Unfortunately, there is a horrible disconnect between what we say we do and what we actually do. Hopefully this section will help you a lot in eradicating this problem.

Done is better than perfect. – Facebook Motto.

IMPORTANT ACHTUNG ATTENZIONE

If you fail in constructing a good list and following the steps outlined previously, the next session might fail. So please take the right amount of time in all the steps seen in the previous blog posts!

PREVIOUSLY

Until now you:

• have a clear, cherry picked goal;
• compiled a smaller to-do-list. You are therefore less stressed and more clairvoyant about what needs to be done;
• created a clear, step-by-step approach to success because you’ve done your research in understanding how the successful people made it happen;
• have the right attitude and the right mindset;
• prepared a well planned schedule.

Dr Sarah Genner, a Senior Researcher at Zurich University for Applied Sciences in Switzerland and a Visiting Researcher at Harvard University, reminds us one more time about a few things before carrying on:

• your tasks must be small and specific in order to make them manageable and less daunting
• you must aim to focus on one thing at a time,
• eliminate/minimize distractions,
• solicit help if needed

• don’t try to be the most efficient: thrive to be the most effective. This is achieved by first doing the very important and crucial 20% of tasks. You can only move onto the other tasks once you completed the high priority items first

• give up perfection: you have to be comfortable with achieving 80% of the results, as if you wait until you get something perfect, you will never actually accomplish much.

• don’t mistake movement for achievement. It’s easy to be faked out of being busy. The big question is: doing what?

Are you ready?

THE START

The hard part of “doing” is actually getting started. We all know that once we’ve started for a few minutes it’s all good. Therefore our battle is focused with our inner resistance.

Mel Robbins on TEDx says that our motivation dies within 5 seconds. Putting things off creates additional stress and chaos you really don’t need and kills your motivation, leaving you overwhelmed and stuck.

Work is the best way to get working. Start with short tasks to get the ball rolling.

POMODORO TECHNIQUE

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

Some people work 90min followed by 20min breaks, some work 25min with 5min breaks… I personally do the latter 3 cycles in a row and after the 4th cycle I take a 30min break.

Whatever you do, this technique allows us to be more focused and have more energy.

Make sure you use a timer, and you force yourself to work on that task until the timer is up.

However, do not stop the timer if you’ve reached your flow state! In positive psychology, flow, also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, the flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting loss in one’s sense of space and time.

SINGLE HANDLING TECHNIQUE

See multitasking as your enemy: it stresses you out and delays you.

When you plan, schedule blocks for one task only and make a start and stop. Concentration is essential to success. It’s often impossible to succeed without concentration. Perform what most authors call single handling.

Single handling is when you start a task and don’t put it down until it’s completed. According to Brian Tracy, it will take more than 500% more if you put it off for later. By doing the task all in one go, it will give you energy and enthusiasm.

After a fruitful day, it is important to sit down and ask yourself “what must I do tomorrow?”. It is an essential step and you will benefit from this easy and small habit.

PARKINSON’S LAW

Parkinson’s law (Cyril Parkinson, 1957) is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. It almost sounds like water: the water will fill whatever container you put it in. Work seems to be just as fluid: will take the time it’s given to be achieve. Aka, we’re more focused and productive with limited time.

Successful people set tight deadlines. Sometimes I feel like a task will swell in importance the more you wait for it. Set tight deadlines for yourself and tasks.

I personally combine this law with Pareto’s principle, the 80/20 rule. You can test different techniques, mix and match them until you find your golden formula.

THE LEARNING CURVE THEORY

The learning curve theory is a relationship between unit production time and the cumulative number of units produced: as individuals or organizations collectively repeat a particular process, they gain skill or efficiency from their experience and production time improvements result.

In other words: batching. You can manifest more time by batching daily tasks and recurring decisions together. For instance:

• instead of cooking every day, cook once a week for a couple of hours and put all the meals in the freezer;
• instead of deciding what to wear every morning, decide twice a month what you will wear for the next two weeks;
• chunk “housekeeping tasks” together;

• answer emails/make phone calls all in one go

Brian Tracy states in an old presentation of his, that you can decrease the time that a task take up to 80% if you batch it!

No brainer.

SURROUND YOURSELF WELL

A quote that changed my life was: you are the average of the 5 people you hang the most around with.

Some would even go as far as saying: if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.

Gold. At least for me!

Ultimately, I decided to hang out with 3 kinds of people:

• The people who push themselves, are proactive and achieve whatever they put their mind too
• Those who believe in me, encourage me when I’m down and cheer every accomplishment I gain
• Those who bring laughter and fun

Your aim is to build habits when you use these techniques: they are not just one-off magic formula that you use for that one essay, they should be integrated into your daily routine, and repeated consistently. It´s now time to dive into the next section.

BONUS

HOW CAN WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER (ONLINE OPPORTUNITY)

If you are struggling to find experience and are interested in Copywriting, Marketing or Entrepreneurship then we are looking for people to become editors of this website. I will form you and teach you everything I know. If you want to get involved with this blog then please do not hesitate to contact me via this Contact Form or via my Instagram account. This is a unique opportunity. Again, you can contact me for more details on how this may help you!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU

Over the years I have created many guides and checklist that aim to help you save time. Here are a list of them just in case you might miss out on a few:

1. My 1st E-Book: a resource that has help me become a boss at Time Management. Moreover, it has also helped me create more time for what I love and get to my goals faster. It is lengthy, however it is arguably the best Time Management piece of research out there.
2. The Time Management Actionable Sheets: a summary of my E-Book. These sheets have conserved the absolute essential actions you need to take to make the most out of your time. Do not skip any steps!
3. My Before & After CV Transformation: a resource that has collected my CVs for the past 7 years to help you not only craft a great CV, but to also show you that everyone can start mediocre and grow exponentially.
4. How To Land a Job Faster Guide: a resource that aims to give you all of the tips and recommendations I have used during my career. This will help you avoid some common mistakes students do when starting off with their job applications.

MY OBJECTIVE IS AND WILL FOREVER BE TO HELP YOU

To conclude, the aim of this website is to help you have the best fresh start at University and with your career. There is nothing that gives me more happiness and joy but to hear your positive feedback on how helpful my content has been. Contact me if you have any feedback for me!

BEST OF LUCK WITH IT ALL!!!!

Much affection,

Francesca Michaud