Many people are looking past December ahead of January and the New Year. This is a bad mistake because there is still so much that you can do right now. Personally, I have received my second training request approved this week. I also receive my application/suitability letter from the training facility because I am going through a third-party vendor. Now if I were complacent packing it in and pressing the reset button in a few weeks, I would have missed this opportunity. Yet, there is still plenty that you can do in December.
Here are ten tips that will guide you through completing your goals, decluttering your environment, increasing productivity and morale plus building future momentum.
- Don’t Panic, Get Organized!
This is not the time to freak out! You have a short time period to accomplish something. Besides panicking is a time waster that you can ill-afford with a deadline right around the corner. Getting organized is a much better way towards spending your time. Organize every outstanding task regardless of time period. Right now during this stage, you just want to acknowledge everything around you.
- Focus on the now!
Now we are whittling down on what to do in a time crunch. You have only ten days to complete something; therefore, anything over ten days needs to be abandoned immediately. You need short-term wins right now.
- Make lists
Take all of the short term tasks and list them. You want to know all of the outstanding tasks that you still have to do during this ten-day time period.
- Prioritize
List these tasks in order of importance with the ones that have the biggest consequences (positive or negative) first. This helps you see where you should throw your attention.
- Break it down even further
Many people stop at prioritizing because they feel like listing all of the tasks means that they have accomplished something. That’s wrong because even though something will take less than 10 days does not mean that it is a priority. Some tasks can actually harm your progress towards the most important tasks out there. Eliminating the non-essential short-term tasks save time which you have very little of to begin with.
- Schedule down time
You are not a machine! You are a human who eat and sleeps. Oftentimes, when creating the schedule, people leave these things out and the results are disastrous! Remember, that on average a person works 6 ½ hours of an 8-hour day incorporating lunch and scheduled breaks. Be realistic when creating your schedule.
- Build in a buffer
Just like you have built in breaks for the people, your schedule needs a buffer too. A buffer gives you leeway just in case something takes longer than expected. I recommend having a 1-2 day buffer on a 10-day schedule just in case. If you are under the gun, you don’t want to create a schedule with no wiggle room. One thing is for certain: there are always surprises which is all the more reason why you create a buffer to protect you from uncertainty.
- Set up a goal tracker
You do have to measure your progress in real time. A goal tracker keeps everyone honest by tracking how many milestones and tasks are completed within the allotted time.
- Reward Yourself for Progress
This is a morale booster. Reward yourself and your team whenever you have completed a milestone. You are celebrating progress; but also it boosts the morale of your team because you are closer towards your goal.
- Kill the Inner Critic
Last but not least, kill the inner critic! Negativity has no place here. Regardless of who did or did not do whatever, you have ten days remaining to accomplish something. The last thing you need is negativity and infighting. Killing the negativity and dissension are two ways towards ensuring that you complete your tasks in ten days.
Want to learn how to better prioritize your time? Purchase the time management bundle. It has 3 full time management webinars with slides that you can start and stop on your own time.
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Source: http://carlarjenkins.com/dont-discount-december/
