Back in 2005 we wrote about the September/October 2005 issue of The Futurist where they examined Americans' use of time. According to the article, the common perception that there just isn't enough time isn't supported by the stats from a national study using time-diaries. Basically, the findings show that Americans average 35 hours per week of work time and 35 hours per week of free time. So how does that compare to today? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics people spent an average of 35.91 hours each week on leisure activities in 2016. The average time spent working was closer to 40 hours, but it isn't clear that the methodology is the same. Regardless of the exact numbers, it … [Read more...] about How Much Time Do You Actually Have
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Getting More Done
If you want to accomplish more than those around you, you have two options: Spend more time working. Do more in less time. There aren't any other options. To get more done, you'll have to do one or both of these things, so lets look at them in more detail. Spend more time working This is how most people try to get more done. They work 10 and 12 hour days, work weekends, etc. While this can definitely help you accomplish more, it doesn't scale very well. If you allow 8 hours per day for sleep and eating, you can't go beyond 16 hours of work per day. If you were able to convert all of your extra time into productive work, you'll only be twice as productive as the average … [Read more...] about Getting More Done
Time Discounting
There is a psychological phenomenon known as time discounting. Basically, it means that a desired result in the future is perceived as less valuable than one in the present. For example, if you allow people to choose from being paid an amount in one year as opposed to being paid a smaller amount now, they will settle for a much smaller payment right now than they will in the future. There has been some research done on this and scientists found that a $100 payment in 12 months is just as attractive as $68 right now for the average person. This means that on average, people will discount the value of a gain made in one year by 32% over how they would value the gain made … [Read more...] about Time Discounting
Be Brilliant
Are you average or above average? By definition, you are probably average although I like to assume that most readers of Productivity501 are above average. But for the moment, lets assume you are average. How can you become above average? Time is the great equalizer. Everyone has the same amount of time--whether you are average, below average or above average. The simple difference between people who are average and those who are above average is that above average people spend more time on the things that really matter. While this is simple to state, identifying the things that are really important and that really matter can be surprisingly. When Bill Gates dropped … [Read more...] about Be Brilliant
Productive Airplane Rides
Today I heard an interesting statistic: One hour of work on an airplane is equal to three hours of work in the office. Wow! Sounds incredible, doesn't it? If that is true, then basically, you'd get just as much done if you spent three hours every day on a plane and take the rest of the time off. Offices of highly paid workers would be better off if they would stop leasing expensive floorspace and just get everyone airline tickets every day. Okay, so maybe it doesn't scale to something you can do every day of the week, but if you've ever worked on a long plane ride, this statistic doesn't sound completely unreasonable. Planes offer the following: A bunch of people you probably … [Read more...] about Productive Airplane Rides
Reading More
Most people agree that reading is very beneficial and lament the fact that they don't have time to read more. Here are five simple tips to help you fit more reading into your busy schedule. Keep a book with you. Keeping a book with you gives you a productive way to fill in those little 10- to 20-minute pockets of time where you are waiting on someone or something. Not every book is good to read in short bursts, so choose something that works well with the time spans to which you plan to commit. Stop reading something if you don't like it. Just because you started a book doesn't mean you have to finish it--no matter how many awards it has won. I started reading The Sound and the Fury … [Read more...] about Reading More
9 Tips for Effective Meetings
Meetings can be one of the biggest time drains for you as an individual and for a business. A meeting with 7 people all making $20 per hour costs a business $140 per hour. If it is a once-per-week meeting and there are 15 minutes wasted at each meeting, the total yearly waste comes to over $1,800. I don't know about you, but a one hour meeting with only 15 minutes wasted is actually a pretty good meeting, in my experience. Half of a meeting being wasted is more par for the course, and entire meetings that are unproductive is fairly common. Here are some ways you can facilitate more effective meetings and hopefully get more done in less time. 1. Make people show up on time If people … [Read more...] about 9 Tips for Effective Meetings
The most important part of Mobile Email
Many people overlook the most important part of a mobile email solution. It is easy to get caught up in the idea that it is going to be so wonderful to have access to your email where every you are. The fact is, if you can't delete emails from your mobile device in a way that will delete them from your desktop computer, your mobile solution is probably going to cost you more time than it saves. If every email you read and then delete requires that you "touch" it again on your desktop, you are doing a lot of extra work. In the paper world, you get the most efficiency by minimizing the number of times you have to physically handle an item. The digital world is no different. Every … [Read more...] about The most important part of Mobile Email
Simple Way to Speed up Elevators
Last week we looked at a beautifully simple solution to reduce crime in low income housing areas. I wanted to give a few more examples. A contractor had built a skyscraper downtown in a large city. The new occupants were moving in and the contractor and new owners were finishing up dealing with little issues in finalizing all the little details of the contract. As the number of people in the building increased, the office workers started complaining about the elevators being too slow. Trying to make changes to the elevator would have been a pretty expensive modification. The people who had designed the building came in, timed the elevators, and determined that they were … [Read more...] about Simple Way to Speed up Elevators
Reducing Expenses vs. Being Productive
We usually think of being more productive as a way to make more money, or at least make the same amount of money with less effort. This is a short sighted approach. Being more productive really means doing things that will give you more time to pursue the things that are really important to you. If I am able to maintain my same level of pay and cut my work time in half, I've made some pretty significant improvements in my productivity. But what if, instead of maintaining the same level of pay, we just try to maintain the same standard of living. Or better yet, just maintain the same standard of living on things that are important to us. This type of thinking suddenly opens up … [Read more...] about Reducing Expenses vs. Being Productive
Interview: Productive Time of Day
We interviewed a number of people and asked: What time of day do you feel you are most productive and why? (198) Here are their answers. What about you? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I feel most productive in late morning and early afternoon. My energy peaks at this time of day, and I have found I am able to focus more on important tasks. I am not a morning person, so usually I end up going around in circles or repeating something- basically, wasting my time. Late afternoon, beginning around 3, I begin to get sluggish and often need a nap! It is important to know when your energy level is at its highest and when you are least distractable. That is when you should … [Read more...] about Interview: Productive Time of Day
Mind Your Own Business
Begin Unrelated Story: I was talking with an employee who works for Mind Your Own Business--a company that makes small business accounting software. She was relating a time she had been pulled over by a policeman who asked her the standard questions, "where are you going?", "where do you work?". When asked where she worked, she replied "Mind Your Own Business". The cop was kind of surprised and started to explain that it would probably be better to cooperate. She had to pull out her business card to prove that she, indeed, worked at Mind Your Own Business. End Unrelated Story Okay, back on track. When you do work, you are providing value to someone. Actually, you are providing … [Read more...] about Mind Your Own Business
Dealing with Gadgets
I have to admit, I'm a gadget lover. I like playing with phones, cameras, personal organizers and all kinds of electronic devices. I'm not quite as much an addict as I used to be, but I still like mobile electronics. Some of these gadgets can be really big time savers and a good investment. Other gadgets are great fun to use, but the time they save is offset by the time they cost. Then there are the gadgets that make you think you are being more productive, but actually make you waste time. Here are some of the things that I look for in a gadget to help make me more productive: Better Use of Downtime – Everyone spends time waiting for planes, waiting for appointments, driving in … [Read more...] about Dealing with Gadgets
Redeeming Your Time
Whether you run a home business or simply want to be more productive with your time each day, time tracking tools are a technological aid that can diagnose tasks that are efficient and those that are not worth the time invested in them. The time tracking tools that are available today are customized to suite different needs and preferences and help make productivity an achievable goal. We thought that our readers would find a list of time tracking tools useful, as well as a bit of information about each one. Rescue Time This tool offers time tracking service in a neatly organized package that is easy to install and operate. Rescue Time works by tracking which applications the user … [Read more...] about Redeeming Your Time
Time Tracking
Back in July we reviewed Fruitful Time. They have just released a new product called the Productivity Meter. It lets you track how much time you spend on different (Windows) programs and graphs the results. The personal edition is free. The paid edition will let you do things like create time cards. I have previously used a similar program called Job Capture (OS X/Win) to track time for billing in a graphic arts department I managed. RescueTime is another similar app with free and paid versions. If you haven't ever used something like this, it is worth trying. It can be pretty scary to see where your time is actually going. :) … [Read more...] about Time Tracking