Time management system from Google

Calendar vector created by pikisuperstar – www.freepik.com

Google is known for its out-of-the-box approach to workflow organization. They care about the development of their employees and do everything to improve their productivity. Well-organized time management is one of the components of their success. And, like all genius, their system is very simple. Today you will learn how it works and you can apply it in your life.

 

What is Google Time Management Technique "Make Time"

Time management is not a clever trick of business coaches to pump money out of gullible listeners. Time management is a strategy that is part of the success of global Internet corporations like Google. They spend a lot of money training their employees in personal productivity techniques. And it pays off with fast and high-quality work.

Over the years, the company has developed its own approach to time management, which is called "Make Time". Its essence is that in your schedule you must clearly indicate the task, the time when you will complete it and the place where you will do it. Why exactly?

It all started with an experiment that was conducted in 2002 by British scientists from the University of Bath. Here's how it went:

  1. The control group was asked to train in the gym once the following week. Only 29% of participants complied with the request.
  2. Experimental group 1 was given the same offer, but added information about the health benefits of exercise. This time, 39% of participants completed the task.
  3. Experimental group No. 2 was asked to indicate on what day and time and where exactly they would go for training. 91% of participants fulfilled their commitment.

It is not enough to say what you will do. You need to clearly define not only the time when you will do your task, but also the place where it will happen. It sounds a little fantastic, but in this case, the probability of fulfilling your plan will be 90%

But that is not all. You have a whole week ahead of you. On which day should a particular task be assigned? When should you brainstorm, meet with a client, and when should you do the minutiae or planning? Google experts have worked on these issues.

Time management system from Google

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How to plan your week

In fact, any person can intuitively reach such a system. What do you want to do on Monday? That's right, nothing. When do you feel the most energized? Sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, on Friday, you already want to relax a little... The distribution of energy and productivity on different days of the week is not the same, and you should take this into account in your plans.

 

Monday is springboard of the week

On Monday you are still a little on the weekend. This is a workout day. Set simple, but important tasks for him with a minimum level of creativity. You can do everything related to editing, “polishing”, completing large tasks.

Do the preparatory work that you will need for more serious cases throughout the week. Hold simple meetings or conferences.

This day is also good for planning your week. This does not require too much energy and creative tasks, however, it immediately sets you up for success, which is what you need at the very beginning of the week.

 

Tuesday and Wednesday – Peak Productivity

If we continue our comparison with sports training, then Tuesday and Wednesday are definitely leg day. These are your working days in the full sense of the word. This is peak productivity and you should make the most of it.

Plan for these days the most expensive things that require maximum concentration: brainstorming, heavy routine, writing reports, difficult negotiations, public speaking. Deal with these "elephants" in two days.

 

Thursday – productivity plateau

The 2-day forced march must have sapped your strength. Therefore, on Thursday, you can slow down a little. But it's too early to stop. This is the perfect day for all sorts of meetings. They don’t drain your attention as much as elephants, but they still require some effort – if you want to make them productive, of course.

 

Friday – wrap up

You have only a few hours left until the end of the working week. Make sure they are a really high quality ending. Engage in information search, research, long-term planning. Summarize, beautifully design completed projects. Friday is somewhat similar to Monday, but predisposes to more creativity. It's also a great time for relaxed networking.

You have worked hard, which means there is a reason to reward yourself – as you wish.

 

Of course, such a schedule is not a dogma, and you will often have to break it. Sometimes whole weeks pass like Tuesdays and Wednesdays – in full exertion. But such a system will help you intelligently distribute your forces and achieve maximum productivity without sacrificing your well-being.

Time management system from Google

Calendar vector created by pikisuperstar – www.freepik.com

 

How to plan your day

Okay, you've got your week planned. What about a specific day? But at what hour and minute should certain tasks be assigned?

Let's first get acquainted with such a concept as "decision fatigue" – decision fatigue. In psychology, this term refers to the deterioration in the quality of decisions after a person has had to make too many decisions. Let's say judges work less fairly at the end of the day than they do before lunch.

What does this mean?

You should divide your affairs into two categories: those in which you need to make many decisions (brainstorming, negotiations, planning) and routine. Assign tasks from the first category to the afternoon, from the second to the end of the day. By the way, this is why you need to plan your day in the morning, when the reserves of willpower are still high.

Time management system from Google

Calendar vector created by upklyak – www.freepik.com

 

Summary

The Google time management system is aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of your actions and the implementation of plans. And for this, it is enough to use the following simple rules:

  • Specify in your schedule a specific time and place for completing tasks;
  • Plan your week based on the expected productivity on a given day;
  • Assign tasks that require a lot of decisions for the first half of the day.

And remember, you don't have to work at Google to be as productive.

Source: 4brain.ru