While speaking to a group about the correlation between personality type and organizing style, I said that Intuitive types are frequently multi-taskers, and that working on one thing at a time may be counterproductive for some. One of the audience members disagreed, stating that no one can be an efficient multi-tasker, and to think otherwise is self-deception.

In my presentation, I wasn’t really talking about a person who reads their email while talking on the phone, knits while watching television, or (shudder) texts while driving. I was actually thinking of the description in the Larry Demarest’s Looking at Type in the Workplace, where he says,

A person who prefers intuition… works in bursts, awaits inspiration, may skip around, pursuing what “strikes my fancy”

Since only about 25% of the population are Intuitives, it’s not surprising that the idea that this work style can be effective would be foreign to the remaining 75% who are Sensors. The majority of time management experts stress the importance of making a prioritized list and working through it sequentially, and for most people, this works well, but it’s important to realize that we’re not all the same.

If your brain just won’t connect with the first item on your to-do list, you could waste hours trying to get it done while your mind keeps considering other possibilities. Instead, if you allow yourself to work on what most inspires and excites you at the moment, you can be very productive. There is a chance that you’ll fizzle out before you finish, but rather than banging your head against your desk in frustration, you can put that project aside until it calls you again, and move on to something else.

I suppose this isn’t technically “multi-tasking” since you are only working on one task at any given moment, but what should we call it? “Serial tasking” perhaps? The important thing is not to label it, but to recognize it as a valid work style that may or may not be right for you.

To learn more about personality type and organizing style, order my e-book, Organizing Your Life, Your Way.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Is Multi-Tasking a Valid Work Style?.

Earlier this year, Rodger Constandse came by to share his best time management tips, and I’ve enjoyed hearing from my readers about the new strategies they have implemented. Most of us can use a refresher now and then, so today I’m turning my blog over to Janice Russell of Minding Your Matters® Organizing, who describes one habit that can help us make the best use of our time.

Do you feel like you never get to the end of your to-do list? Are there some to-do items that seem to move from list to list? Do you track things to be done on one list, multiple pieces of paper, an electronic device, or in your head? One crucial factor in getting organized is using time wisely. While there are a myriad of ways to approach the 24 hours you are allotted each day, this month we will concentrate on developing a new habit. And the new habit is to learn to differentiate between tasks and projects.

A task is something that can be accomplished in a limited amount of time. This can be 15 minutes, two hours, or a day. But anything that takes more than a day to complete is not a task. It is a project. A project involves multiple steps and takes more than a day to complete. Tasks go on to-do lists; projects don’t.

An example of a to-do list for the home is:

• Grocery shop (it is your decision whether to list the items you need to purchase on this list or on another piece of paper)
• Buy and wrap birthday gift for Sue
• Call sister to determine who will host Thanksgiving this year

If you add “organize garage”, you have listed a project. There are numerous steps required in order to get a garage organized. In no specific order, these might include:

• Determine what types of objects belong in the garage: sporting equipment, lawn care items, tools, etc.
• Decide how these items should be stored: on shelves, hanging from walls, in cardboard or plastic boxes, etc.
• Purchase pieces required to store these articles.
• Sort all items in garage and decide which to keep, donate, dispose, and house somewhere besides in the garage.
• House items in suitable containers and in locations that are accessible.

Each of these chores takes time, some require a trip to the store, and others may be divided into sub-tasks or shared between several people. Although it is possible to organize a garage in a day, it is unlikely to happen. As a matter of fact, more than likely a person will be overwhelmed at the thought of the job and not start it. Whereas if the two tasks on the weekend to-do list are to determine the categories of things that belong in the garage and to sort the objects along the back wall, it feels much more plausible.

Now that you realize the difference between a task and a project, you will need to classify each chore that you believe needs to be completed. Then you will need to record the jobs in the appropriate place and format. Finally, you need to make the time in your schedule to work on the task.

Once you develop the habit of doing this on a regular basis, you will find that you can complete more in less time and without feeling so overwhelmed.

About the Author

Janice Russell, CPO-CD, is the Overseer of Order at Minding Your Matters® Organizing Consultants.  The company consults with business and residential clients with the intention of decluttering and organizing space and time to effect changes which will lead to attainment of personal and professional goals.   Seminars on a variety of organizing topics are also available.

Janice is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization.  For additional informational or to contact, visit www.mindingyourmatters.com.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Get Organized This Year!.

It’s been great having Rodger Constandse as my guest blogger all this week! If you missed his previous posts, be sure to go back and read them, as there are some great time management strategies both in the post themselves, and in the reader comments.

Rodger wraps up his visit today with this last post and one more exciting prize.

Hugh Young, a physics professor from Carnegie Mellon University, said,

Often there is an easy way and a hard way to do a job;
the easy way sometimes involves nothing
more than having the right tools to use.

Having the right planner can make a huge difference in how well and how efficiently your productivity system works.

Using a less than ideal planner will usually create friction and make things seem more difficult than they need to be, while the right planner will feel much more smooth and useful.

But the real key is that there is no one planner that will work equally well for everyone, because we are all different and have different situations, preferences and needs.

Here are some of the key things that your planner should help you do:

1) Capture

Your planner should help you collect and capture all the stuff that you need to do so you can keep track of it outside of your head, including your to-do’s and appointments.

You may also need to use a few other tools to help you truly collect and capture everything. For example, you can use your email client to capture emails that you need to respond to (put them in a special “Respond To” folder to separate them from everything else).

Instead of having to transfer all your emails to your planner, you can just set aside time to respond to email and use your email client to help you keep track of the actual emails.

2) Organize

A good planner should help you organize your projects and tasks in a meaningful way. If you work with multiple projects, a good planner should also help you separate your projects from your tasks.

Separating your projects from your tasks allows you to think about and prioritize your outcomes (projects) independently from your actions (tasks).

As I mentioned before, this is one of the keys for developing a productivity mindset.

3) Prioritize

A good planner should help you prioritize both your projects and your tasks so you can identify the most important, highest value activities and spend most of your time working on them, instead of wasting your time with low value busywork.

4) Plan

A good planner should help you plan your time. At the very least, you should be able to plan your days, but if you can plan at the weekly level, that’s even better.

5) Do

A good planner should help you focus single-mindedly on one thing at a time. It should be easy for you to figure out exactly what you should be working on right now and what you need to do next, without getting sidetracked or distracted with irrelevant details that you don’t need to see right now.

If you have a planning tool that feels good to you and can help you do those five things, you’re definitely on the right track.

What are some of your favorite time management or productivity tools? It doesn’t have to be a planner, it could be anything that saves you time or helps you be more productive.

Today’s winner gets a choice of any one of the previous day’s prizes or the Achieve Planner software.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on How To Pick A Good Planner.

Today is day four in the series from my guest blogger, Rodger Constandse.

While there are many myths about time management, there are two that come up again and again.

Myth # 1 – The Myth of Willpower

This is a common myth because most of us have been taught that willpower is the key to achieving our most important goals. But guess what? While it does play a role, willpower is not the answer.

That’s right. Willpower is NOT the answer.

Why? Because researchers are now discovering that willpower works a lot like a muscle. You have a limited amount of willpower and you can quickly “use it up” if you keep pushing or spreading yourself too thin.

Imagine that you have to ride a bike to get to work and you have to choose between two roads that can get you there.

One road goes up a hill with a very gradual incline. It’s not particularly steep, but enough for you to notice the extra effort that you have to use to get to the top.

The second road is just a bit longer, but is pretty much flat and even all the way into town.

Which road would you take?

The second one, right?

Because even though it’s a bit longer, the second road will be much easier and take a lot less effort.

Well, your environment, systems and tools are a lot like those roads. They can make the difference between a nice flat road, and one that is inclined and requires much more effort and willpower to get to the same place.

So instead of relying on willpower alone, take a close look at your environment, systems and tools to see if they are creating friction and making things more difficult for you than they need to be.

That’s what an effective time management system can do for you. Rather than having to constantly fight and struggle against the current, it can help you do the same amount of work with less effort and willpower.

Myth # 2 – The Myth of Multitasking

Have you ever tried to talk to someone on the phone while typing an email or surfing the web? How about working on tasks of different projects at the same time?

Multitasking is something that many people have tried at one point or another in an attempt to boost productivity or save time.

In fact, most people assume that multitasking helps them be more productive, but is that really true?

In some cases, like cleaning up the rest of the house while the washer is doing the laundry, or answering emails while you are waiting for a huge file to download, multitasking really does boost productivity.

However, for the vast majority of knowledge-based tasks, multitasking actually decreases productivity.

Researchers have discovered that multitasking is an inefficient way to work because your brain has to keep changing its “context” as you move from task to task, and that wastes time and effort.

While this research focuses on people that do multiple tasks at the same time, like typing an email while talking on the phone, the same principle applies when you jump from one unrelated task to another.

You have to “switch gears” before you can become fully productive. For complex mental work, it can take up to fifteen minutes to reach this state of maximum productivity.

So it’s important to consider the types of tasks you’re working on. Multitasking may be OK if the work you’re doing isn’t mentally intensive, like listening to music while exercising.

However, if you tried to balance your checkbook while helping your child with his or her homework, you might end up doing a poor job at both and taking longer than if you did each task separately.

Multitasking usually leads to lower quality work because you are not fully concentrating and focusing on your main task. Distractions increase your probability of making mistakes and having to spend extra time fixing them.

With that in mind, here are some simple tips to help you eliminate multitasking…

1) Develop the habit of single handling

Just like multitasking is a habit you develop over time, you can also develop the better habit of focusing completely on a single task at a time, especially when it’s a knowledge-based task.

2) Use project blocks

One way to show that you are truly committed to completing a project, or at the very least to continue moving it forward, is to make time for it on a regular basis. Project blocks are a perfect tool to help you do this.

They also help you focus on related tasks (of the same project) for a block of time, so you reduce the multitasking penalty.

3) Reduce interruptions

You can take several steps to help you reduce the number of unnecessary interruptions while you are working at your desk. You can turn off your automatic email alerts, log off from instant messenger, and close your door when you need to focus and concentrate.

My Get Focused course (which you can win if you leave a good comment below) shows you even better ways to eliminate multitasking and reduce interruptions and distractions.

What are some of your best tips for getting focused and reducing interruptions and distractions?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Two Common Time Management Myths.

Today is day three of the special Time Management series from my guest blogger, Rodger Constandse. Be sure to come back every day this week for a chance to win valuable prizes to enhance your productivity.

Are you struggling to find enough hours in the day? Do you feel like you have too much to do and not enough time? Are you wondering when you’ll finally get caught up and get everything done?

One of the most important lessons in time management is to realize that you’ll NEVER be able to get EVERYTHING done. In our modern day world, there’s more available for us to do than we could ever accomplish in our entire lifetime.

What this means is that we need to figure out how to use our limited amount of time in a better way, focusing on the really important things, the ones that can truly make a difference in our lives and business. And your time management approach makes a HUGE difference in how well you do that.

Here are three signs that your current time management approach isn’t really working for you…

1. You find yourself wasting time on unimportant things. Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re actually being productive. Your time management approach isn’t working if you feel busy but you’re not really accomplishing what you want or taking steps toward your important goals.
2. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and have no time left for your friends and family members or for the hobbies, interests and passions you enjoy. You’re probably overwhelmed because you’re spending your days spinning your wheels and focusing on low value tasks and busywork.
   
3. If you feel as if you, and your attention, are being pulled into several different directions. The result is scattered and unfocused thinking. Multitasking is what people call it but the truth is multitasking doesn’t work. You’re much more effective and efficient if you can focus your time and attention on one thing for a block of uninterrupted time.

If you find you’re experiencing any of the above, then chances are your time management approach isn’t working for you. You’re probably spending too much time on low-value activities and busywork instead of accomplishing what really matters to you.

The right time management approach helps you create goals that have purpose, passion and vision. It helps you create strategies to achieve those goals and provides tools to make it happen.

Effective time management is a skill that you can learn and improve with practice. And when you do and you apply it to your life, it helps you achieve your most important goals and still have the time and energy left for a little fun.

For more information, tools and resources on how to accomplish what really matters to you, check out Goals to Action.

Do you have any insights or lessons that you’ve learned about time management, productivity and getting things done that you’d like to share?

The prize for the best comment is a free copy of my Effective Time Management course.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Is Your Time Management Approach Working For You?.

Today is day two of the Time Management series from my special guest blogger, Rodger Constandse. Be sure to come back every day this week for a chance to win valuable prizes to enhance your productivity.

One of the simplest, most powerful and valuable time management techniques that I recommend to all my clients is what I call the “Project Block.”

All you need to do is to make appointments with yourself (one hour appointments work best for me) and spend that hour focusing on a single project. That’s it.

Now, you’ll want to spend your project block time focusing on important high-value projects because they are the ones that really matter, so don’t waste this valuable time on low priority busywork.

Here are two important reasons why the project block strategy works so well:

1) They help you create blocks of uninterrupted time that you can devote to important projects

Peter Drucker says that knowledge workers NEED unbroken blocks of time to work productively. It’s not a matter of preference… you NEED to do this if you want to do productive knowledge work.

The reason is that it takes some time to get into a productive state when doing knowledge work and if you keep jumping from one unrelated thing to another, you’ll never get a chance to get into your groove and you’ll end up wasting a lot of time.

2) They help you MAKE time for important stuff

When you schedule an appointment with yourself, you are MAKING time for your project in your schedule and excluding everything else you could have done with that time.

You’ll know exactly when you are going to work on that project next because the appointment will remind you to do it.

The easiest way to use project blocks is to schedule them in your calendar just like if you had an important appointment or meeting.

Just try using this strategy the first hour of the day to help you work on your most important projects and you’ll immediately notice a big difference in your productivity and results.

Of course, project blocks work better when you combine them with all the other time management principles & strategies you’ll find in my Get More Done In Less Time ebook, like separating projects/tasks in your to-do list, prioritizing and weekly planning.

What are some of your favorite tips, techniques and strategies to get motivated and overcome procrastination?

Today’s prize for the best comment is my Psychology of Procrastination course.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Why Scheduling Your Projects Helps You Get Them Done.

My name is Rodger Constandse and I’ve spent the last several years figuring out how to be more productive and effective… and how to help other people do the same.

Over the years, I’ve read tens (maybe even hundreds) of books related to productivity, time management, goals and personal development. I’ve also listened to CDs, DVDs and attended several seminars.

I’ve personally tried many different tools, techniques and strategies. Along the way, I’ve figured out what works and what doesn’t work.

This week, I’m going to share with you some of the best insights, lessons, tips and tricks that I’ve learned to help you get organized, be more productive and make better use of your time.

In this article, I’m going to share three simple time management secrets that you can start using right away to help you get more done.

Secret # 1 – Work From A List

If there is one thing that virtually all time management experts agree on, it’s this: instead of jumping from task to task doing whatever grabs your attention next, develop the habit of working from a list.

There are two important reasons for this.

The first is that while your brain is really good at storing concepts and experiences and finding connections and relationships between them, it’s not very good at storing and recalling small little details that keep changing all the time.

That’s why it’s much better to write down your to-do’s and appointments than to try to use your head to keep track of them.

In fact, business coach Brian Tracy says that most people experience a big surge in productivity when they start planning their day and consistently working from a list.

The second reason is that it’s much easier to plan and prioritize when your tasks are out in front of you than when they are all up in your head. You can use your list to pick out the important, high-value tasks and decide which ones you are going to work on first.

Secret # 2 – Plan Your Week

Charles Bixton said,

You will never find time for anything.
If you want time, you must make it.

If you want to have time to do something important, you need to stop trying to find time for it and instead decide to MAKE time for it. Planning helps you do that. It helps you make time for the most important things in your life and your business.

It turns out that a week is a very natural period for effective planning. It’s short enough to allow you to make reasonable plans but it’s long enough to allow you to balance important long-term goals with more urgent short-term tasks.

Secret # 3 – Develop A “Productivity” Mindset

Busy and productive are not the same; in fact, they are two very different things. You can be busy all day long and not really get anything significant done.

Ultimately, the secret to time management is to focus on things that help you accomplish what truly matters to you.

Basketball coach John Wooden often told his players to never confuse activity with achievement. You can stay very active and busy doing things that are meaningless and don’t lead you to where you want to go.

To develop a “productivity” mindset, you need to start thinking in terms of outcomes and not just actions. Be clear about what you are ultimately trying to accomplish and recognize whether the actions you are taking are helping you get there or not.

If you really want to incorporate these time management secrets into your life and use them to help you get more done, then you need to turn them into lifelong habits.

One of the best ways to do that is to develop your own productivity system (a consistent way of getting things done that you use every day) and make these secrets a part of it.

If you want to learn more, you can check out my free ebook Get More Done In Less Time.

What are some of the best time management tips, tricks or habits that you’ve picked up over the years to help you get more done?

The prize for today’s best comment is a free copy of my Magic of Habit course.

Be sure to come back every day this week for chances to win more prizes!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Guest Post: 3 Time Management Secrets To Get More Done.

It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.

When Burt Bacharach penned the above lyrics, he was, of course, referring to “love sweet love,” but I can think of a few other things that could fit into that category… take time, for example. There aren’t very many people who have never said they couldn’t use a few extra hours in the day, or even an extra day in the week, but no matter what we do, we can’t create more time – we can only learn to make better use of the time we have.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has perfected the art and science of time management, feel free to move on to another blog. On the other hand, if you’re like the rest of us who are always looking for new ways to manage time effectively, I know you’ll be as excited as I am about my special guest for next week.

Rodger Constandse, the owner of GoalsToAction.com and principal developer of the Achieve Planner software system, will be visiting my blog every day from March 15 to 19 to share some of his best time management strategies. What’s even better is that he’s planning to give away one of his products every day during his visit! Some of the available prizes will include Rodger’s Psychology of Procrastination course, his Effective Time Management course, and a copy of his Achieve Planner software.

In case you think I’m going to be slacking off all week, I should let you know that I’ve been assigned the task of picking the prize winners by determining who has made the most valuable comment each day – so come prepared to share your own timely tips, successful strategies, or perplexing problems. Prizes will be awarded every day that five or more comments are made, so be sure to tell others about this great contest.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on A Chance to Win Free Time (or the next best thing).

I recently read a statistic regarding the number of outstanding tasks the average person has at any given time. It was so depressing that I quickly put it out of my mind, but the fact is, we all have many things to do, both personally and professionally. Most people have some kind of system to keep track of it all, whether it’s a collection of Post-It Notes (not recommended), a task manager connected to Outlook or another electronic calendar, or something in between.

If you haven’t found a system that works well for you, perhaps one of the following resources is just what you need.

NowDoThis is an online solution that is ideal for people who just don’t like lists. Simply go to the website, click on Edit, and a text box comes up. Type in the things you need to accomplish in the order they should be done, then click Save. All that shows up on your screen now is the first item on your list. Once you’ve completed it, click on Done, and your next task appears. Repeat until you’re finished. It’s that simple! No account to set up or log into; no complicated interface. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

Remember The Milk is a more elaborate online solution which allows the user to enter deadlines, tag tasks with appropriate keywords, and receive reminders by email, Twitter, SMS, or instant messenger, among other really cool features. It can be accessed on a cell phone or other mobile device, making it perfect for busy people on the go.

Maybe you prefer pen and paper, but keep losing those scraps of paper or are bored with plain white notepads. If you need a change but can’t bring yourself to spring for some fancy note paper for yourself, why not download and print a fun “Mom’s Got A Latte Do Today” list from Skip to My Lou, or a “Short Term Memory Loss Device” from Design. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.?

For lots and lots of lists, consider a membership to ListPlanIt, where along with various to-do lists, you’ll find lists for planning every area of your life, including home, business, finance, travel, and much more.

How do YOU keep track of what you need to do?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Alternatives to the Dreaded To Do List.

When I was featured in one of Alex Fayle’s Someday Interviews a few months ago, I identified my biggest “someday” as taking a vacation and getting away. Shortly after that, Alex launched his Freelancer Vacation Clinic, an email course for people who find it hard to take a break from their business. Even though I’ve removed myself from most email lists over the past year, and have avoided signing up for more, I couldn’t resist this one, because it felt like Alex had created it with me in mind.

I set up a special folder in Outlook where I’ve stored all the weekly emails to date; however, I haven’t made time to read even one. Oh sure, I’ve taken a quick peek at some of them, but I haven’t taken the time to even learn how to take a vacation, never mind to actually take one. I have no one to blame but myself, as I did not take advantage of Elaine Shannon’s invitation to visit her in New Brunswick this summer. The window of opportunity for a summer holiday has closed for this year, but I’m determined that over the next few months I will read Alex’ emails, work through any exercises, and make some plans for summer 2010.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to a well-deserved break this coming weekend, when my sister and I will be cottaging with two other women at Sharbot Lake, Ontario. Although it’s only for a couple of days and it’s supposed to be cool and rainy, it will be the farthest I’ve been from home in two years, and the longest time I’ve been away from my computer, and I’m really looking forward to getting away.

Scott will have his hands full looking after the business, the household, and the cat while I’m away, but he will not be monitoring my email, so please be patient if you’re waiting to hear from me over the next week or so.

This post has been all about me, so how about you? Have you taken a vacation this year? Tell us about it!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on The Mini-Vacation.