakfast, commuting, lunch, etc.) in your calendar first, and then scheduling your tasks around them.

When you first start timeblocking, you will be shocked at how little time you actually have in a day for productive work, but as you continue on in the process, you get better at your effectiveness. You also get better at prioritizing, thus you are more productive.

CALL TO ACTION: Read the “Timeblocking 101” handout and related worksheets in the “free tools” section of my site. Implement this technique for one month and come back and let me know how it impacted your level of productivity and satisfaction in your life.