1. Use To-Do lists. A To-Do list is a list of tasks that we plan to accomplish at some point in the future. Having that said let’s see how to create a To-Do list. The first time you will create a list a million things will come to your mind. My advice is to write them all down. Do not let anything out of your list. You need to get them out of your brain into a piece of paper. As you doing this you will realize that some tasks are simple but other tasks are more complex and you will need to divide them to sub-tasks. Since you are going to reorganize and rearrange your list several times, I propose to you to use some software to write your list. You can use something simple like notepad or you can use something more advanced like Toodledo^® or Microsoft Outlook^®. I am using like Toodledo^® with my iPad, with my smartphone, and with my PC but you can use whatever software you choose on your favorite platform.
2. Use Checklists.Checklists are the best tool to capture experience while performing a process/Workflow. You want to train another person to perform a specific process or routine? Just give that person your checklist. Do you want to improve your process? Just update the checklist.
3. Use the 20 Minutes to Success® method. This is a method I developed to improve my productivity. In a nutshell, split your hour to twenty minutes interval in order to schedule 3 tasks per hour. This method is far more efficient compared with the Pomodoro technique.
4. Block distractions. It is OK to say no to a colleague asking you for help or simply wanting to chat with you. Avoid checking your email/ social media account (Facebook) every 5 minutes. Focus on the task at hand. Set your browser to block your access to the sites that distract you.
5. Use Evernote. Evernote is a must have application to help you save and retrieve information lightning fast. I have a premium account and I can scan documents and business cards. No more loosing time searching for contacts or documents. I Tag them and I can retrieve them on my mobile, Ipad, desktop at no time.
6. Bonus Tip. Do not multitask! Stay focused accomplishing a single task at a time.

1. I identified the bottlenecks in my workflow
2. I used a better method for archiving and retrieving the information I am looking for.

It all started with applying te Pareto principle when analyzing my workflows.

In 1906, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that the 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Pareto also popularized the term “elite” in social analysis.

The term “Pareto Principle” was introduced by Joseph M. Juran when in 1941 became aware of the work of Vilfredo Pareto. He began to apply the Pareto principle to quality issues. Generalized, the principle states that 80% of a problem is caused by 20% of the causes.

The Pareto Principle can be stated in the business as following:

• 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend
• 80% of your sales come from 20% of your products

In other industries:

• 20% of patients have been found to use 80% of health care resources

Fixing the top 20% most reported bugs, 80% of the errors and crashes would be eliminated.

I applied the Pareto Principle to time management to help me identify the causes that produce the most delays in my daily work. When I identified these, I was able to work in the correct direction to fix the true cause of the problem.

In order to do this, I recorded the time that I used to complete my tasks, and I also included the time for interruptions, breaks or destructions.

I then identified the 20% of the activities that take up 80% of my time. Can I delegate some of these activities? Can I reorganize my work in a way to minimize the impact of these activities on the time I use?

For example, I have found that I use a lot of time to search for files or notes that I have taken in the past. I changed the way I file my notes, I used an electronic filing program and the benefits were amazing. I am using Evernote. It is an amazing program that allows you to create notebooks to organize your documents, pictures, business cards and thoughts. The most powerful feature are the Tags. You can create as many tags you need and categorize your Evernote entries. Searching using the Tags is powerful. I freed up a lot of my time. There are a lot of online programs to choose from according to your needs.

20 minutes to success!

The secret of 20 minutes time intervals. You split the hour into three parts, accomplishing 3 tasks per hour. You can, alternatively, combine 20 minutes parts to accomplish a much bigger task. For example, you receive a task that needs 4 hours to complete. You can combine the 20 minutes chunks to build the 4 hours that you need to accomplish your task. You can even schedule a 20 minutes break after accomplishing the task. The 20 minutes break down of the hour is very efficient fo meetings too. 15 minutes is not enough time for a meeting. In 20 minutes you can have a well-organized meeting. If you need more time you can add another 20 minutes making it a 40 minutes meeting. This leaves you another 20 minutes to accomplish another task. I can write many examples but I think that you get the idea.

Dividing the hour to 20 minutes alone cannot bring success. For success to come you need also to discuss personal goal setting, the use of to-do or action lists, prioritization, estimation of the tasks, delegation, how to manage interruptions, how to beat procrastination, risk management and how to remain self-motivated at all times. All the discussion points presented previously affect either positive or negative your time management.

The topics mentioned above will be covered in future blog posts.

Have a great, happy and productive day!