Using your Quadrant to Save Time

The actions you should take depend on which quadrant the item is in.

Required, takes too much time

For these tasks you want to find efficiencies to reduce the time spent on the task.

You could even find a way to automate or delegate the task.

You can read all about how to do these things in the Productivity section of this article.

Sometimes there is no current action that can currently be taken.

For example you can’t save time with work because you work fixed hours.

With these tasks you will have to find ways to make the time more worthwhile.

Or come up with a long term plan that will eventually save you time e.g. saving for early retirement.

Optional, takes too much time

The solution to these are simple, stop wasting your time on them.

Time is so precious, don’t spend it scrolling Facebook on your phone if you have other ways you wish you were spending your time.

But I know that can be difficult.

A lot of traditional “time wasters” are designed to absorb as much of your time as possible, in order to make more advertising revenue.

There are apps to help you with this. If you do have “time-wasters” in this quadrant, please read the Proactivity section to find ways of avoiding this.

Some times there are commitments in this quadrant that you wish you never made.

Consider making the people/organisation you’re committing to aware of this. They might be willing to help relieve you of this time wastage.

And don’t be afraid to say no. Don’t feel pressured commit yourself to things you are unhappy spending your valuable time on.

Learn to say no to your boss/customers/friends/family and give yourself more time to spend on your passions.

The best way to save time is to cut wasted time out of your life completely, don’t be afraid to do it. Life is too short to waste time.

Required/Optional, not spending enough time

If you aren’t spending enough time doing certain things I can give you two simple actions you can take today.

Save time on things you are spending too much time on and dedicate that additional time to these tasks. Schedule “blocks” of time to these tasks.

This website should hopefully free up some time for you, use it well.

An example of scheduling a block of time is committing to 30 minutes in the morning for exercise. Be precise and you will find it easier to do the things you want to do.

I hope I have inspired you to use the Time Smart Quadrant and start living the life you want to live.

Please take a look at a simple example time quadrant below.

Productivity

The dictionary definition of productivity is:

The effectiveness of productive effort, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.

Productivity in the 3 Ps is getting individual tasks done in less time or even with no time spent at all.

So we want to get output with minimum input.

How to get something done in less time

The first step to getting a task done in less time is breaking it down to smaller individual tasks.

For example making a meal can be broken down in to:

Chopping

Adjusting temperatures

Stirring

Preparing the table

Serving the food

Washing the dishes

After that you can consider using the following methods to get these tasks done faster:

Mechanisation

Using tools to speed up the process.

There are a variety of food processing tools which make chopping much quicker.

Automation

Allowing a machine or program to perform the task for you.

Washing the dishes can be automated using a dishwasher.

Delegation

Asking or paying someone else to perform a task for you.

For example if you have children they could prepare the table as a required chore or in exchange for allowance money.

Education

Learning new skills could be an investment that saves countless hours.

You could learn new chopping techniques that speed up the cooking process.

The examples provided are simple, but the methods of mechanisation, automation, delegation and education can be applied to a lot of the tasks in your life.

You can find ways to increase productivity on many tasks in our “How do I save time…“ series.

Proactivity

Proactivity is managing your time effectively in order to productively complete tasks whilst avoiding procrastination.

This category is the subject of most time management theory.

There are so many different theories and techniques on how to get things done.

I hope to try as many as possible and review them in a future article.

For now I will list my top techniques for proactively saving time.

Make a plan

Planning your day before your begin your first task of the day is a great way of proactively saving time.

A realistic agenda for the day will keep you motivated and can be used as a reference when you get distracted or forget what you are doing.

Do the most difficult task first

Do you ever find yourself procrastinating and avoiding a difficult task at all costs?

This is the task you should do first.

You will learn a lot, be respected by others and get more done.

Split mammoth tasks in to smaller ones

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Lao Tzu

Some tasks are so large or difficult that your brain will do its best to avoid them.

You can get your brain to accept these tasks by splitting them in to smaller pieces.

Once again you will get more time and avoid the deadly time waster of procrastination.

Clear physical clutter

Being surrounded by stuff can make you lose focus.

Put things out of sight that you are not using.

Clear your desk before you start work.

And put your phone away when you don’t need it.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Clear mental clutter

Speaking of clearing your mind, it’s probably quite untidy in your brain.

You probably have passwords and to-dos that only exist in your mind.

And that creates mental clutter which can distract you and prevent you from being your most productive.

Use a password manager software for secure passwords without memorisation.

And record your to-dos and calendar events outside of your brain.

Do this consistently and you will free up mental capacity that can be used for the tasks at hand.

Focus on one task at a time

Multitasking has been shown to be less efficient for getting things done.

Instead you should devote your focus to one task at a time.

Then move on to the next one.

It sounds simple, but in the age of technology it is becoming more an more difficult to focus.

I believe there is an exception to this rule, autopilot tasks.

These are manual tasks that you can do without much mental effort or even subconsciously.

Examples of this include ironing and driving*.

Have you ever driven on a familiar route and forgotten some of the drive because you were doing it without even actively thinking?

This is what I mean by an “autopilot” task.

Try listening to podcasts or audiobooks during your autopilots and you could learn new things or enjoy yourself whilst doing an activity you would have done anyway.

*please drive safely and don’t be distracted whilst driving.

Look after your health

Eat healthily, exercise and see the boost in your energy and productivity!

I started exercising in the morning quite recently.

I find it gives me energy for the day and makes me more proactive in general.

Balance investing in the present and the future

Balancing looking after your present self and your future self is one of the great challenges of life.

Are there any things you can do that would make a process more efficient but you “don’t have time” to do it?

You could invest your time in to these if they will save you time in the long run.

That saved time can be used on more of your priorities, or make you more productive at work.

Are there any things you are delaying that will improve yourself significantly?

Try and block out time for these; whether it is reading, exercise, studying or something else.

The easiest way to do this is to dedicate a small amount of time each day.

Take time to invest in yourself.

But don’t forget to enjoy yourself too!

Summary

The three Ps that will save you time are Prioritisation , Productivity and Proactivity .

, and . Prioritisation is about spending your time on your wants and values.

Use the Time Smart Quadrant to find out where you are spending time compared to your priorities.

Cut out time-wasters; block out time for priorities; and use time saved from productivity and proactivity to do more of what you want to do.

Productivity is about getting tasks done quicker.

Split a task in to subtasks and work out how to get them done quicker to increase productivity.

Use mechanisation, automation, delegation and education to help get tasks done quicker.

Proactivity is about managing your time to get more done.

Plan in advance; do the difficult task first; split up mammoth tasks; clear your space and mind; focus; and invest your time to be more proactive.

Some final words

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my first article!

Did this help you?

What do you agree and disagree with?

Is there anything I’m missing?

Please comment below, any feedback is appreciated.