I am always looking for new methods to improve my time management. It is almost to a level of fascination to me when I find a new tip or trick that saves me time—even if it is just a small amount. So when I found Dave Crenshaw’s training videos on LinkedIn, I was hooked!
The Concept of Gathering Places
One of the most impactful things I learned with his training was the concept of gathering places. These are places that we use throughout our days to store any piece of information that needs to be processed in some way. In most cases, we have too many gathering places and no process for taking care of the items in those places. For instance, when I did his training, I had something like 25 gathering places that included various spots on my desk, different notebooks, different places on my computer, places throughout the house, and in my mind (a terrible one BTW!).
Implementing Changes
After going through his training, I did a complete overhaul cleanup of my office space. Removed anything unnecessary. Organized the items that would stay on my desk. Created a physical inbox where physical items could be placed and dealt with later (I have a scheduled time every Tuesday to clean out my physical inbox—another amazing trick of his!). And added some sticky notes throughout the house to jot down anything that pops up so it isn’t stored in my head just to be forgotten (tip—once it is written, it immediately goes into the inbox to be dealt with at the scheduled time).
Email Management and Focus
I also decided to change my email checking schedule. Before, I was checking them and responding to them constantly throughout the day—a total flow killer (if you aren’t familiar with the idea of flow, I highly recommend reading Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). So I paid for and installed an app on my web browser that blocks off my email inbox except for the specific times of day I have set to check it. This app helped me break the habit of constantly checking my email and helps me stay more focused, which in the end, saves me time.
Other Time Management Techniques
There are many, many other time management techniques that I have tried and implemented over the years, but the above are just a few that have really helped me over the past few years.
Ponder This
- What are some of your biggest time management challenges, and what techniques have you found effective in overcoming them?
- How do you handle gathering places and organizing information?
- What changes can you make to your current routine to improve focus and productivity?
Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
Books
- Dave Crenshaw
- Flow
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