Talane’s Blog of the Week, April 2, 2007

A Classic Tip from Talane . . .
Get Your Work Done in Half the Time
Excerpted from bestselling book Coach Yourself to Success by Talane Miedaner

If work expands to fill the available time, the solution is to reduce the amount of time you have to get the work done. When pressed, most people can get the job done in half the time they are currently using. Have you ever noticed that the day before you are leaving for a trip you always manage to clean out an entire in-box that has been jammed for weeks? There is nothing like an incentive to get a body moving. How could you get your work done in half the time? It may take some creative thinking, but it is well worth the effort.

If you have a pile of paperwork on your desk, set an alarm for one hour and see if you can beat the clock. Tons of files to clean up? Set a morning aside and get a buddy who wants to work on a project of his or her own. Every hour call each other up for a two-minute progress report. One of my clients kept saying she was going to clean up all the piles of papers in her office, but it just wasn't getting done. We set up a Saturday morning, I worked on my in-box and she worked on hers. She called me every hour to report her progress and I gave her a pep talk to keep her going. In three hours she cleared her desk and two file drawers and she felt terrific!

This turns a dreary task into a fun game. You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish. The ultimate goal is to have as much time as possible for yourself and for the fun things in life. People who are having a great time easily attract success; opportunities come to them. So get your work done in half the time.