Effective Leaders Get More Done in Less Time – Part 1

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Before an effective leader can lead a team, they first have to know how to lead themselves. They have to know what works well for them and how to get a lot done in a short period of time.

Then, and only then, can they teach others to do the same and achieve more than ever before. After all, why would someone follow a leader who can’t lead?

So, what makes these leaders so productive and efficient? What makes them so effective? I believe there are 7 strategies effective leaders have learned and mastered that make them the leaders they are.

Let’s look at these 7 strategies, so you too can adopt them to become an effective leader:

Time Blocking – time blocking is a simple concept but, unfortunately, most people do not use it. Time blocking is simply taking your calendar and blocking off a chunk of time to complete a specific activity or task.

For example: when I write a book, I block out 3-4 hours chunks of time to write. Nothing else gets in the way of the writing time. No phone calls. No email. No kids. Nothing. That’s my time to write.

You can, of course, time block for anything you want to do or complete. You can block time for working out at the gym. For spending time with your kids or significant other. For hanging out with friends. You can block time for anything and everything.

And, I bet you’re already using this strategy without even knowing it. Think about this: you go to the doctor for your annual check up; and when you go to walk out the door the secretary stops you to book your next appointment…

That’s time blocking. She’s blocking the docs time. She’s also blocking your time. In fact, anytime you set an appointment, you’re time blocking. You don’t have a problem doing it then, do you? No. So why not do it with things you REALLY want to do…like spending time alone or with family…writing your book or completing a project?

Start blocking off time for your important task. Stay true to yourself and keep your appointments with yourself.

Activity Batching – like time blocking, I’m sure you’ve batched activities before…you just may not realize you’re doing it. Activity Batching is simply combining activities that are similar or can be done at the same time to save you time and energy.

For example: let’s say you’re going to the grocery store…and on the way to the store you pass the dry cleaners, the pet shop, and the post office. Instead of making 3-4 trips, you simply take everything you need, or have list for everything you want, and hit all 4 places along the way.

First, you stop at the post office to buy stamps. Next, you visit the pet shop to pick up some chew toys. Then, you drop off your suits at the dry cleaners. Finally, you go grocery shopping before making your way back to the cleaners and home.

Simple. Clean (no pun intended). Easy. No wasted time. No wasted gas (money).

Again, like time blocking, you can batch whatever you desire. You can batch errands and shopping. You can batch checking your mail and email. You can even batch listening to voice mail and returning phone calls.

The more you can batch, the more time you’ll save! So, look at all the tasks and activities you have to do and batch them together. Time block each batch and take action inside that block.

Daily Planning – planning your day only takes a few minutes and saves you a ton of time. Planning your day is simply getting out your calendar and doing the following:

1. Go over your goals…what do you want to get done TODAY!?
2. Blocking out time to complete specific, important activities.
3. Batching specific activities and tasks inside your time blocks.
4. Adding time blocks in for other important activities, like exercising, playing, and relaxing.

Planning your day is really that simple. It’s a shame most people don’t do it. By planning your day with time blocks and batching, you save little chunks of time throughout your day which adds up quickly.

These incremental chunks of time allow you create space for personal items that are important to you…and, ironically, are why you do what you do anyway. So, plan your day and have fun. Preparation IS the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary.

Eliminating Distractions – this is probably the most valuable strategy I can teach you in today’s culture. I hinted to it earlier when I talked about time blocking, but here ‘tis: You have to eliminate distractions, like the phone, email, texting, and any other techno tool you possess in order to be productive, efficient, and effective.

These tools are meant to save us time, but, in reality, they are stealing our time! They are constantly ringing or singing or beeping; buying for our attention. Annoying. Irritating. Distracting.

Answering the phone, for example, may seem harmless to you, but do you realize every phone call takes 5-10 minutes of your time?

No, not every phone call lasts that long…but if you add up the time the call takes and the time it takes you to get your concentration back; you’re wasting 5-10 minutes of time.

Same goes with email and texting. Sure, email and texting are typically short bursts of communication, but they occur more nowadays than phone calls. We’re constantly being bombarded by others emailing and texting us…again, trying to get our attention.

That’s cool, except when you’re working on something important. If you sit down to write an article or work on a project or just read and study, distractions can grind your progress to a halt.

Eliminate them and you’ll double, triple, and even quintuple your results. All you have to do is:

1. Turn off your cell phone – this’ll eliminate your calls and texting.
2. Take your regular phone off the hook – this’ll keep your environment quiet and sane.
3. Turn off your email system – this’ll take away the urge to click the Send/Receive button.

After you’re done with your work, turn everything back on if you so desire. You may not want to with all the peace and quiet, but feel free.

To be continued next week…