by Charlotte Smith (USA)

We all have 24 hours in a day, but how are some people so much more productive than others and seem to effortlessly get things done?

Over the years I have fine-tuned my productivity and planning skills, and I wanted to share with you this process which really helps me make the most of my time.

Practical Tips on How to Make The Most Of Your Day

To make changes and work at optimum productivity, you need to devise a plan; but before you can plan, you need to understand where you are at, and what hours you have to make the most out of.

PART 1: 360 DEGREE ASSESSMENT

Let’s start by carrying out a 360 degree assessment of your day, and establish what you have to work with!

How Many Hours Do You Have?

  • How many hours do I have in a day?
  • How many hours do I have in a week?

Look at your calendar and calculate your possible working hours.

Make sure to carry out this exercise realistically and be conservative when allocating time. I have attempted this exercise many times, and I always overestimate the amount of time I have to actually ‘work’ and underestimated how long projects take.

Now figure out where you are losing time…

What Am I Wasting My Hours On?

Most people have plenty of dead hours in their day; be it spent procrastinating, checking social media, watching your favourite TV shows. You know the average person spends 3 hours, 35 minutes per day on their phone, add binge watching Netflix 2-3 hours a night… That’s plenty of time which could be used far more productively. And if you cut the mindless social media scrolling, there still could be time for a little Netflix unwinding at the end of the day. 😉

Source: iCN Issue 29  (Business Coaching: Building your Organisation); pages 16-18

About Charlotte Smith

Charlotte Smith is a former award-winning corporate HR lawyer, strategic consultant for SMB’s and marketing business owner; who now helps successful career women that have recently started a family, stop feeling overwhelmed, and find the direction, purpose and clarity to launch their dream business. Charlotte helps her clients find freedom through lifestyle design coaching, and strategic vision architecture.