Here’s a thought exercise: imagine you finally manage to beat the procrastination motivation monster for once. (For many of us, that would already be a fantasy.) But say you sit down to work, full of beautiful productive motivation, ready to take on the day.
Then what? Surely you’re going to try to get some work done. But do you even know where to start?
Instinctually, you know that there are more efficient and less efficient ways to work. But we aren’t as well-versed as we should be in what those more efficient ways are. Often we’re not prepared like we need to be. We don’t have the tools—physically or metaphorically—that we need to make our lives easier.
Often, people deem the act of simply expending effort to be enough. Like football players on the offensive line—put your head down and push hard, and don’t worry about the details. The truth is, that’ll get you pretty far. It will also, eventually, get you to the end. Rest assured, you will accomplish your goal. Even if you do it the slowest, “worst” way, you’ll still get there.
But time is one of the worst things to waste. We should always endeavor to save time wherever we can. Plus, you’ll be frustrated, and probably bored. In the back of your mind, you’ll have the sinking feeling you were missing something. Or that something could be done more efficiently.
So let’s look at some novel strategies—time multipliers, they’re called—for simplifying or amplifying the work that we’re able to do. See what works for you and maybe we can save you some time in your day.
How select strategies have an outsized impact
In the most basic sense of the word, a “multiplier” is a person, tool, or strategy that creates a disproportionate result compared to the investment. Like a hammer. It’s a tool that amplifies your effort to produce more output. Simple stuff, right?
A time multiplier is a strategy or tool that creates more free time and gets more done for you in the process. It’s like using time management to create magical results—maximizing returns with minimal input.
As leadership guru Rory Vaden puts it on the TED blog:
“Instead of just asking, ‘What’s the most important thing for me to do today?’ time multipliers ponder, ‘What’s the one thing I can tackle today to make tomorrow smoother?’
“In essence, by being mindful of how we use our time now, we can carve out extra hours later.”
There’s a whole toolbox of time multipliers out there, from productivity apps to methods like Getting Things Done. But let’s start simple with just a few examples.
Prioritize the right tasks with a killer to-do list approach
This might be the number one thing we’re raging against: the infinite, overflowing, terrifying to-do list.
We feel like we’re juggling a hundred tasks at once, and never really getting anywhere on any of them. The list never gets shorter, despite our efforts.
It’s because our time is fractured. We rarely lock in on a singular task anymore. If we did so more often, we would see this: spending an hour fully locked in on a meaningful task is like discovering a time warp. It’s nearly eight times more effective than an entire day doing what we usually do—checking emails, meetings, hopelessly flitting between low-impact tasks.
Here’s the real secret sauce to fixing this tough situation: nailing your priorities.
Think of prioritization as the OG time-saver. Sorting tasks from must-dos to maybe-laters. It’s what allows you to zero in and focus on what’s important in the immediate moment. The only problem is that it can be a complicated (not to mention time-consuming) process.
So, let’s simplify things. Just ask yourself four questions:
1. Can you ditch this task altogether?
Saying “no” can be your superhero move when it comes to freeing up time for what truly matters. Every time you say “yes” to a meaningless task, you’re giving the boot to something more worthwhile.
Now, let’s be honest, saying “no” isn’t always a walk in the park. We’ve all been there, staring down a task we know is a total time-waster, but somehow can’t resist. But hey, if you’re serious about unlocking more time superpowers, it’s time to flex that “no” muscle.
2. Can this task be automated?
There always seems to be a baseline batch of tasks in each project that are busy work. Minutes of expenditure that are beneath you. But now that we live in the future, it doesn’t always have to be like that.
Keep a vigilant eye out for those parts of the process—the elements that can be combined, simplified, or automated. That thing that took this long—why did it take that long? What can be done about that? Are you doing something out of order? Finishing one page of something at a time instead of working in batches?
You’d be shocked at how many mini-elements of each task can be handled by our modern computers. (And don’t even get us started on AI) [link] You can streamline your workflow and reclaim valuable time.
Automation serves as a time-saver, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. According to Kim Kadiyala from Zapier, your tasks or workflows should meet three key criteria to be ideal candidates for automation:
- They can be completed without requiring your constant attention (think: autopilot mode).
- They consume significant time or are downright annoying.
- They don’t require excessive personalization or finesse.
This, obviously, won’t apply to everyone, or everyone all the time. But do yourself a favor and at least look into the process. You might be surprised by what you find.
(At the very least, remember these six words: keyboard shortcuts, keyboard shortcuts, keyboard shortcuts.)
3. Can you delegate it or teach someone else how to do it?
Have you struggled with letting go of tasks you believe only you can handle? You’re not alone. Research from the London School of Business suggests that knowledge workers spend a considerable chunk of their time on tasks ripe for delegation—up to 41%, in fact.
Offloading such tasks can be a game-changer in terms of time management. Consider this: a task taking just 5 minutes to complete could potentially save you 1100 minutes a year if delegated to a coworker or colleague or supportive loved one, even after investing 30 times that amount to teach someone else. Look for opportunities to lighten your workload by passing on time-consuming tasks wherever feasible. Of course, depending on the nature of your work, much like Question #2, this might not apply. But if it does, don’t sleep on it.
4. Do you need to do this right now?
Do you ever find yourself unsure about tackling a task immediately? It might be worth asking: Does it truly demand my attention right now? According to author Rory Vaden, it’s about practicing “procrastination on purpose.” There’s a distinction between delaying something we know we should do and delaying it because it’s not the opportune moment. It’s not always dire. It’s not always the right time for everything.
Make feedback your friend
Habits wield incredible power in shaping our daily lives. Some estimates say that habits drive almost 40% of our activity throughout the day. And those habits can either propel us toward focus and productivity or pull us into distraction. Habits, truly, can make or break our lives at a cellular level.
And changing habits—from forming new ones to breaking old ones—is no walk in the park. They’re ingrained behaviors, operating on autopilot, which makes them resistant to change. However, according to James Clear, the brain behind Atomic Habits, feedback is the linchpin in habit formation:
“Without awareness of our habits, how can we expect to modify them? That’s why feedback is crucial. Swift feedback yields swift results.”
Enter rapid feedback loops, which can be defined as insights about our lives that come quickly enough to make on-the-fly changes. James Clear calls them the secret sauce for cultivating time-saving habits. The catch? Getting consistent feedback on our desired habit changes can be tricky. You need to be constantly vigilant of your productivity—taking note of how well you’re focusing while you’re, well, supposed to be focusing.
That’s where RescueTime comes in. It quietly runs in the background, meticulously tracking, categorizing, and compiling your activity into comprehensive daily reports. You can then review that information and see where you did well and where you faltered. It serves as a potent ally in fostering the feedback loops you need to make change. That’s why we call it the RescueTime Assistant.
You can even set it to alert you when, for example, you spend 15 minutes staring at Twitter. That notification will hopefully jolt you back to the task at hand, but the Assistant can also trigger a 30-minute Focus Session, where all distracting sites are blocked.
Your environment keeps you in check
You can also up your productivity game by minimizing distractions in your environment. Sometimes it’s the simple tweaks that make the biggest difference in how we manage our time effectively.
Believe it or not, where you work and what’s around you can have a massive impact on your productivity. From the stuff cluttering up your desk to the constant buzzing of your phone, it all adds up. Set up your environment to support your focus and make it harder to get sidetracked. Read all about the ways you can do that here and here. [link]
Even the little things you keep nearby, like your phone or to-do list, can hijack your attention without you realizing it. Studies show that just having your phone in your line of sight can mess with your brainpower. So, take a cue from Stanford psychologist BJ Fogg, who advocates for adding friction between you and your distractions. Make it harder to get sucked into time-wasting activities like social media. Make yourself so bored that doing productive work legitimately feels nice by comparison.
Don’t forget the golden rule of productivity: it’s not just about doing things efficiently, it’s about doing the right things. As management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
That’s where time multipliers come in. By picking the right tasks, building solid habits, and optimizing your workspace, you’re not just working smarter, you’re investing in your future productivity. And like any good investment, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out in the long run. It will get easier, and easier, and more fun. You’ll be able to do more with less.
Keep that axe sharp
A woodsman was once asked, “What would you do if you had just five minutes to chop down a tree?” He answered, “I would spend the first two and a half minutes sharpening my axe.”
He, obviously, got it. Your tools and strategies are just as important as the resolve you have to use them.
If you refine them—if you sharpen that axe—they will make your work better, and easier—which will make you more likely to want to come back and do work the next day.
And it will feel so much better. Good luck out there.
