Time is our most valuable asset, yet we often waste it or don’t use it as efficiently as we could. Billionaires, Olympic athletes, students, and CEOs all have great tips on time management that we can learn from. In this blog post, I’ll summarize the 12 best lessons from the book “15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management.”
1. The Power of 1440
Imagine if you could switch places with a 90-year-old billionaire. He would get your age and net worth, while you would get his age and billions. Would you do it? Probably not, because no amount of money can buy more time.
Yet we often waste our time as if it’s worthless. We treat it like an endless resource even though it is precious and finite. Once time passes, it’s gone forever.
To keep this concept top of mind, put a sign that says “1440” in your office as a reminder that there are 1440 minutes in every day. Viewing your day this way will help you focus on what’s truly important instead of meaningless tasks. Time is like having $1440 deposited into your account each morning – how wisely you invest shapes your future.
2. Time Management is About Managing Energy
You can’t manage time, but you can manage your energy. Things like lack of sleep, exercise, and nutrition drain your energy. Take short breaks throughout the day to renew. The Pomodoro technique of 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5 minute break is very effective.
Break big projects down into smaller pieces so they seem less intimidating. Set goals for each work sprint. Make time work for you by using it to achieve small wins versus constantly thinking “when will this be over?” Putting yourself first with self-care leaves you better equipped to care for others.
3. Identify Your MITs
Your Most Important Tasks (MITs) should be worked on first thing each morning when your mind is fresh. Figure out the very first step you need to take towards your big goal and do at least that much every single day, even if it’s just 5 minutes.
The 1990 technique is similar – pick an area of life to improve and devote the first 90 minutes per day for the next 90 days on it. I tried this with fitness and got great results.
Why give your peak energy hours to your boss instead of yourself? We often put ourselves last, but becoming “selfishly better” allows us to be more generous with others.
4. No More To-Do Lists
Although popular, to-do lists have some big flaws:
- Over 40% of tasks are never completed
- They confuse urgent with important
- They cause stress and hurt productivity
Successful people use calendars instead. Block off at least 15 minutes for each task depending on priority rather than having a running list. Schedule exercise, client calls, MITs – things you truly value.
5. Accept That Work Never Ends
There’s always more to do. Don’t burn yourself out trying to finish some imaginary checklist. Super successful people focus on priorities, schedule time for them, and then stop when time is up.
My workaholic tendencies mean this is something I need to personally work on. The truth is the to-do list never really gets smaller day after endless day.
6. The Magical Word “No”
Billionaire Warren Buffett rightly observed that the difference between successful and very successful people is that the latter say “no” to almost everything. Every yes comes with an inherent opportunity cost.
I once said yes to a meeting that conflicted with a family issue I couldn’t reschedule. The “yes” locked me in. You can’t foresee what demands may arise in the future even if your calendar currently looks free.
Only say yes if something is a “hell yes!” – otherwise it should be a no. Also, resist explaining why you said no – a simple “no” is reason enough. Small requests often balloon into major time sinks too, so be choosey with your yeses.
7. Theme Days
When Jack Dorsey simultaneously ran Twitter and Square, he themed his days. Mondays were for management, Tuesdays for marketing, Wednesdays for developers and so on.
Theming provides focus and though interruptions still occur, it’s easier to re-center when you know “Today is X day.” Try this approach instead of a scattered attempt at every responsibility each day.
8. Ask Three Questions
Software engineer Bob was considered the best coder around. However, he secretly outsourced his job to China and surfed the web all day! He asked not “How can I do this?” but instead “How can this get done?”
We can apply Bob’s approach by asking ourselves:
- Can this task be dropped?
- Can someone else within or outside the company accomplish this?
- How can the same outcome occur but faster?
Delegation and automation are key. This line of questioning saves tons of time. Although Bob got fired, identifying valueless tasks to eliminate and leveraging others’ strengths makes sense.
9. Follow the 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 principle states that 80% of outcomes come from 20% of activities. Find your vital few tasks and devote your energy there while outsourcing or ignoring the trivial many.
I focus on getting good sleep as just that one habit dramatically improves my next day even if other areas are neglected. Discover the key links that ripple through your whole life.
10. Handle Email Better
Workers spend up to 30% of their week reading and responding to emails. While important, email is not urgent. Turn off audible notifications, process only 3 times per day for 21 minute chunks to keep your inbox clean, and set rules like:
- Unsubscribe from newsletters
- Keep replies short
- Clearly indicate if action is needed
- Don’t default to CC’ing people
You’ll send and receive less email as a result. Emails often provide dopamine hits that lead to distraction. Schedule it instead.
11. Always Carry a Notebook
Richard Branson attributes much of his success to always having a notebook handy to jot down ideas. Don’t keep fleeting ideas solely in your mind where they get lost – write them down. Your empire may one day stem from this simple habit!
12. Make Meetings a Last Resort
Studies show most meetings are ineffective given:
- Late starts
- Wrong attendees
- Trivial topics
- Dominant extroverts that love to hear themselves talk but don’t add value
Have an agenda prepared and distributed in advance if a meeting is absolutely necessary after exhausting other communication methods. Otherwise avoid them.
Conclusion
There you have it – 12 golden tactics pulled from what billionaires, Olympians, students, and CEOs do to make the most of their time and energy. From theming your days to always carrying a notebook to saying “no” more often, small changes can have an outsized impact on your performance and results.
What resonated with you most? Is there one ideas you’ll try to implement first? Let me know in the comments section below!
