Be Productive NOW

There are zillions of time management books and videos out there, and many of them are great, but today I want to share with you my top tips that not only make sense but also stood to the test of me actually using them!

TIP #1: Working With A Schedule

Working with a schedule is not a science as much as it is an art in which every single person has to find his own personal way. But the thing is you should not give up, i know, it takes time to master this.

I used to use a variety of paper schedules, tried google calendar like 5 different times, and downloaded lots of apps.

Now I have my own personal system which ill share with you later.

When I was in my early twenties I was teaching my first time management and decision making seminars while i was doing a degree in psychology.

While most my co-students felt like they didn’t have the time to do anything but studying, I was able to keep my routine at the gym, spend time with my family and girlfriend, while also jump starting my business as a coach and a speaker.

In most my seminars back then, at some point someone would stand up and note that I don’t have kids and that’s the reason I can manage my time so effectively.

TIP #2: Manage Your Time With Your Life in Mind

When my kid was born in the first couple of months i tried to keep on managing my time the same way as I did before – and i failed over and over again.

I did however, find a way to change my system a little bit and now it soon started working again. So that now I do all that i used to, while also being a very involved parent, and while starting this YouTube channel and working on spreading my message internationally I also manage my local company with all its employees and daily tasks.

The point is you don’t need to try and be like someone else, you should definitely draw inspiration, and a lot of my daily habits are a result of inspiration I got from other people, here on YouTube and on some of the many e-courses i took over the years.

Simply pick and choose what works for you! And note that what works for you now might not work for you in a different time of your life and vise versa.

TIP #3: Make Time for Yourself!

I see many people, especially entrepreneurs and ambitious people, trying to use every single minute of the day for work.

Don’t forget you need to eat, drink, relax, workout and probably call your mom, or someone else, but most of you should probably also call your mom.

I keep some time in my schedule open also for opportunities and things I might want to add later on, and I also block time for the activities I care about – including time to do tip number 4!

TIP #4: Create A Weekly Plan

Sit with yourself and ask yourself what are the most important things I want to do this week. What are the things that if i’ll only part of them this week ill feel like this week was a success!

Then the time to do them, by the way, here is a pro tip, for these kind of things always lock more time than you think you need. I would start with double the time you need, just to make sure they are done.

With time you will learn better how long do you truly need so you can reduce this buffer, but I always recommend to keep some buffer.

And if we are talking about buffers, here is tip number 5!

TIP #5: Create Time Buffers

Tip number 5, is especially important for beginners, be sure to keep a lot of empty spots in you schedule especially approaching the weekend. So when some of the most important things you planned on doing will be postponed by urgent things u will still have time for them in that week.

A mistake a lot of people make is that they plan a schedule that if 1 urgent and unexpected thing will happen the entire schedule collapses. Expect the unexpected – be prepared to that you cannot prepare for.

So you might be asking “but wont i waste a lot of time with all the buffers and empty spaces?”

And that’s where tip number 6 comes to play!

TIP #6: Have A Nice TO-DO List

A nice to do list is a list of things that are not a must, they are not the most important things, but when you will do them they will produce long term amazingness or will simply make you feel better.

When you found that you over buffered, or if the week went perfectly and you have 3 empty hours on a Thursday – check that list!

And see you next time!