how to save time and work more effectively

How to save time and work more efficiently

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Are you Footloose and Fancy Free?

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So...how do you do this?

• Understand your priorities – where are you going?• Plan your trip• Prioritise your activities• Be flexible

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What are your priorities?

• Spending time with family & friends• Making money• Hobbies• Grow your business• 4 x Holidays a year• Recognition

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What are your challenges?

• Not enough hours in the day• Not enough days in the week• Not enough weeks in the year

According to The Federation of Small Businesses:• 79 per cent of small business owners work over 40 hours

per week, • 27 per cent work between 50 and 60 hours per week,• and 22 per cent work over 60 hours.

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So what we need is more time!

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What are we currently doing?

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What are we currently doing?

• To Do Lists

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What are we currently doing?

• To Do Lists

• Post it notes

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What are we currently doing?

• To Do Lists

• Post it notes

• Technology

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What are we currently doing?

• To Do Lists

• Post it notes

• Technology

• Memory

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This is not a To Do List?

It is the road to:

• Frustration

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This is not a To Do List?

It is the road to:

• Frustration

• Disappointment

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This is not a To Do List?

It is the road to:

• Frustration

• Disappointment

• Burn Out

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So what can we do?

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What do I do?

• Steven Covey’s Quadrant Method– 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

• The Four D’s Method

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The Quadrant Method

Prioritises tasks based upon their urgency and importance to your business:

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

NOT IMPORTANT

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The Quadrant Method

Prioritises tasks based upon their urgency and importance to your business:

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

URGENT AND

IMPORTANTNOT IMPORTANT

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The Quadrant Method

Prioritises tasks based upon their urgency and importance to your business:

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

NOT URGENT AND

IMPORTANTNOT IMPORTANT

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The Quadrant Method

Prioritises tasks based upon their urgency and importance to your business:

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

NOT IMPORTANT

URGENT AND NOT

IMPORTANT

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The Quadrant Method

Prioritises tasks based upon their urgency and importance to your business:

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

NOT IMPORTANT

NOT URGENT AND NOT

IMPORTANT

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The Four D’s Method

Provides total clarity

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT

NOT IMPORTANT

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The Four D’s Method

Provides total clarity

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT DO IT

NOT IMPORTANT

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The Four D’s Method

Provides total clarity

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT DO IT DATE IT

(brought forward folder or VA)

NOT IMPORTANT

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The Four D’s Method

Provides total clarity

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT DO IT DATE IT

NOT IMPORTANT DELEGATE IT

(To your VA)

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The Four D’s Method

Provides total clarity

URGENT NOT URGENT

IMPORTANT DO IT DATE IT

NOT IMPORTANT DELEGATE IT DUMP IT

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So what are the next steps?

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Next steps.....

• Collate all tasks into one place• Consider the urgency and importance of each task• Allocate each task to the correct quadrant

THEN:• Do it• Date it• Delegate it• Dump it

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How should you date activate tasks?

With Outlook Tasks

For more information on how to use Outlook Tasks take a look at the Top Tips section of our website at www.kaleidoscopeservices.co.uk

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Remember.....

• You can’t do everything and you certainly can’t do everything today. Learning to understand the difference between Urgent and Important is crucial to business success.

• Try to delegate tasks from quadrants two and three – don’t forget that there will always be a Virtual Assistant willing and able to take on these tasks.

• Use a brought forward folder and Outlook tasks• Take time out at the end of every day to update your

matrix so that when you arrive at your desk the next day you arrive with a clear focus on what you will be doing that day.

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And finally.....

Be flexible.....

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Catherine AdamsonExecutive Virtual Assistant Services

07946 444366

catherine@kaleidoscopeservices.co.uk