July 3, 2023

Below is a lesson from Brian Johnson's Optimize +1 on the secrets of time management, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

15 Secrets of Time Management: That Successful People Know

Brian Johnson

Learn more about Optimize +1 with Brian Johnson here.

Key Learnings:

1. Time is your most valuable resource. How would your life change if each and every day you truly felt your 1,440 minutes?
2. Identify your Most Important Task (MIT) and work on it each day before doing anything else. So, what’s your one thing? What’s your MIT?
3. Work from your calendar, not a to-do list. How much less stress would you feel if you could rip up your to-do list and work from your calendar?
4. Procrastination can be overcome if you figure out how to beat your future self, who cannot be trusted to do the right thing.You know what needs to get done this week; how will you ensure you don’t put it off?
5. Accept the fact that there will always be more to do and more that can be done. How much better will you feel when you finally accept the fact that you can’t do it all, because there will always be more that can be done?
6. Always carry a notebook. How much less stress will you feel when you begin to dump everything important into your notebook?
7. Email is a great way for other people to put their priorities into your life; control your inbox. Are you ready to commit to checking email no more than three times a day?
8. Schedule and attend meetings as a last resort, when all other forms of communication won’t work. Look at the meetings on your calendar for the week ahead. How can you eliminate them or reduce their allotted time?
9. Say no to everything that doesn’t support your immediate goals. Which meetings, calls, and projects will you say no to in the upcoming weeks?
10. Eighty percent of outcomes are generated by twenty percent of activities. What 20 percent of your time generates 80 percent of your value?
11. Focus your time only on things that utilize your unique strengths and passions. What are you going to outsource starting next week?
12. Batch your work with recurring themes for different days of the week. How much more productive would you be, how much less stress would you feel, if your days were organized to maximize your effectiveness?
13. If a task can be completed in less than five minutes, then do it immediately. How much time will you gain when you aren’t returning over and over again to ‘touch’ the same items? Touch it once, touch it once, touch it once.
14. Invest the first 60 minutes of each day in ritual that strengthen your mind, body and spirit. What time will you set for your alarm clock, for tomorrow morning, so you’ll have time for your morning ritual?
15. Productivity is about energy and focus, not time. How will you increase your energy tomorrow?