Once a List-maker, Always a List-maker

Sure, effective time management sounds just like a chore. We all at one point or another have fallen back out of the practice of staying on task and the climb back of the mountain of productivity can appear daunting. It really doesn’t have to be such a challenge if you break things down into smaller parts so that you can address individual needs. You may even find quite a few tasks that you will be able to delegate out, sparing you time for matters that may acquire your individual attention.

The Common, yet Effective Outline

While it might not be the most flashy and visually appealing way to break things down, the classic outline method really does help some. It also makes a great way to share with others the itinerary of what you need to accomplish.

Consider making your outline with some sort of application that will allow you to edit freely. It’s easy to want to break your outline down further, or spend more time accurately detailing one of the bullet points. There are a slew of apps out there and they really help you keep the power of monitoring your tasks and thoughts right in the power of whatever device you are on. Sure you may find that you like the act of handwriting out your notes. If that is what works for you then great, but the main thing is that you spend the time addressing your major objectives and truly determining a priority system.

The Priority System

Take a moment while breaking down your objectives to rate them on a scale of how important they are, how time consuming they are, and then take a second to determine whether or not the task can be delegated. Prioritizing helps free up the mental space it takes to dedicate you fully to the objective at hand.

The more you use this sort of system the quicker and easier it will become to the point that you most likely will find yourself during the brainstorming phase naturally breaking down the structure of your outline by the definitions of your priorities. Maybe the list method just isn’t your style. Some people run clothesline in their study and string ideas on pages using clothing pins. Whatever works for you.

Pass the Puck

Regardless of whether you are hosting a class, a workshop, or whatever the nature of your videoconference, you can take your audience’s ability to do some self-research to your advantage. Providing delegated tasks boosts participation which keeps everybody active and tuned in. It can be something as simple as providing references, questionnaires, recorded information. Basically, you want to be sure that you aren’t wasting valuable production time by going into details that your audience should essentially be researching on their own time.

Don’t always read aloud all of your supplements though. It may seem like a natural habit to want to read all of your supplemental information to your audience. Most of us were shown it was the preferred method of presentation so it’s understanding why this habit still persists. You only need to read the key points and mostly you may find yourself preferring to only refer to supplemental material when it illustrates a visual element that is helping support your objectives.

It’s No Simple Science

Sometimes achieving better productivity has nothing to do with how you are structuring your time, no matter how many times you outline stuff you still don’t get it done. It’s easy to get off track especially in environments where there are individuals or events that consistently attempt to sway you away from getting everything accomplished efficiently. If you keep an air of professionalism, stay on subject, and focus on the material at hand, you really increase your odds of getting through everything.

Saying no to distractions can be a difficult thing if you aren’t able to identify them. Once you can get a firm grip on the things that are pulling you away from your productivity loop you can get back on the hamster wheel and get to work. Of course, like all things, this takes practice and patience. But in the end it’s totally worth it.

The Big Picture

So if you end up like many of us, finding yourself in a spiral of not getting near enough things accomplished, simply take the moment to stop and look at the big picture of what you want to accomplish. As you examine it, take the opportunity to identify your main objectives and then simply break them down.

Get as creative as you need, or keep things simple, however you choose, once you get that clearer sense of what needs done, stay on track and don’t let subtle distractions impede on your focus. It may sound simple, but the more you structure your itinerary the more you truly experience how convenient and simple it is. Once a list-maker, always a list-maker.