Creating time for the Future you.

Most of the time management tools only talk about how to order tasks based on their importance and urgence which does not create or saves any time.

Recently i have read Procrastinate on Purpose book where the author developed a systemic method to manage task efficiently.

So every time you have a new task you will ask the following 4 questions

Eliminate

Is this task something I can live without? .If so then give yourself the permission to eliminate or ignore.

Examples:

1. Re-decision: This is reviewing a decision where we know what the right decision is and we should have already made the decision before. But because it is a difficult decision, we decided to wait on it, falsely thinking that it would be somehow easier to make the decision tomorrow than it was to make the decision today. And so now you’re spending additional time reviewing something that should’ve already been moved on. I just eliminated half your inbox for you right there — you’re welcome.
2. Watching TV: Earlier, I mentioned the exorbitant amount of time that senior citizens spend watching TV, but the average American over the age of two spends more than thirty-four hours a week watching TV. That means the average person will have spent nine years of their life watching television!* And that same person is coming into the office saying, “I’m too busy”? Something’s wrong with this picture.

Automate

Can this task be systematized? If So then give your self the permission to invest time to systematized or automate.

Examples:

1. Re-creation: It baffles me how much time is spent in many organizations — even some of our large, notable consulting clients — re-creating things that already exist. This happens because there is no system for effective knowledge transfer and no effective method of searching and data sharing.
2. Online bill pay: Spend a couple hours setting up all of your regular monthly bills to be paid automatically through bank draft. This saves you the time, energy and stress of having to keep up with the bills each month. Do the same thing with your investments by automatically depositing money out of your paycheck each month.

Delegate

Can this task be performed by someone else? . If So then give your self the permission to imperfect and delegate task.

Examples:

1. Office assistant: Having an office assistant when you’ve never had one before will absolutely change your life. You never realize how much time you spend mailing, copying, printing, searching and so on. If your business model and structure allows for it, this is one of the first investments you should make.
2. Graphic designer: I’ve been surprised how often I am in need of something professionally created that looks great. It’s useful to have an ongoing relationship with someone you can trust. For simple projects, there is a great website called “99designs” that is worth checking out.

Procrastinate

Can this wait until later? . If So then give your self the permission to incomplete and wait.

Example:

1. Thank-you notes: Unless there is some overarching Urgent consideration, let them pile up for a couple weeks and then write them all out. Your hand will hurt but it saves you intermittent change cost. 2)Paying bills: If you don’t yet have it Automated (or you don’t have the ability) and you don’t have a bookkeeper, then pay all your bills at once rather than as they come in one by one. Most people have figured this one out.

So, every time you add a task to your to do list answer this 4 question. If the answer is yes to all the questions then do the task.

Focus funnel(taken from Procrastinate on Purpose book)

Read the book to get in depth Procrastinate on Purpose book

Comment which task your Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, Procrastinate.