Do you want to save time during the day?

Are you looking for tips to help you better manage your time?

You could take a shortcut on your way to the supermarket.

Or use a productivity app to store your notes and to-dos in one place.

You might even think about multitasking on a series of complex tasks.

Most likely, there’s a good chance you haven’t considered an amazingly simple way to save time.

And what is that? Why, it’s to give time!

In this post, you’ll find a few time-giving tips to keep in mind as you go about your day.

But wait a minute…this sounds a bit counterintuitive.

How can you possibly save time, by giving it?

It’s all about investing time and energy now, so as to save yourself time in future.

Give people time to complete actions.

It takes time to complete any action, be it large or small.

That being said, are you giving others enough time to complete tasks and actions?

Whether you’re requesting feedback from a customer, asking a colleague to review an email, or inquiring about a project estimate, it’s worth taking a step back to give the other party time to complete the request.

Remember, not everything can be processed right away.

People have tasks, responsibilities, and emergencies to deal with on any given day.

There’s also an added bonus to giving people time to complete tasks: you’ll save yourself from a slew of unnecessary email and phone call check-ins and status updates!  

Give specific dates and times for potential meetings.

Thinking about arranging a meeting with a colleague?

You can make the process go a lot smoother if you offer specific dates and times.

Doing so makes it easier for the other party to make a decision.  

For instance, it’s far easier to work within a definite framework as in, “I’m available on Tuesday from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M.” rather than a fuzzy, “I might be able to make it on Tuesday afternoon…”

The next time you have to schedule a meeting, check your calendar for your availability first.

Only after you’ve selected specific dates and times should you offer them to your contact.

Give yourself time to learn new skills.

It takes time to learn any skill. This is especially the case if you have no prior experience.

Whenever you’re presented with something new at work, be it using a new piece of equipment, or giving a presentation, allow yourself ample time to practice and hone your skills.

There’s nothing worse than trying to learn something in a compressed amount of time, getting frustrated in the process, and missing a deadline.

Let’s say you have a project due at the end of the month. The project requires you to use a new piece of software with which you’re unfamiliar.

Instead of waiting until the last minute, you’d probably want to begin learning the software as soon as possible.

How about you? What other “giving” actions can you think of when it comes to managing your time? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!