Ready, Set, Time Yourself

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

From CEOs to janitors, we all have the same problem: We think we don’t have enough time.

For many of us getting the most out of our time is crucial. Everyone knows what tasks they need to do in a day, but do you know how long each of those tasks will take? Down to the second?

After working in television and digital producing video segments for nearly 15 years I’ve learned timing is everything. You need to know exactly how long each segment takes and every last second counts. If a story runs long 15 seconds then another story needs to be cut by the same amount of time. 

Much like news items, this is what you should be doing with your daily tasks. The first thing you need to do is figure out how long each task takes. I mean how long does it actually take; not just how long you THINK it takes. Some tasks to consider include answering emails, how long it takes to debrief your team and your commute.

I wrote a column for Entrepreneur.com giving a few ways to better track your time including Toggl: A website and app that lets you track how long your tasks take.  So those reports that will “only take a minute” can actually be counted in real time.  

This is also a good way for your freelancers to log their time as well.  That way they know how long it takes to finish projects, and you can see how much you owe them if you pay by the hour.

For other ways to track your time check out my video on YouTube.

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.