Maximising Every Minute: Your Most Effective Self

We’re bombarded with tools, apps and headlines on how to maximise every second of every day, to the point where we feel guilt for resting. The productivity industry is worth over $32.9 billion. Yet, if we have big dreams, we need to be efficient with how we spend our precious time.

I’ve always been effective in the execution of tasks. I was able to hold down a senior leadership position whilst running two businesses, a household, and still being able to travel and see the world. I’m not a superhuman. I learned to optimise my time, so every minute was effective without burning out. Now as an executive coach, I help others to achieve more, in less time.

Here are the ten essentials to optimising your time, and become more effective every day:

Take time to reflect.

Never dive into a new task without taking time to reflect. Why is this important to you? What resources or help do you need? How can you plan the steps around your current schedule? Factor in time to celebrate small achievements along the way. What specifically will be rewarding to you?

Keep a to-do list.

If it isn’t written down, it’s likely to get forgotten. A great way to break this down according to ‘Working Hard by Hardly Working’ by Entrepreneur, Grace Beverly, is to split your list out into ‘quick ticks’, ‘tasks’ and ‘projects’ before time blocking your day by the hour. In a traditional to-do list, all task sizes hold the same weight, which isn’t the reality.

Limit distractions.

Stay focused on one task or goal at a time. If a task isn’t helping you towards your goals or general fulfillment, it’s a distraction. Use apps that block social sites and put your phone into focus mode.

Limit distractions from others giving you advice from a place you don’t want to be. This includes over-consuming self-help literature, if you read more than you take action, you’re distracted.

Keep the end in mind.

Keep your ‘why’ visible. Prioritise tasks that will have the most impact, starting with the things you find the most difficult. If you’re ever doubting yourself, remember why you started.

Build your tribe.

Nobody built an empire alone. If those that surround you are not supportive in your endeavours, find your tribe elsewhere. Online communities, networking events and industry conferences are great ways to meet others in your space.

You’ll also need to develop the ability to delegate. Recognise when you need help, what sits outside of your strengths and where your time is best spent.

Harden your mindset.

You are responsible for your own energy. You can always choose your response to a situation, and protect that choice, just as Viktor Frankl did when imprisoned in a concentration camp.

Tony Robbins, the serial entrepreneur, runs entire workshops which people pay thousands for to learn how changing your physical and emotional state impacts success. If you’re stuck in a negative thought cycle, walk, shower, run, or write. Change what you’re doing to break the negative thought pattern.

Plan for fun.

Calendars and task lists only revolving around your career aren’t usually filled with fun. Make sure you have personal goals like travel, discovery, being able to take your family out or hosting a party you’ve always dreamed of. Plan in time for the things that bring you joy. After all, the core reason we set goals, is that we believe they will make us happier.

Stop overthinking.

Much easier said than done. Nothing will ever be 100% perfect. Set a boundary on what you will accept as ‘good enough’. Even Olympians don’t get perfect scores!

Make peace with imperfection and you’ll find gratitude and satisfaction for what is possible, not what isn’t. Learn when the time is right to let go and move on to the next step or task.

Protect your energy.

Don’t engage in small battles and worries. In the book ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff’, Richard Carlson talks about how when we are immobilised by the little things, we forget the big picture, rushing around after small and insignificant dramas. Get clear on what is worth fighting for and what isn’t deserving of your energy.

Stay flexible in your thinking.

Nothing in life is guaranteed to work out in the way you planned, especially if you are susceptible to distraction. Build flexibility into your plans because things can and will change, it’s the nature of life.

You will always get in your own way if you hold on to rigid views and limiting beliefs that no longer serve you. Through coaching and self-discovery, we identify and re-write those beliefs for greater success and happiness. .

Being ineffective with our time and energy and wasting it on things that don’t help us achieve the things we want is the perfect route to dissatisfaction. When we apply ourselves and maximise every minute we have, happiness and growth come as a by-product of striving. When you take deliberate action to fill your days with activities that work towards fulfilment whilst making time for the things that bring us joy, you’re able to get so much more out of life and be more effective in the time you have.