You may have heard the phrase, “if you want to get something done,
ask a busy person.” In my experience, this is true. For instance, try
eating at two restaurants – one crowded and one empty – and notice the
speed of the service at each one. I guarantee that the crowded
restaurant will be faster every time.
The busier you are, the more quickly you learn how to work
efficiently, and you can get more tasks done in less time.
In addition to raising a two year old son and spending one day a week
with him, I currently hold four jobs that I am paid for:
- Wall Street Journal columnist: My nationally
syndicated career advice column, Reinvent, appears online and in print
on Sundays. The column features interviews on topics and trends related
to career change and reinvigoration.
- Blogger: I post on job hunting, careers, and
productivity twice a week at my home blog, Water Cooler Wisdom, and
weekly at the QuickBase blog and a few others. As an active
participant in the blogosphere, I also read and comment on many other
blogs.
- Author: For the last four years, I have written at
least one business book a year. The publication of each book requires
substantial promotional efforts at launch and ongoing publicity and
social media engagement post-launch.
- Workplace speaker and consultant: Some
organizations approach me regarding how they can help their employees
succeed in their careers, and work more effectively with colleagues in
other generations. I speak about these issues in house as well as at
conferences and universities.
I am responsible for completing all of the responsibilities
associated with these four jobs in the space of a 45 hour work week.
When I worked one job in the marketing communications field, I put in
about as many hours – more at times – and certainly had less work
product to show for it. I’ve been able to do it through a process that
has evolved over many years.
Here are some of my strategies:
Assign jobs to specific days
I have four days in which I’ve reserved the entire
day to work. In order to avoid getting overwhelmed, I create a monthly
schedule in which I am slated to work at just one job per day. For
instance, on Monday I am responsible for writing my
Wall Street Journal column and weekly blog posts.
Leave two hours per day for last minute tasks
I make sure I only schedule enough work for six
hours of each day. This way, I have two hours to devote to unexpected
tasks like networking calls, media interviews, and website edits.
Because I don’t have a full-time assistant, I often need to complete
administrative tasks related to my business during this time.
Schedule “bulky” tasks three months out
Bulky tasks are ones that require a huge chunk of time, such as
attending a conference or traveling out of town for a speaking
engagement. As a general rule, I plan assignments that will take me out
of my regular routine for at least 24 hours several months in advance.
This advance planning allows me to avoid overscheduling a particular
timeframe. It also means that I occasionally have to turn out bulky
opportunities that appear at the last minute. Unless they are extremely
lucrative, they’re generally not worth the stress.
Adhere to generous deadlines
I am only able to write a book a year because in the contract with my
publisher, I give myself the entire year. If I were to spend all my
working hours researching and writing the book, I would probably be able
to finish it in a few months. But because I have four jobs, this isn’t
possible. Allowing myself the cushion of a year means that I only have
to work on the book 1.5 days a week. Each 60,000 word manuscript
develops more slowly but is also much more manageable.
Say no or go online
Getting four jobs done in 45 hours means that I sometimes have to say
no to people who want me to help them with a particular task or event.
I try to do one pro bono event and three informational interviews per
quarter, and if a request falls outside that scope, I’ll usually say
no. I might offer people the option of moving an in person event online
so that I can participate that way, and when people want to network
with me over lunch, I will almost always try for a phone call first.
Repurpose content
As a result of writing five books and publishing hundreds of blog
posts and articles over the last few years, I have generated a
substantial body of content. I keep my writing in folders organized by
subject that I can readily access when the time comes. I try to retain
all rights to my content so that even if a particular organization has
first publication rights to it, I can re-use it after a period of time.
Therefore, the work that I perform might very well be applicable to two
or more of my jobs.
Prevent fall-behind by making up lost hours immediately
There are times when an unexpected doctor’s appointment, sick child,
or visiting friend threaten to wreck havoc on my work schedule. When
this happens, it is very easy to fall behind on the work that was
supposed to be completed on that day, and this is where self-discipline
comes in. Even if I’d rather watch Lost, I make up the missed time by
working that evening after my son is in bed, or on a weekend afternoon I
had planned to have off.
It may seem like I get a lot done in 45 hours, but I think I use
every minute much better than the average corporate employee. During
scheduled work time, I don’t surf the Internet, I don’t chit chat with
colleagues in the kitchen, and I don’t go for Starbucks runs. Rather
than just showing up in the office and letting the chips fall where they
may, I plan what is to be accomplished each day very strategically.
Those of you who who work on a variety of tasks at once –
how do you maximize your efficiency?
This post originally appeared on Intuit's Quickbase blog.
