Accomplish More in Less Time

Have you ever had enough time to accomplish those tasks that nag you in the back of your mind at the most awkward times but never got around to them? Then you find yourself on the way to work and you realize that you forgot to feed your goldfish or pick up the paperwork you left out on the table so you wouldn’t forget it? Even work critical to your job can grow stale and boring if put off long enough.

Oddly enough, the longer I put off work the more it seems to pile up. I’m a lazy man at heart and know that if I don’t stay on top of myself I’ll keep putting tasks off until the last minute and that’s never fun.

To beat the laziness inside of me I knock out the hardest jobs first. Then I focus on the progressively easier tasks so each one is less effort. I tend to pile more on my plate than I can handle so by focusing on the most time consuming, critical tasks I ensure that they aren’t left hanging on the end of my to do list on a Sunday night.

A trick my parents used when I was a kid was to set a timer for certain chores, such as folding laundry or doing dishes. By creating time limits they taught time management, and gave enough room for a little goofing around. It worked so well that when I want to do something but there’s so much time I keep letting myself sidetrack myself I turn on my stopwatch and create artificial deadlines to give myself a  boost. Sure, I know there isn’t really a time limit. That isn’t the point. The point is to reinforce that I do not have unlimited time.

The longer I put things off the more unnecessary details clog up my head. Then I have less time to relax and enjoy being alive. Your life may not seem like the greatest all the time, but there is a group of people who would give anything to see one more sunrise even on the worst day of your life. I like sunrises, no two are ever the same Don’t believe me? This group is everywhere. Visit your local cemetery for meetings.