In today's VUCA world, getting all those mental tabs under control is more important than ever. And there are things we can all do to boost our organizational skills. That's why our latest video series focuses on Being Organized. So check out the videos below to discover how to avoid common time-management pitfalls, bring harmony to your team, and organize your ideas.

Are You Making These Common Time-Management Mistakes?

One effective way to get more organized is to improve your time management. It's all too easy to fall into common time-management traps, like multitasking – a habit I'm often guilty of! – and failing to set goals. Discover other ways to improve with our new Time-Management Mistakes Video. And to get a more general idea of how well you manage your time, take our time management quiz.

Why Is Multitasking Bad?

You'd be forgiven for thinking that multitasking is a good way of getting two or more jobs done at the same time. But how effective are you really when you're juggling multiple tasks at once? Tackling two jobs in one go can lead to subpar results and a longer completion time because neither is getting your full focus. So instead, give your full attention to one job at a time, and close those other mental tabs!

How Does Goal Setting Help You to Be More Organized?

Goal setting might not seem like a time-management tool, but having specific goals to work toward helps you to know where to focus your time and energy. Once you set clear goals, you can start to prioritize your tasks. And, in today's VUCA world, having clear direction will help you and your team stay on track in the face of adversity and change.

To find out what the other common time management mistakes are, and how you can avoid them, watch our 10 Common Time-Management Mistakes Video.

The Dangers of Overpromising

Another mistake many of us make is overpromising. Taking on more than you have reasonable capacity for can throw you off balance, hinder your other projects, and lead to broken promises. It doesn't feel nice to say "no" when someone asks for help, even when you have good reason to, but failing to keep your word at work can damage your team relationships and your reputation. In fact, it can do way more damage than admitting that you have too much on.

So, consider what you've already got on your plate, and any upcoming holiday, before you commit to another task! Try saying "Yes" to the person, but "no" to the task to keep everyone happy. By protecting your time and energy in this way, you'll not only be able to focus on the right tasks, but you'll also earn respect from your peers by establishing boundaries.

Our video on Keeping Your Word at Work has more tips on how to avoid broken promises.

How to Manage Your Deadlines

However, sometimes things just don't go to plan and you may have to break a promise or miss a deadline through no real fault of your own. When this happens, try to limit the damage, and take any steps you can to prevent it from happening again.

One key way to set yourself up for success is to ensure you have the right support and resources before you get started. Do you have access to all the files you need? Who can help you if you get stuck? You can also mitigate any harm done by unexpected change by putting a contingency plan in place.

One missed deadline might not seem like a big deal, but it can trip you and your team up further down the road. Explore more tips on how to organize your time and commitments to manage your deadlines in our video, How to Meet a Deadline.

How to Organize Your Ideas

If you're a manager, you probably deal with large volumes of information, feedback and ideas on a regular basis. Especially when you're working on improving a service or fixing a problem. And while it's no bad thing to have a wealth of ideas from your team, too many options can become overwhelming. So, if you ever feel like you've got too many options and don't know which ones to prioritize, try using affinity diagrams!

Affinity diagrams help you to organize multiple ideas into common themes. This provides a bird's-eye view, making it easier to understand complex relationships, identify subtasks, and evaluate potential solutions. Learn more about how they can help you and your team organize its ideas with our Affinity Diagrams Video.

More Resources on Being Organized

If you want even more resources on how to be more organized and manage your time better, check out these related resources:

How to Take Care of Your "Social Battery"
Hurry Sickness
How to Be More Organized
Prioritization
Wheel of Life

The post 4 Tools for Being More Organized – Our New Video Series appeared first on Mind Tools.

I love the way a deadline helps focus my mind. Having a deadline enables me to plan my time and forces me to prioritize tasks – so I deliver my work to a high standard and on time.

My freelance work requires me to juggle several contracts simultaneously. Without deadlines, it would be virtually impossible to keep track of what needs to be done, and by when. I'd find myself making promises to clients that I couldn’t keep. And that would be very bad for my professional reputation.

Deadlines keep me on track and they allow me to prioritize, plan and perform well. And I'm not alone; anecdotal evidence suggests that most people like to work to clear and unambiguous deadlines. It helps everyone know what's expected of them and smooths the way for more effective teamwork.

Be Alive to the Downsides of Deadlines

The problem is, deadlines need managing. And when multiple deadlines clash, managing them effectively can become problematic. We hear people say they're juggling priorities or spinning plates when they're working on multiple projects at the same time.

Oh yes, we can see them doing their best to keep all their plates spinning, desperately going from one to the other to prevent a plate from smashing to the ground.

In reality, their plates are projects or pieces of work each with a deadline. A plate dropped is a failed project, missed deadline, or damaged reputation. Working like this may be manageable, or even motivational, in the short term. But long term it can become overwhelming and anxiety inducing, and result in poorer performance.

Rather than providing focus, having too many deadlines and unrealistic time frames often leads to no time to focus on the right things at the right time. We have to spend our time multitasking, doing "just enough" on each project to get by while taking extra time to manage everyone's expectations. It exhausts me just to think about it!

How to Make Deadlines Work for You

Love them or hate them, deadlines are here to stay, so it makes sense to make them work for us, not against us. Here's what I've found works for me:

1. Set realistic deadlines and, where possible, challenge/negotiate any that are unrealistic.
2. Plan what tasks need to be done and when, in order to meet the deadline.
3. Allow some contingency for unexpected interruptions or emergencies.
4. Communicate clearly to everyone impacted by your deadline.
5. Don't overcommit or allow others to impose deadlines on you.
6. Work smarter, not harder. Skipping meals, working late, and not taking rest will only work in the very short term.
7. As soon as it looks like you're not going to meet a deadline, take action. Reschedule, replan, renegotiate, and recommunicate.

Promises, Promises

How does it make you feel when someone breaks their promises to you at work? Let down? Upset? Angry? Disappointed? Yep, I hear you!

Failing to keep promises to colleagues or to our boss can seriously damage our workplace relationships. But from time to time, despite our best intentions, we find ourselves unable to keep the promises we've made. This happened to me recently and I really hated letting someone down at the last minute.

With the best of intentions, I'd overcommitted myself – only to find I couldn't possibly deliver on everything I'd promised, when I was expected to. I had no choice but to communicate the issue in the best way I could and explain that I needed more time.

I felt terrible; I beat myself up about it for hours. And I didn't like not being able to deliver on my promise and judged myself harshly as a result. The thing is, the person I'd "let down" didn't feel let down at all. Because I was able to communicate the issue clearly and in a timely manner, and offer a solution, they were very understanding and no harm was done.

I Promised to Learn These Lessons

There are two very important lessons here for me about making and breaking promises at work:

1. We're often our own harshest critics. As long as we act with good intentions and communicate respectfully, people generally understand that life happens and are open to forgiveness. After all, who hasn't missed a deadline or broken a promise at some time or another?
2. Broken promises every now and then are an inevitable part of working life. However, if we regularly break our promises to others, we'll be seen as unprofessional, untrustworthy and unreliable. When we approach our work and our deadlines by being organized, motivated, values-driven, and honest, people will trust that we did the best we could and will be willing to find workable solutions.

You may find the following articles helpful for reflecting on your own deadlines and promises. You'll need to be a Mind Tools Club or Corporate member to see all of the resources in full:

How to Meet a Deadline

Keeping Your Word at Work

Managing Conflicting Priorities

The post Deadlines and Promises – a Mind Tools Coaches' Blog appeared first on Mind Tools.

I took one look at the heap of bills and unanswered correspondence, rolled my sleeves up, and... found something else to do. Anything else. All the time. It was only when court summonses started rolling in that I finally started making panic-stricken phone calls. My stress levels went through the roof. Everything seemed out of control.

Searching for the Causes of Procrastination

It shouldn't have been that way. A normal person, I told myself, would make lists, set priorities, and actually do something. Not me. What was wrong with me?

I've always tended to ride deadlines. Been afraid of committing to action. I'm probably even writing this blog much closer to the copy date than most of my co-workers would. Down the years, I've had a few tries at improving matters. I've written action plans and endless to-do lists. And though this enforced self-discipline has had some effect, the underlying problem doesn't go away.

So what is wrong with me?

The Problem With Emotion

In the past, I’ve fielded plenty of opinions. They usually focus on personal organization, and specifically time management. So is that the answer? Set enough goals and deadlines, tick off enough achievements, and everything will be OK?

Maybe not. Because research suggests that the root cause of procrastination may not be as simple as poor time management. It's about poor emotional management.

Procrastination as a Coping Mechanism

Professor Fuschia Sirois and Dr Tim Pychyl are leading researchers in the field of procrastination. In their 2013 research paper, they suggest that individuals often resort to procrastination as a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions associated with stress, anxiety, fear of failure, or even boredom.

By postponing tasks or avoiding them altogether, people temporarily relieve these distressing emotions. This short-term relief, however, comes at the cost of increased stress and anxiety as deadlines loom.

One of the worst things about procrastination is that, most of the time, we're aware we're doing it. This self-awareness reinforces our sense of shame and promotes self-blame. And that reinforces the negative emotions that led to procrastination in the first place. It's a vicious circle.

We Don't All Procrastinate Alike

At this point, it's important to note that not everyone experiences procrastination in the same way. OK, so almost everyone does it from time to time. But for some people it's a serious problem. And the causes aren't always the same.

People with ADHD, for example, have an increased tendency to procrastinate. But research suggests that this is more to do with the difficulty they experience in paying attention than with emotional problems.

If you're managing someone who struggles with procrastination, or if you're prone to it yourself, it's worth bearing all possible causes in mind.

So, what can we do about all this? If it's a problem with managing our emotions, then we need to start by acknowledging that. Here are a few ideas about coping with the emotional roots of procrastination:

• Recognize and acknowledge your emotions. Think about the emotions that arise when you're faced with a task. Take a moment to reflect on the feelings of anxiety, fear or self-doubt that influence your decision to procrastinate. By acknowledging these emotions, you can begin to develop healthier coping mechanisms.
• Be kind to your future self. Research shows that our brains aren't good at thinking about our future states. We literally see "future us" as different people. So spend time making that future self less of a stranger. How will they feel if you don't get that project finished, or skip your gym session? Likely not great. So be kinder to them, and visualize how actually getting things done will benefit you down the line.
• Reframe negative thoughts. Negative thoughts and self-doubt often contribute to procrastination. Challenge these thoughts by replacing them with more positive and realistic beliefs. Remind yourself that progress, not perfection, is the goal and that even small steps toward completing a task are valuable.
• Practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself when faced with setbacks or difficulties. Recognize that everyone encounters obstacles and that mistakes are a part of the learning process. Practice self-compassion by forgiving yourself for past procrastination and focusing on the positive action you can take now.
• Regulate your emotions. Use effective emotion-regulation strategies such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, or journaling. These techniques can help you to navigate negative emotions more skillfully, reducing the urge to procrastinate.

Establishing Good Practice to Beat Procrastination

OK, so you procrastinate because you don't handle negative emotions well, not because you're a lousy time manager. But there are a few techniques that can help with the practical side of beating procrastination. For example:

• Set realistic goals. Vague goals can be demotivating and increase the likelihood of procrastination. Set clear and achievable goals that outline what you need to do and when. Decide what your future self would want to see, and develop a clear plan of action to make that happen.
• Break tasks into manageable chunks. Overwhelming tasks can be paralyzing, and lead you into the cycle of procrastination. Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. This approach not only makes the task less intimidating but also provides a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step.
• Plan specific actions to overcome obstacles. For example, if you need to work on a challenging project, you could establish a specific time and place for working on it. This approach helps you to create a concrete plan that reduces ambiguity and makes it easier to start.
• Enlist the support of others. Make yourself accountable to co-workers to enhance motivation and commitment. Sharing progress, setbacks and deadlines with a trusted individual or group can provide both support and extra accountability.

So will all this lead you (and me) to be better at getting things done? Only time will tell. I do believe that my future self would like to be a bit less stressed by my current self's inaction. Believing that is a start.

So it’s back to the piles of paper and the urgent phone calls. But at least I've got an idea of how to get through it, and what to focus on. And that helps. A lot.

To help you learn more about tackling procrastination, Mind Tools members have a range of resources to choose from, including:

How to Stop Procrastinating

Are You a Procrastinator?

Overcoming Procrastination Video

Emotional Intelligence

About the Author

Simon has been researching, writing and editing non-fiction for over 30 years. In that time he's worked on educational courses, scientific journals, and mass-market trade books about everything from popular psychology to buying houses in Bulgaria. In the past 20 years he's specialized in simplifying complex subjects, and helping readers to learn new skills. Away from work he listens to good music, watches bad football, and is fascinated by medieval history.

The post Tackling Procrastination – at the Root appeared first on Mind Tools.

And sure enough, far too often, things like this fall to the bottom of our To-Do Lists, pushed out by other priorities.

Why making time for learning matters

When learning goes ignored or overlooked for too long it can lead to significant problems. For example, loss of skills and knowledge, decreased productivity, and reduced motivation and satisfaction among staff. It can also affect performance, and your organization’s ability to stay competitive by limiting opportunities for creativity and innovation. It can even result in legal challenges or fines, for example, if compliance or health and safety training gets ignored.

So, in this blog, we’re going to explore some of the key barriers that people face in finding the time for learning – and what you can do to encourage and help your people overcome them.

A “lack of time to learn” Is the biggest challenge for employees

Despite an increasing desire among employees to improve their skills, many still can’t find the time to do what they want to do. In fact, according to Mind Tools’ 2022 Learning Performance Benchmark, “a lack of time to learn” was by far the biggest challenge facing employees. In contrast, other barriers to development, such as finding the right resources, unclear personal goals, or the lack of a place to learn, all scored relatively low, at under 15 percent.

Interestingly, remote workers tended to struggle more with finding time for learning compared to office-based workers. 54 percent of remote workers agreed it was a barrier, compared to 39 percent of office workers. [1]

These results suggest that, despite the flexibility that working from home offers, the lack of structure and in-person “nudges” or reminders for people to work on their personal development, could be making it harder for remote and hybrid workers to prioritize learning above their other responsibilities.

The power of collaboration

Another reason why remote workers are finding it hard to make time for learning could be isolation. Collaborative work is often rated as the most valuable method of learning, with support from colleagues (79 percent) and managers (66 percent) rated higher than support from mentors (45 percent) and coaches (34 percent). [1]

Managers, in particular, play a crucial role in leading by example here, and encouraging their people to prioritize their own development. They are also pivotal in helping people to discover relevant learning opportunities that suit their roles and responsibilities – and help them to achieve their personal goals, as well as those of their organization.

In fact, managers were cited as the leading source of information about learning among employees in our latest annual L&D Benchmark Report, with 38 percent of people agreeing that this was the case for them. Other popular sources included internal communications (32 percent) and colleagues (31 percent), once again demonstrating the importance of peer-to-peer collaboration. [2]

Managers need to lead learning

Despite these findings, over the past five years our research has shown that “reluctance by managers to make time for learning” has consistently been voted as the biggest challenge facing L&D teams. Mind Tools’ 2022 Learning Performance Benchmark revealed that a massive 91 percent of L&D leaders were either somewhat or extremely concerned about the reluctance of managers to make time for learning.

The report also showed that high-performing L&D teams had managers in place who recognized the value of learning in the flow of work (62 percent of high performers) and that managers were also equipped with resources that allowed their teams to get the most out of learning (83 percent). [2]

It’s clear that managers play a vital role in leading learning within an organization. They are the link between an organization’s learning aspirations and the people on the ground. But to truly be effective in leading learning, managers need to have a good knowledge of relevant training – and where people can go to find it. They also need to encourage employees to set learning goals and help them to dedicate time in their busy schedules so that they can achieve them.

Delivering learning at the point of need

With so many time pressures facing us nowadays, when we do find some time for learning, it needs to be purposeful, easy to find and easy to interpret. Sometimes people may only have 10 minutes in the day for their own development. So, when they get to that point, learning needs to be just a click away.

This is backed up by findings from our Learner Intelligence Report series, which found that one of the most stable patterns to emerge over the past few years has been employees’ preference for accessing resources at the point of need (56 percent). [1] So organizations need to have relevant learning resources on hand for their employees, and they need to be clearly signposted. The organizations can do this by having a good understanding of the kind of problems their employees often face. For example, a call center may need a range of resources that help their employees to deliver great customer service or navigate difficult conversations.

Understanding the types of skills that employees want to develop on a personal and professional level is also critical, and supplying relevant information that allows them to do this can enhance job satisfaction.

If you want to discover more about how Mind Tools for Business can help you to deliver great learning resources to your employees at the point of need, book a demo here. 

References

[1] Mind Tools for Business (2022). Learner Intelligence Report 2022: Is hybrid working? Available here.

[2] Mind Tools for Business (2022). Annual L&D Benchmark Report: Is your learning culture keeping pace with rapid digitalization? Available here.

The post Are your people too busy to learn? appeared first on Mind Tools.

But the other day, over dinner, we covered the ground. There was the usual stuff: the lamentable state of our respective sports teams, domestic politics, the cost of living. That sort of thing.

We also chatted about his job. And I was startled. His entire focus was on his Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. He's a white-collar professional. His role doesn't involve working in a warehouse or delivering goods.

He's done both of those as vacation jobs – and has a healthy respect for those who do – but I'd assumed that he'd escaped the world of monitored restroom breaks and endless quotas.

OK, so his current employers are human. They don't have the stopwatch on him when he takes a comfort break. But he still exists in a world where every aspect of his productivity is measured.

I have it easy. Write article, hit deadline, move on. I've got goals, sure, but they aren't relentlessly measured. So I was concerned for him.

Measurement Defines the World We Live in

Measurement is all around us. That's particularly apparent to digital natives, like my son. There's a metric for everything, from sales success to personal fitness. And don't get me started on sports.

But all this is nothing new. Measurement is something seemingly inherently human. We are the quantifying animal – and have been since someone carved tally marks on a wolf's jawbone back in the Stone Age.

Measurement underpins our attempts to impose order and understanding on the world. All that's fundamentally changed is the technology.

And as James Vincent points out in his book "Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement," measurement has had a checkered history.

Measurement and Civilization

In Ancient Egypt, people believed you could measure the physical weight of a human soul. More practically, they built great chambers to measure the flooding depth of the River Nile. They're called nilometers. (Well, what else would you call them?)

These structures allowed Egyptian officials to gauge the likely depth of the Nile's flooding, and hence the fertility of next year's soil. Pretty vital if you needed to know how much food there'd be to go around.

Also handy for predicting things like civil unrest because people were hungry. In any case, measurement had already become an essential tool for civilized government.

Fairness for All?

As societies developed, measurement came to embody new ideas and principles. The French Revolution introduced new standards of measurement: the meter and the kilogram. These swept away the hundreds, if not thousands, of different regional standards that had been used throughout France.

Since the Middle Ages, these standards had favored merchants and landowners who were already rich and powerful. The meter and kilogram replaced them with something new: fairness.

However, measurement isn't a neutral tool; it can be used for darker purposes. In the 17th century, improved surveying techniques allowed land to be parceled out accurately and quickly. So far, so good.

But Oliver Cromwell promptly used these techniques to dispossess the rebellious Irish. European settlers then used them to appropriate the lands of native people in America.

The British Empire was built on high-quality, precisely measured maps. Everyone needed to know who owned what, and who no longer did.

A Measure of Common Sense

I mentioned this double-edged character of measurement when talking to my son. Sure, he said, everything's measured. But that's OK. His KPIs give him structure and direction in his work.

And I remembered that fitness-measurement apps had helped his brother to stave off depression during the COVID lockdown.

So maybe my concern about my son's KPIs was over the top. I'm his dad, and I want him to be happy. And as Vincent observes, measurement is a useful tool. It should promote happiness.

As long as it does that, and we're all aware of its potential to do the opposite, it's a good thing. And it's not like we're going to stop doing it any time soon anyway.

Download Our "Beyond Measure" Book Insight

Mind Tools reviews the best new business and self-development books, alongside the tested classics, in our monthly Book Insight for the Mind Tools Club.

So, if you're a Club member or enterprise licensee, you can download or stream the full "Beyond Measure" Book Insight in text or audio format.

Do you measure many aspects of your life? Does it help? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments, below!

The post Measurement: Taking a Measured Approach appeared first on Mind Tools.

Productivity research shows that workers are most productive in the autumn, once they're back from their summer vacation. But what about right now? What better time is there to set some goals to motivate yourself and your team?

Organizations can take a fresh look at defining their objectives and breaking down how they'll achieve them. Meanwhile, employees can set individual targets for what they want or need to get done over the next stretch of time.

Goals are a great way to measure progress, define priorities, and expand a knowledge area or skill you're passionate about. But it's so easy to think about what we want to achieve in ambitious, nebulous terms rather than defining the specifics. How do we set goals that matter? How can we make sure that we achieve what we set out to do?

Take our quiz, How Good Is Your Goal Setting? and then read on to discover how you can make your goals SMART – and use them to energize yourself.

SMART Goals Examples

George T. Doran pioneered the SMART goal setting approach in 1981. SMART can stand for a few slightly different sets of words, but Mind Tools uses the primary terms outlined below. Our SMART Goals article has more advice on this type of goal setting.

In short, SMART goals are concrete objectives that make sense in your real-life context. So how can we use them today?

The specific aspect of the SMART framework is about being detailed. Rather than aiming to "write some blog posts" this quarter, I might set a goal detailing the blog posts I'll write, what they'll focus on, and where and when they'll be posted.

Setting a measurable goal involves putting a number to your goal. How many blog posts will I write? What dates and deadlines am I aiming for?

An achievable goal must be something within your capacity to do, taking scope, resources and abilities into account. Let's say I want to create video content but have never done so before. I might need training before putting a video together, and I'll likely not be starting with an hour-long montage!

Relevant goals are ones that matter to you and connect to your context. I might want to learn line dancing, but that's unlikely to be an appropriate goal for my job. A more relevant goal might relate to my organization's overall objectives.

Time-bound goals, like measurable ones, take numbers into account. In this case, it's the timeline and a clear end date. Quarterly goals are one example of this, as they're typically accomplished within a set amount of time (the quarter).

Along with making sure that my goals are SMART, I've found that the following considerations are also important when setting goals at work.

Balancing Business and Personal Development

When setting your own goals within an organization, consider both your own development and the company's overall aims. What do you want to learn? On the other hand, what does the organization (or your team) aim to achieve? What skills can you offer to help them do this? Seek out overlaps between the two lists – between what you want and what the organization wants.

Some organizations differentiate between goals related to personal development, such as learning to use a new form of software, and individual goals related to company aims, such as helping to make sales or create new products. When setting your own goals, try to address both domains. It's important both to support your team and to continue growing and learning.

Sense Check

When setting goals, it helps to bounce ideas off others who know you well. You might discuss goals with your team or manager before finalizing them. Other people offer fresh ideas and a reality check when needed.

Some goal-setting processes have feedback baked in. But if your process is more solitary, try seeking out others to collaborate with and learn from.

Wishing you the best of luck with your goal setting!

What SMART goals will help to re-energize you? What else can you do to get over the mid-year motivation slump? Share your ideas in the comments below!

The post Using SMART Goals to Re-Energize Yourself appeared first on Mind Tools.

Take the article I wrote yesterday. It should have taken me three hours or so. But I had all day to do it – and guess what? It took me all day to do it! A bit longer, in fact, as I was still tidying it up 15 minutes after I should have finished my working day.

Mixed Feelings About Multitasking

I suppose I didn't just write that article. I kept on top of my emails and instant messages throughout the day, did some research for several other projects, and planned a blog that's due next week.

And part of me thinks that switching between jobs like this makes me more productive, because it keeps me energized and on top of all my work.

But another part knows that I could have written that article in one go. If I'd given it my full attention, and only then moved on to other things, it may well have been more coherent as a result. And I'd likely have closed up my laptop on time.

Lessons From Expert Voices

Mind Tools Expert Voices is the podcast series where we explore our 200+ Expert Interviews, on the lookout for insights that are particularly relevant now.

In episode three, "Take Charge of Your Time," my colleague Rachel Salaman guides us through a range of strategies for using our days well, getting more done – and staying healthy and happy in the process.

In Charge of My Time

I've always had a fair bit of flexibility in my role, and I appreciate it – most of the time. I enjoy organizing my own writing and editing schedule for the day, and I'm pretty good at getting everything done and coordinating with my colleagues.

But recently – like many people – I've gained even more choices about how to organize my time. And it's made me look more closely at how well I'm really doing it.

A Flexible Future

Using lessons learned in lockdown, our company has recently adopted a flexible working policy, meaning that we all get to choose where we work from and, to a large extent, when we do it. It's great: we can plan our time to be as productive as possible. And we can integrate our work and life, so that they complement each other rather than cause conflict.

That's the idea, at least. However, for me, the first few weeks of the policy have shone light on some less-than-perfect time-management tactics.

So I think it's time to be honest with myself.

My "Switchtasking Syndrome"

If I've got all day – or longer – to get something done, why does it need to take that long? In the past, I've told myself that it gives me a better chance to be sure of my ideas, and time to keep tweaking my writing until it’s perfect.

But instead of continually pausing while I flit to other things, what if I just focused on one thing until it was done?

That would make scientific sense, says management expert Dave Crenshaw. "The brain is just not able to handle multiple active tasks at the same time," he explains.

Productivity guru Chris Bailey agrees. "Single tasking is one of the best ways, in the moment, to bring more attention to what's in front of you and not more time. Productivity is the process of working more deliberately and more intentionally." 

Time Management – Moment by Moment

According to Ashley Whillans from Harvard Business School, instead of energizing me, my task shifting may actually be opening up spaces for time to slip through. She recommends "… being more deliberate about small moments of free time that we often waste, the gaps in between meetings where we'll just answer emails as if they were urgent but maybe not pick up the phone and call a friend." 

Since I'm being honest, I'll admit that checking emails is sometimes just a delaying tactic – however much I tell myself that I'm coordinating or collaborating with my team. And when I'm switching between tasks, coffee always seems that bit more tempting!

Can I Be Flexible and Focused?

Maybe I'm valuing my new-found flexibility a bit too much, and not paying enough attention to the value of my time.

Being able to work when and where I want certainly helps to keep my stress levels low. But if I end up taking longer than necessary, and spreading my attention thinly, is flexible working really working for me?

One answer, according to podcast guest Patricia Walsh, is to look more to the bigger picture. A champion athlete – and blind since the age of 14 – Patricia maps her day-to-day tasks to her longer-term ambitions – the things that she's really passionate about achieving. That, she says, helps her to get through her To-Do List efficiently, because she can always see how those tasks are getting her closer to her most important goals.

And performance coach Andy Core is someone else who recommends staying "in the zone" rather than swapping between tasks. "Take one thing at a time," he says. "Plug it in – and don't give up and don't let yourself be distracted."

Maybe that's the way I should be energizing myself, rather than switching between tasks. As well as ensuring that I finish on time, it might also help me to push forward my longer-term goals. I love Andy's description of motivation being "just momentum in disguise."

Time to Break the Law?

Forward movement is all well and good, but we also need to know when to stop. Like me, Chris Bailey often fell foul of Parkinson's Law, until he experimented by working some 90-hour weeks, and some 20-hour ones. Although he felt much more productive putting in 90 hours, he found that he actually got only slightly more done than when he stopped at 20.

So, as excited as I am about flexible working in general, I've decided to start being a little less flexible about my use of time.

I'm still going to embrace the extra independence I've got to organize my day. But I'm going to "taskswitch" less, and stay "in the zone" more. And I'm going to use my long-term goals to spur me on through my To-Do List.

I'm hoping that this will help me to recalibrate the way I value time, and become more disciplined about when I switch off. I want to protect my time away from work – so that I'm fresher and more effective when I turn on my laptop again.

That's the plan, anyway. Whether I'll be able to stick to my good intentions... well, I guess only time will tell.

Listen to the Latest Episode of Mind Tools Expert Voices

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Taking Charge of Your Time: Have Your Say!

How well do you use your time? Can you accomplish what you need to, and want to, every day? Is it helpful to have more choices now – or is it harder than ever to make the most of your time? Please find a moment to share your experiences, insights and tips, below.

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The fact is, we all have the same 24 hours in the day. But it can feel very different for each of us, depending on our responsibilities, commitments and goals. If we're juggling domestic tasks with a full-time job, for example, can we ever feel in control of our time?

Ashley Whillans believes we can. As an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, she focuses on happiness and well-being in the workplace. Her new book, "Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life," offers insights and practical tips on how to turn "time poverty" into "time affluence."

Finding Time Affluence

For Ashley Whillans, time affluence is, "The feeling of having enough time to do all of the things that you both want to do and have to do." And the word "feeling" is key because there's a large psychological component.

"There's been this disassociation over the last couple of decades where we're actually working fewer hours as compared to the 1950s or '60s – and that's true for both men and women and regardless of profession – but we feel more time stressed than we ever have before," Whillans observes.

"It's something that is really in our minds, this feeling of having enough control over our lives, that we can do everything we want to do. It also means that a lot of the solutions for these feelings of time poverty, or the strategies by which we can gain time affluence, are under our own personal control."

I have a good friend who struggles with time management at the best of times. When the pandemic hit, she started working from home, just as her two boys began remote learning. Everything took longer than expected, and she found herself working into the night, just to keep on top of everyday tasks.

I remember her wondering if there was anything she could do to regain control of her time – and her life. For example, technology is supposed to help us work faster and smarter, but it wasn't working out that way for her.

The Technology Trap

That's no surprise to Whillans, who says technology can be a double-edged sword in our quest for time affluence.

"Technology was offered as this promise to free ourselves from the nine-to-five and to offer us complete freedom, and instead technology has, in fact, become a trap. Instead of being in our offices nine to five, we carry our offices with us 24 hours a day, seven days a week," she points out.

This is a particular blight for people using the same space – home – for both work and leisure, which so many of us are doing these days. My friend found her precious family time interrupted by pings and chirrups, as her work goals encroached.

"This idea that I should be working when I'm hanging out with my family, or I should be hanging out with my family when I'm working, these feelings of goal conflict are one of the drivers of time poverty. Our phones, our iPads, our tablets, really facilitate [this]," Whillans says.

Reclaiming Your Time

But there are ways that technology can help, and Whillans tells me two of her favorites.

Firstly, she uses her computer to schedule a time when she'll turn off her phone, shut down email, and focus on whatever feels important. She calls this "proactive time," and putting it in her calendar makes her feel more in control of her time, "more time affluent, more productive, and happier." That's quite a list!

The second trick is "even more helpful," she says, and that's "downloading an app on your phone that will not let you check your email, not let you go to certain social media sites at key hours of the day."

After recording our podcast, I passed on these tips to my swamped friend. Lately, she says she's coping better, and while not yet time affluent, she's not feeling so time poor.

Time Smart

Using technology to help us, rather than letting it hinder us, is one of Whillans' tips for finding time.

Her book also explores "funding time" (by outsourcing activities that others can do) and "reframing time" (like counting vigorous gardening toward our fitness goals). Whatever way we decide to tackle time poverty, the changes don't need to be big or disruptive.

"My research over the past several years has shown quite the opposite," Whillans says. "It's small decisions around the margins, even small mindset shifts, that can have huge downstream consequences for our time use and our happiness."

Listen to Our Interview With Ashley Whillans

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The post Take Control of Your Time: Our Expert Interview With Ashley Whillans appeared first on Mind Tools.

So what if we also created a "To-Don't" List at the same time?

The Busyness Trap

Before the pandemic, many of us were caught up in the "busyness trap."

We all know what that trap looks like. Days filled with tasks to complete, juggling multiple priorities, and a rush to the finish line... not to mention the commute. We even have a name for it: hurry sickness.

The pandemic, with its restrictions to isolate at home, has brought busyness to a halt – or, for those who continue to work, a break in the pace.

Instead of beginning each day at the starting gate and racing to the finish line, we ease into the day and complete our tasks with a comfortable stride.

Are We Sick of Hurry Sickness?

What will happen when the pandemic ends? Will we all return to working at a breakneck clip?

Some say that the pandemic has taught us that we cannot and will not return to the work life we had before. I hope that this prediction is true. No one knows with certainty what the new work life normal will be. In any event, there is something that we can do to prevent the busy cycle from getting a grip on our lives again.

To-Do or To-Don't: That Is the Question!

In my mind, we need to embrace the idea that doing less can actually accomplish more.

We all use To-Do Lists, most of us on a regular basis. But sometimes these can become overwhelming and even stressful. They can lead to hurry sickness and even burnout. So, what if we also created a To-Don't List at the same time?

The idea is to decide your goal for the day. Anything that accomplishes your goal becomes part of your To-Do List. Remember to add wellness breaks to this list, too! These physical and mental breaks are as important as the work you need to accomplish.

Once you've done this, build your To-Don't List. This should include any activity that does not contribute to your main goal.

As you go through your day, keep both lists visible – a visual and mental reminder of what you will and will not do. By keeping your focus on these two lists, all the unnecessary activity (clutter) falls away. You achieve more by doing less.

Essentially, by identifying what we will and won't do on any given day, we are able to achieve more with less effort. We can also bring more calm to our day. Think about the work that you have on your plate today. What will you make part of your To-Do List – and your To-Don't List?

To-Do Lists and To-Don't Lists

During our #MTtalk Twitter chat last Friday, we talked about the usefulness of To-Do Lists and To-Don't Lists. Here are the questions we asked and some of your most insightful responses:

Q1. Which do you prefer – electronic To-Do Lists or pen and paper?

@JoanaRSSousa I love pen and paper to do list, because writing down things help memorize and to think about it. Also, I love doing lists using mind maps and it's easier for me to do that on paper.

@ColfaxInsurance I generally reach for pen and paper, something nice about a physical list. If it's a list I have to be able to take with me anywhere – on my computer linked with my phone. I can forget a list, I hardly ever forget my phone.

Q2. Are there items you routinely add to your lists? What are they?

@JKatzaman Everything is a candidate for a list. Big or small, I'm an equal-opportunity forgetter.

@MaryEllenGrom I keep a stack of sticky notes in my paper notebook. All To Do's and action items from meetings transfer to a note so I can get those scheduled on my calendar ASAP.

Q3. What do you feel when you look at your To-Do List?

@Singh_Vandana There are times when it can be overwhelming. In that case I have to refer to the urgent/ important matrix to sort things.

@temekoruns To-Do Lists can either leave you encouraged, motivated or overwhelmed depending upon your aspirations and time given for completion.

Q4. What do you never include on your To-Do List and why? Should you?

Interestingly, most participants included self-care/me-time as something that should go on their To-Do Lists. Other comments included:

@llake Daily routines. They're daily, so, um, why waste time writing them? But that's me because I remember them. With the exception of eating – that, I forget to do.

@CoachHollyW No. The routine stuff I don't have to remember. My lists are for non-routine and specific tasks.

Q5. What do you find is always left until last/unfinished on your To-Do List?

@letusthink2 The least prioritized one then that moves into the top of the list the next day.

@TheCraigKaye Things that assist with self-care. On reflection we shouldn't wait for burnout to rest, a burnt out candle can't add light to any situation!

Q6. Why would you need a list of things not to do when you can simply not do them?

@MicheleDD_MT To-Don't Lists help to develop productive habits by eliminating distractions.

@aamir9769 It reminds you every time that these are things which you are not to do. Sometimes the mind gets diverted to such tasks stretching "the golden time."

Q7. What could you put on a To-Don't List today and how will that help you?

@Yolande_MT Don't criticise (self or others). Don't get hung up on things that don't matter. Don't try to carry a mountain I should climb. Don't put off the things I can do today.

@_TomGReid I've put a few chats on the don't do list. Even something as simple as "Don't stay up so late" can be helpful.

Q8. Who knows about your To-Do and To-Don't Lists and does this matter?

@Midgie_MT Only me. Considering I live alone, it is not really something I would share with friends. Yet I definitely see the benefit of someone holding you accountable for things, especially the To-Don'ts.

@MyFunnySpeaker My accountability buddy and I exchanged the big lists so we know the trajectory. Outside of them no one knows my specifics.

Q9. What impact do you have on other people's To-Do Lists?

@PmTwee Prioritization is key, I always influence others to use it.

@lg217 I have a strong impact because I help them accomplish it whether it is helping them adapt to the change in schools, to work adjustment. I am there with them and help guide them in any way I can.

Q10. What will you do differently around To-Do and To-Don't Lists as a result of this chat?

Many participants said that they would prioritize more and better, and add self-care to their lists. Two more reflections are:

@BrainBlenderTec Appreciate!! As the world changes we have many things to be grateful for and skills to share. We have to take a step back, look at the whole forest, realize how far we've come and what a wonderful world we have.

@temekoruns Adding mandatory durations to timebox what needs to be done will keep you accountable. Also remove the "busy" items rather than repeat them, only to find out you were in no way productive.

To read all the tweets, have a look at the Wakelet collection of this chat over here.

Coming Up

In a world where we want to be mindful of how we spend our time, successful collaboration can be a very effective tool. For our next #MTtalk, we're asking and discussing if collaboration is the new "cool." In our poll this week, we'd like to know why collaboration is important to you. To see the poll and cast your vote, please click here.

Resources

To-Do Lists

Managing Interruptions

Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle

Managing Conflicting Priorities

Effective Scheduling

How Productive Are You?

Multitasking

How to Be More Organized

Prioritization

Minimizing Distractions

The post To-Do Lists and To-Don't Lists – #MTtalk Roundup appeared first on Mind Tools.

One competitor’s mind is full of doubts and uncertainty. They are preoccupied with their fears of what lies ahead. All these distracting thoughts will almost certainly damage their performance.

In contrast, the other athlete is calm, focused and ready to go. Rather than dwelling on the "what if," they have chosen to focus on the task at hand. They know that they are ready and they are prepared to give it their best shot. They will likely perform better because they have a clear mind, free of distractions.

The difference between the two individuals is where they choose to direct their attention. Thankfully, attention is a habit that anyone can adopt. The key is to select which thoughts you listen to and which ones you disregard. You can also regularly stop and ask yourself, "what am I paying attention to right now and is it helping or hindering me?"

"Starve your distractions. Feed your focus."

Unknown

Focus on the Sunny Side

During the past few months, with all the stress, fear and worry caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I have often struggled to concentrate. No matter how many strategies I put in place to avoid distractions, I couldn’t seem to get work done. No amount of asking myself "does it help or hinder?" was effective when I couldn’t drown out the worries in my mind.

So, rather than beat myself up for lacking focus, I acknowledged that we are living in exceptional circumstances. When times have been tough, I have chosen to pay attention to what is good in my life and be grateful for the simple things. I have chosen to focus on what I can control. This shift in attention helps me to move forward in a more positive and productive manner. It is progress, even if it isn’t perfection!

Attention and Focus

During our #MTtalk Twitter chat last Friday, we talked about attention and focus in a world of distractions. Here are the questions we asked and some of your most insightful responses:

Q1. What do you need to pay attention to – and how easy is that?

@_TomGReid Sustained leaders remain situationally aware. You notice everything and can immediately assess whether it is critical or noise-level. You pay attention to everything, but prioritize those that can move the needle.

@PG_pmp One needs to have focus and a "to do" attitude... it is easy if you love your work.

Q2. Do you think technology causes us to overuse our attention span? Why?

@WonderPix Tech can certainly help us tax our attention span... but even without it, our brains can quickly bounce back and forth between things.

@lg217 It can, depending on how the technology is used. Most people use technology to do certain tasks. Others use it as a distractor. It depends on the use.

Q3. How do you know if others are paying attention? What do you feel?

@TheCraigKaye Eye contact, paraverbals, body language, professional curiosity, inquisitive questions, smiles and nods, exploration.

@MaryEllenGrom When others pay attention you feel relevant, respected and valued.

Q4. What or who distracts you the most?

@Midgie_MT The accessibility of social media distracts me. Rather than simply pause, look out the window and then get back to what I was doing, it's easy to hop onto social media for that break and then find I've spent way too long there!

@VardhanPande It is my inner chatter which distracts me the most.

Q5. How do attention management and time management differ?

@MicheleDD_MT Attention is a combination of behaviors: mindfulness, presence, focus, flow. Time management is a set of tools.

@lsmurthy99 While similar to time management, attention management changes the focus of your time to how you are engaging.

Q6. How can you shift your attention between tasks without losing focus?

@aamir9769 Quite difficult until you're smart enough having skills to handle it. Keep a notepad, write down where you left off and what you were doing, and then move onto another task to carry out. Don't do 10 tasks at the same time, we are not robots. Accept only what you are able to digest.

@ColfaxInsurance Have relating tasks back-to-back so when you do switch it doesn't derail your productivity and you can continue working smoothly.

Q7. What role does self-discipline play in your ability to focus?

@JKatzaman Citing lack of discipline is just an excuse to give yourself a pass from responsibility.

@PmTwee Don’t know it is self-discipline or not, firm expectation should enable one’s ability to focus.  

Q8. What's your strategy for dealing with distractions?

@jasonbrewster My approaches to dealing with distractions: 1) Self compassion - we're human. It happens; 2) headphones in when I need focus time on a task; 3) contract about your response times to different messaging types - email I’ll reply in a few days, messages same day.

@letusthink2 Do not multi-task...that becomes your biggest distraction. Focus on one task at a time.

Q9. What/who should you pay less attention to/focus on less?

@saikatsaha I should pay less attention to anything that is not part of my present moment. Everything apart from this tweet chat is less worthy of my attention presently.

@Yolande_MT  Don't focus on what you don't want - you'll get more of it.

Q10. What could you achieve if you could focus on the right things?

@DhongdeSupriya Could identify first what are those right things, and then enjoy the focus.

@carriemaslen What a great question to print out and put on my monitor as a constant reminder!

To read all the tweets, have a look at the Wakelet collection of this chat over here.

Coming Up

Many people find it difficult to pay attention to what's important NOW. However, circumstances sometimes force us to do it. For our next #MTtalk, we're going to discuss salvaging your career after COVID-19.

In our poll this week, we'd like to know what worries you most when you think about salvaging or re-building your career? To see the poll and cast your vote, please click here.

Resources

In the meantime, here are some resources relating to attention and focus that we discussed on Friday. Note: some of the resources below may only be available in full to members of the Mind Tools Club.

Minimizing Distractions

In Flow

Managing a Person With ADHD

Effective Scheduling

How to Get More Done in Less Time

Is This a Morning Task?

Perfectionism

The post Attention and Focus – #MTtalk Roundup appeared first on Mind Tools.