Attack Your Time Management Ruts, Routines, & Rituals

Posted on 12. Sep, 2011 by Guest Post in Business, Entrepreneurship, Personal Development

A rut is a routine with a series of bad habits that we do over, and over, and over again.  Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. We get into ruts at work, in relationships, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Routines are activities that need to be repeated on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  Systemize these by determining the best times, places and methods for getting them done, and then do them the same way every time.  If you do, you’ll be more efficient.

Rituals are personal techniques for putting yourself in the best state for accomplishing the tasks you are facing.  An example is driving negative head talk out of your mind with positive affirmations.  For example, “My presentation is going to go extremely well,” repeated over and over again.

Here are 3 common time management ruts and a new routine so you can create some new rituals.

The Rut: Not Planning

“He who fails to plan plans to fail.” This is the quickest way to experience frustration and overwhelm.  Starting our day without an attack plan is like flying an airplane without a flight plan.

New Routine: Planning

• Do your daily planning at the same time and same place every time.
• Spit your planning time in half. Spend 5-10 minutes creating your initial plan at the end of the day before you leave the office or the night before.  Then validate your plan the next morning with an additional 5-10 minutes of planning.

The Rut: Email Jail

If you are in Email Jail, then get out! Email is the largest single interruption in modern life. In a digital world, finding time in the day hinges on minimizing daily email.

New Routine: Schedule Email

• Schedule block time on your calendar and only check it 2-4 times daily, this takes discipline.
• Setup an auto responder notification with your phone number to deal with emergencies.
• Touch it once. Read, respond, and archive.

The Rut: Time Robbers

In today’s technology environment we are too accessible during are peak performance hours.  Time robbers are tools, technology, and people that steal bits and pieces of our time throughout the day.

New Routine: Focus Time

• Put up boundaries on yourself and others you engage with daily.
• No Facebook, LinkedIn or email during focus time.
• Change it up! Close your door, put up a sign or find a new location.

The Rut: YES Man!

Saying yes to every matter that pops up during the day is a surefire way to overwhelm and usually ends badly.  You need to break your habit of always replying to a request with an automatic “yes”.

New Routine: NO Man!

• “I’m glad you asked, but my schedule won’t permit me to.”
• “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.” (You seldom have to accept on the spot.)
• “Sorry, but that’s not something I do.” (That’s inarguable.)

About the Author: Mark Woods is an author, productivity trainer, entrepreneur, and triathlete. His latest book Attack Your Day! Before It Attacks You, is a time management and personal productivity book that provides fast, flexible, and easy solutions to deal with today’s time challenges. With a career that spans seventeen years in training, consulting, project management, marketing and sales, he is well versed when it comes to assisting organizations achieve peak performance. Find Mark on Facebook and Twitter.

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Tags: Business, entrepreneur, Personal Development, Productivity, small business

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