On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The Real Reason You Arent More Productive

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The Real Reason You Aren't More Productive Rory Vaden wants you to forget everything you know about time management, because its probably wrong. He wants you to ignore the advice on doing the most difficult tasks first every day, or the rule about answering emails during certain time periods. Those kind of activities are simply muddying the waters when youre searching for a way tobe more productive with the time you have, he contends. The key to trulyfocusing on what matterscomes from understanding the emotions that get in our way and prevent us from maximizing our time, he says. There is no such thing as time management, there is only self-management, he says. Time continues on regardless of what we do, so all we can do is decide what we will be spending our time doing or not doing for that day. For example, guilt or fear may prompt us to tackle certain tasks or projects that really dont help usbe more productive. Even chronic overachieves can make poor decisions about how they use their time, participating in what Vaden calls priority dilution. While priority dilution has nothing to do with laziness, apathy or being disengaged (like traditionalprocrastination) it nets the same result: a delay of the days most important activities because your attention shifts to less important, but perhaps seemingly more urgent, tasks, he explains. You are trading your to-do list for emergencies. Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose says that the most successful people, who he calls multipliers, have learned to manage the emotions often tied to how we use our time. The key, he explains, is that multipliers ask themselves: What are the things that I could do today that would free up more time tomorrow? They get outside of their to-do list of short-term priorities and they realize that the real key to creating more margin in their life isnt about working faster, or somehow prioritizing better; its about learning to think differently, he says. In his book, Vaden provides five permissions that he says will help you make better use of your time and become a multiplier: 1. Eliminate.Vaden notes that those wanting to achieve success will always look at what they need toaddto their lives, but they actually need to ask themselves: What are all the things that I can eliminate? Start considering the significance of what you do, instead of the volume of tasks you complete. He notes that many people avoid eliminating anything because theyre emotionally unable to say no. Butwhen youre able to say no,then you will be able to spend more time with your family or working toward your dreams, he says. 2. Automate.Those who balk atautomation of certain tasks(see more here)