At The Randy Lane Company, we have learned a thing or two from coaching some very busy people.
Imagine the crazy schedules of performers like Ryan Seacrest, Jimmy Kimmel, or Carson Daly. Would you like to know the secrets of how to do it all and do it so well?
You are clearly destined for that level of star success in the future, so you need time hacks that keep your schedule on track through hosting multiple shows, red carpet interviews, presenting the Oscars, etc. and still make the party on your yacht.
Schedule your to-dos: What does not go on the calendar tends to not happen. A list of to-dos is only the first step. Commit each task into a calendar appointment along with meetings and calls and more of them will get done.
Do your daily schedule the night before. Mornings are too frantic. Review the next day’s to-dos and schedule each evening for more effective, accurate planning. Reset and re-adjust the second half of your daily schedule at lunch hour.
Use apps. I use ToDo but other apps include Remember The Milk, Toodledo and my Amazon Echo synchs up my spoken reminders with a list Todoist. (I use it for groceries.)
Group like tasks. Do all your phone calls in one block. Do the same for scheduling appointments, writing memos and show planning. Jumping back and forth between tasks takes your brain much more time to spool up and get focused.
Eat your frogs first. Doug Harris, CEO of Creative Animal.com told me to imagine that eating a fat, slimy bull frog was on my task list. Eating that frog first makes everything else that day seem easier. Identify what you hate most. Eat it first.
Allow more time than is needed. My coaching calls with radio, television and podcast personalities only take 30 minutes but I always schedule an hour. That minimizes my internal stress if we run late, making me a better listener.
Use technology. Top radio shows today are pre-recording and editing more segments before airing them, simultaneously improving content while saving time. Great segments are podcast and recycled in other hours so more listeners can hear them. Check out how NPR recycles and podcasts their pre-produced news content on “Morning Edition” as an example.
My best tip? I got this in a time management class in 1984 when I was stressed out, unhappy and overworked to the point of insomnia. The instructor reviewed my schedule, grimaced and said, “stop trying to do so much.” Best advice ever.