Productivity Tip: Always Have Extra Time

High performers often find themselves lacking extra time and that can lead to a lot of frustration. Maybe you’re one of those people who likes to have every minute of the day planned out.

This isn’t a bad strategy and I think it’s a good idea to have a plan for your day. The problem is that we often forget that other variables are going to affect our productivity.

These simple things eat up your time. For instance, I recently received a new credit card, which meant I had to update some online, recurring payment information.

In most cases, this would take about a minute. I’d log on to the company website and update my card.

But for one company, I was unable to update my credit card. Instead, I was told to call the company with the new number. I did that and while the process wasn’t too painful, it took about 15 minutes, as most of that time was spent on hold.

While I was able to multitask some, I couldn’t focus entirely on another project. In the end, something that I thought would take a minute ended up taking 15.

If your day is so jam packed with things you need to do, finding extra time can put you into a panic. All of your other tasks will be rushed, you may have to stay late, or things won’t get done.

These little unexpected delays can appear at the worst times. Have you ever wanted to buy a quick cup of coffee, only to have the line brought to a standstill by someone who wants to pay with pennies?

While you can’t expect these things, they will happen. Leave some open time in your schedule, so you don’t fall behind, when these delays occur.

Sometimes those delays are important requests or unplanned conversations that are worth having.

If everything in your day goes to plan, you’ll enjoy some bonus time. That extra time can be spent on other projects, big picture thinking, or used as a well deserved break.

Sometimes the fastest route to productivity involves slowing down a little.