Weekly Course on Time Management – Week 18 – Time Management Practices of Happy and Successful People – Part 1

Time tends to get away quickly!

Often it appears that you don’t accomplish much in the 24 hours that you get every day. The feeling is more profound when you look around yourself and see some of the most successful people who accomplish so much more in a day than many do in a week.

But do you know that time is the only fair resource? We all get 24 hours every day but how you use that 24 hours is all that makes the difference.

Fortunately, highly successful people are willing to share their time management tips, tricks, and strategies, and this is what this lesson on time management is all about.

In today’s lesson on time management, you will learn about how Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and several other leaders in their field manage their time and accomplish so much more.

Establish a Morning Routine

Mornings may be difficult for many people, but if you look at one common practice among all successful people, they have a good morning routine. They all wake up early.

Whether it’s Sir Richard Branson, the British business tycoon, or Bill Gates, the most outstanding software developer of all times and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and several others, they all have a set morning routine.

While their routines may vary, they all wake up early, do some exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, and plan for the day. And you know why it helps? When you wake up earlier than usual, it gives you enough time to focus on the tasks you want to accomplish and start the day with more energy and strength.

And the fact has been validated by Sir Richard Branson as he shares, “While I’m known for being unpredictable, I do, however, have a morning and nightly routine.”

Moreover, he starts his day with a workout, which he claims is the most critical thing that boosts productivity. He claims that an early morning workout “keeps the brain functioning well.”

Plan Purposefully

Another time management practice that all successful people have in common is planning. Marcus Lemonis, a Lebanese-born American entrepreneur, shares his secret for success. “When I get up in the morning, I create a list of 5 things that I want to do today, and I do that without exception.”

An important thing to note here is that successful people don’t have a to-do list in their minds. Instead, they write it down either on a piece of paper or on their calendar.

As Mary Erdoes, the CEO of JPMorgan Asset Management, says, “Calendar management is the most important thing you need to do, especially as you have more responsibilities and you get busy.” She further adds, “Unless you can stay on top of that (calendar management) religiously, it will end up owning you, and that’s not a way to go about staying organized and being on top of things.”

Allison Page, the founder and CPO at SEVENROOMS is also a massive fan of the “old-fashioned to-do list.” After all, it gives her an insight into the tasks that are done. Moreover, it works as a reminder for things that have to get done.

Unplug

Life is full of distractions. Whether it’s the never-ending emails and notifications in the inbox, a buzzing phone, or a crying child, it’s enough to distract you from what you are doing. And while social media may be a useful tool for work, it too can be a time-leeching distraction.

The best way to deal with distractions is to unplug, which means detaching yourself from the situation. That could mean switching off your cellphone, turning off the notifications, or turning off the email. Seems manageable, right? That’s precisely what Keol Thomae, the co-founder of Noosa Yoghurt, does.

There is a lot more to time management practices by successful people. But for now, I leave you with the three strategies shared above. This week, practice these strategies, and once you start taking a strategic approach to time management, you will notice a significant difference in your feelings by the end of the day. Hopefully, with these time management practices, you will end your day with accomplishments and pride instead of frustration and regret.

For more on time management practices of successful people, stay tuned to the next week’s course.

Ashley Yeo