Remington Begg
How is it Friday already? No, it can't be 6pm. Where did the month of March go?
These are things that busy people say. I think that pretty much covers everybody these days doesn't it? Yes, time flies when your task list keeps growing and new responsibilities pile up on old ones. It seems like there's just not enough time in the day. That overwhelmed feeling and stress always seems to be sitting on your shoulders like a 600 pound gorilla. You feel like disappearing to a beach in Cancun and changing your name to Lost Don't Find. Trust me, I know the feeling, but this feeling can be improved on.
Here are 5 tips to talk that gorilla down and get more time out of your day. Busy marketers, we know these are going to help!
5 Tips For Getting More Out Of Your Work Day
1. Prime the Engine
Every good day starts at the beginning and really even the night before. Getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night will recharge your batteries and you'll feel the difference in the office right away. There's nothing worse than coming into work tired from the night before. Your mind is scattered and the yawn monster attacks you all day. Sleep needs to be your best friend. If you want to setup your Monday for success, try unplugging from mobile devices and work email all day Sunday. This is a great way to hit the refresh button and puts you on a path of renewed motivation.
2. Make the Calendar Your Friend
Impromptu creative meetings, surprise budget phone calls, constant fires—all these things contribute to your hectic work day and overwhelm your top marketing priorities. To help put a stop to this madness, you need to become best friends with your calendar. Time management might sound like an oxymoron in the marketing field, but "going to the calendar" is a strategy that will help you succeed in getting the most out of your time. You'll stop taking every phone call, or putting out every fire that instantly pops up. Instead schedule tasks and priorities in a way that helps you accomplish your goals. If it's not on your calendar, don't do it. You'll be able to see how every hour of your day is utilized. Doing this will help you track projects more efficiently and gives you a rock solid plan of attack for each day. Immediate issues will arise throughout the day, and that's fine, just schedule a particular part of the day to take care of them. Living by the calendar is a great way to make sure large projects never get put on hold by smaller tasks that pop up.
3. Use Waiting Time
Do you have to take the kids to the dentist or do you take mass transit to work? Use that waiting time to read through website traffic reports or get caught up on client email. This time gives you a refreshing break from the office and a relaxing opportunity to be productive.
Do you drive to work and often find yourself sitting in gridlock traffic? Instead of cursing the skies and silently screaming at all the other drivers, try playing a motivational audio book. You'll be surprised at how much better you feel. That feeling will translate into extra motivation in the workplace.
4. Breath in, Breath out, Move on
Taking frequent breaks throughout the day will blow wind into your sails. Every 20-30 minutes, get up from your desk and move around. Step outside and take a couple deep breaths of fresh air. Find a place to stretch your muscles to get that blood circulating again. When you get back to your desk you'll be amazed at how it will affect your productivity. Then fire up that calendar and prepare to mark the next task off your list.
5. Reward Yourself
A little positive reinforcement works wonders for adults just as it does for children. When that to-do list starts getting smaller because you've been pumping out remarkable blog content for clients and managing your time effectively, be sure to reward yourself for a job well done. Self-motivation is a great tool and will have you looking forward to completing tasks like never before. Rewards can be anything from a coffee break, noon time massage, or a cold cocktail after work—anything you want, you deserve it!
Time gets away from us all. Some days we put out so many small fires it feels like we didn't accomplish anything at all. There never seems to be enough time in the day. Hopefully the above tips will help you manage that elusive creature we call time and puts a little pep in your step throughout your work day. As a marketer you're constantly writing content, improving website performance, and a million other tasks. Time is never on your side. To save a little of that precious time try using this headline swipe file. It can help save you 15 minutes by cutting down on your content creation time and gives you proven headline ideas that work. Just imagine, 15 more minutes a day! Sounds like it's time to reward yourself!
