1. Implement a ‘Waiting for’ List

Most of the time, we’re busy because we want to do as much as possible. Even if we don’t actually have to.

Let’s say you’re the team leader of a team of experts. Everyone has their own task, but not all of them do it right at the time.

At these moments, the first impulse that comes to your mind is to do it yourself. Well, at least it was for me and for many friends of mine.

However, you shouldn’t do it. If someone hasn’t done something, then just wait. That can sound nuts, but trust me, it might be the best option in most situations.

Keep a list of tasks that are dependent on other people’s actions. Not on yours.

This helps you track progress without wasting lots of time checking in unnecessarily and keeps your own to-do list focused.

You need to be sure that your co-worker will accomplish all the work. In other cases, you don’t need him or her at all.

The whole work process builds on the principle of ‘trust’. If you can’t even be 100% confident in your employees, then you just don’t need them.

Your task is to do your work, nothing more.

There’s a pretty good quote that I heard a long, long time ago when I was programming a lot — “Knowing when not to code is the most important skill a programmer can learn.“

So, understand where your focus area ends and someone else’s starts.

Create a to-do list that would specifically help you to diversify these tasks and make the overall process more efficient.

2. Simplify Your Calendar

Warren Buffett is known for keeping a very simple calendar with very few scheduled to-do activities.

I see it everywhere, people have 10–12 different tasks on their schedule, complete not more than half of them, and then feel unhappy by the end of the day.

I’ve been using the Sorted3 app for a while, and most of the time I’ve had like 20 tasks on track, and I just couldn’t keep up with them. It’s a never-ending marathon, and if you stop, then you stop forever.

And simplifying the calendar really helped me. You should add up to 5 most significant tasks that you have.

It’s more about doing the most impactful things in your day than ‘just’ doing them.

This approach can help entrepreneurs avoid being overwhelmed and be sure they have enough time to focus on their most important tasks without a cluttered schedule.

Also, think of your schedule as completely empty at the start. Like how you manage a budget from zero and plan your time from scratch.

This way, you evaluate and decide on each activity carefully. It helps you focus on doing things that are truly important and valuable.

So, by simplifying your calendar, and trying to focus only on the important stuff you’ll finally get a sense of time.

3. Do Nothing (Sometimes)

Doing nothing is the true power of time-management gurus. It might also be the easiest way to not procrastinate and get work done.

It’s tempting to fill every moment with something — work, scrolling through social media, even chores.

But what if you just stopped? Sat down, and did absolutely nothing?

When I say nothing, I mean literally looking at the gray wall without concentrating on anything.

When you’re always on the go, you don’t give yourself the chance to feel bored.

And boredom, believe it or not, can be your ally.

Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, emphasizes the importance of scheduling “do nothing” time.

I even wrote an article about this a long time ago.

Doing nothing can simply lead to increased productivity and creativity when you return to work.

It’s a more neurologic thing when you teach your brain to not be so dependent on ‘doing’ something every time. In other words, you also cut off all the procrastination.

4. Create an ‘If-Then’ Plan

That’s the most unconventional one.

The ‘If-Then’ plan is simply a list of instructions for your workflow.

Becoming distracted isn’t hard nowadays. An infinite number of things want to get your attention, and often we fall for that trap.

For these situations that commonly disrupt your productivity, there’s a pre-decided ‘if-then’ response.

For example, “If I receive an email while I’m working, then I’ll respond during my scheduled email time.”

We can use it in a slightly different way as well, “If I finish a task earlier than planned, then I’ll spend the extra time brainstorming for my next project.” See?

You can’t imagine how powerful that is.

By just creating these instructions, you won’t need to make any decisions during your work. You’ve already prepared everything for yourself.

In other words, you spent 10 minutes creating this list and saved yourself several hours that you would spend scrolling through social media or planning in the middle of the way.