My recommended news: Stealing Time: How Highly Productive People Get More Done

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Stealing Time: How Highly Productive People Get More Done

You can get discouraged by all the things that take minutes here and there from your day--or you can 
steal some of that time back.

pimousse3000/Flickr

 

Time is a precious and tricky resource. You only get so much, and when it's gone, it's gone for good. 
You  can start the day with the best of intentions to cram in as much as possible. But then you wind 
up having to deal with all those things--phone calls, an urgent request from customers, computer 
outage, a delay running necessary errands--that steal some of that time out of your day.
But while there isn't a way to change the nature of reality, you can improve your productivity. 
Instead of being purely a victim, steal some of that time right back.
Think Differently
Rarely do things you need to accomplish happen in one continuous block like a video game, where 
if you don't get through the next start, you start over at a previous point. Instead, your day is 
filled with what are much shorter segments of small tasks that either exist on their own or 
are part of bigger undertakings.
Instead of being like a video game, your day is more like how a computer multitasks. There 
are many jobs that have to be done. The computer gives each a turn, performing some
 work on one, then putting it on hold and moving to the next.
Start Stealing
To steal time back, you need to learn how to make use of the periods in which you're left waiting 
for something  else to happen. For example, you're on hold, waiting for a vendor customer service
 person to get on the phone  and handle a problem you're having. Instead of just listening to
 terrible music, scan through some emails or skim an article you've been meaning to read.
Perhaps you're paying a call on a prospect and will be waiting for five minutes. Sounds like a good 
time to pull out a tablet loaded with some work (you did bring it along, didn't you?) and make 
some progress on a response to an RFP. At a restaurant in that time between placing an order 
and receiving your food? Do some productive day dreaming, with notebook at hand, about new 
product or service ideas. Or write that birthday card to your 
Aunt Zelda.
The bad news is that we all waste enormous amounts of time. The good news is that even without 
giving up some guilty pleasures such as watching "Downton Abbey"--you do need breaks from work
 and personal life  expectations--there are many opportunities to snatch back a few minutes here 
and there to take care of  small tasks that would otherwise nag or never get done.

Erik Sherman's work has appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The New York
Times Magazine, and Fortune. He also blogs for CBS MoneyWatch. @ErikSherman

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