Jason Womack Tips: Finding Lost Time
In early 2006, I attended a Getting Things Done workshop that was taught by Jason Womack. That workshop, and what I learned from it, have had such a positive impact on my life. With his energy, motivation, and passion, Jason has been an inspiration to me, and he is regarded as one of the "top minds on personal development". I am honored that he has chosen my blog to share these personal productivity tips:
Finding lost time
Many days an extra five or 10 minutes can really make a difference. You may not know it, but they are there, stuck in your work day – especially when it comes to meetings. You just need to know where to find them.
Here are four ways to find lost time:
1. Get there early. That means everywhere: meetings, appointments, the airport and your office. You will be relaxed and refreshed instead of rushing at the last minute and letting the stress of traffic and waiting in line get to you. You have a cushion of time if there is a delay and if there's not, you can get other work done.
2. End meetings on time. When scheduling meetings with people, ask them, "Do you expect we'll end on time or should I add more time as a buffer in case we need it?" When asked this directly, you'll be surprised at how often people change their mind about how long a meeting will take.
3. Re-confirm your appointments. The rule of thumb is to do this one full business day in advance. If you remove those last-minute cancellations and no-shows from you schedule, you will save a lot of time. It's better to get rid of them all together rather than deal with a no-show. Confirming appointments may sound like more work, but it saves time by catching changes that may have fallen through the cracks.
4. Ask why. Do you have to have a face-to-face business meeting with someone or will a phone conversation suffice? Can you accomplish your project through e-mail or in another more time-efficient way? Ask these questions directly and you can eliminate a lot of wasted travel and time.
Jason Womack is an executive coach and workplace productivity expert who travels the world teaching people how to make the most of their time and efforts. You can read his blog at jasonwomackblog.com or send him a comment or question at Jason@jasonwomack.com
