Productivity is the goal of every individual whether in the work, home or personal setting. With limited time of 24hours a day (from which we spend atleast 5hours on rest), and so much to do, time management can be quite difficult.
The 4 D’s of Time Management
DELETE, DELEGATE, DEFER. DO
The book “Power of Focus” outlined 4 actions to help with time management and appropriation to tasks, called the 4 D’s of Time Management.
“Delete”. This encourages the ability to learn to say “no” and carefully filter to-do lists. In a work setting; delete clutter work — such as junk mails and non-vital meetings — to make room for core matters.
“Delegate”. Reassigning work is one of the most efficient strategies of time management at workplace, as long as the new person-in-charge has the required skills to fulfill the requirement. It should include tasks that don’t require the specific know-how of the tasked
“Defer”. This advocates postponement of tasks that are not-time sensitive. Note that this doesn’t imply procrastination, but rather, performing tasks in the order of priority and time sensitivity
“Do”. Procrastination is a lazy man’s apology. Do is as straightforward as it gets. Get started on that project, task or request immediately. Pay all attention, and focus on that task, until it’s done.
Productivity is inevitably the output of proper time management.
When performing a tasking, or whiling away time, ask yourself these question.
Should I be doing this now?
Will what I’m doing at the moment impact positively in my productivity?
Do I have a more important task to complete at the moment?
If your answers are yes, then you’re on track. Else, please refocus and adjust to your priorities.
References
https://airfocus.com/glossary/what-are-the-four-ds-of-time-management/
