How to Get More Done

By Craig Ballantyne

In order to squeeze the most productivity out of your day - so that you have the satisfaction of accomplishment, rather than the dreaded feeling of another "lost day" - you really need to have a plan.

And the plan not only shows you what you should be doing, but what you need to avoid as well.
"Get a simple notebook and carry it around for the next three days. Break the page up into 15-minute blocks and write down what you are doing each day at those times."

Let's say your workday starts at 8 a.m. You'll set up your notebook like this:

8:00
8:15
8:30
8:45
9:00.
Etc.

And then you'll just make notes beside each time.

You'll quickly identify your time wasting habits, as well as when you are most productive - that's what I call your magic time. The next step is to identify solutions for overcoming the time wasting and to increase the time spent being productive.

For example, maybe you check your email every day at 9:30, and then you start cycling through news websites. That's a habit that must be broken if you want to build more productivity into your day.
And that's where scripting your day comes in.

As legendary small business coach, Dan Kennedy, says, "If you don't plan your day, someone else will plan it for you."

So that's why I now script my day, and try to do so several days in advance.

Each night, before you end your work day, you need to script out the next work day. Here are some tips on how to do this:

• Decide what you are going to get done.
• Assign blocks of time to it.
• Get it done & stick to your time limits.

It's that simple. This also means blocking out unexpected calls and not allowing for anyone else to come marching in to your office to steal your time.

You can, and should script your day from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. Of course, you need to put in relaxation time, and free time where you can do whatever you want. But if you find the time 'gets away from you at home and at work, and therefore you miss your workouts, you don't get projects done in a timely fashion, or you're missing out on family events, simply scripting your day will improve your ability to manage your time and energy.

You also need to make sure you protect what I called your "Magic Time." This is where you are able to accomplish more in a short time than you would in a much longer time at any other point in the day. Essentially, your magic time is your most effective time of the day.

For me, the time is first thing in the morning, and that's when I get my best writing done, and when I do it the fastest.

Now you might not be a writer or a morning person, but there's something that you do better each day during a specific time of the day. Whatever it is that you are doing that is important to you, make sure that your scripted day includes a block of time set aside for your magic time.

So again, at the end of each day, script tomorrow's day.

• Decide what you are going to get done.
• Assign blocks of time to those activities.
• Get it done & stick to your time limits.

Now you have the five minute recipe for a more productive day and better time management.