Is it possible that prevailing perceptions about productivity don’t work for everyone? This week's guest Dorie Clark, productivity expert, strategy consultant, author, and professional speaker decided to put them to the test. Through her month-long time-tracking experiment, she was able to further optimize her time, and what she learned might surprise you. Dorie and I discuss misconceptions about multitasking, methods for better email management, and getting out of meetings you don’t need to attend.

Key Takeaways:

• Start by actually understanding how you're spending your time. Do a time-tracker for 1-2 weeks (see below for a free version).
• Traditional definitions of multi-tasking is really task-switching, which is not productive.
• Strategic multi-tasking is when you can truly do two (or more) things at once, like exercise while listening to a podcast or eating a meal with friends. 
• Strategic multi-tasking can increase the amount of things you get done within the same 24 hours. 
• Standardize how you deal with email. Avoid letting 'dealing with email' become a go-to activity periodically during your day.
• Email is less of a problem because of the time it takes but because of the stress it causes. 
• Say no to meetings you don't need to be in. Ask for other ways to engage before agreeing to participate in a meeting. 

Grab a free time-tracker.

Read the article based on this episode: 3 Unexpected Ways to Optimize Your Time

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KEEP UP WITH DORIE

website:https://dorieclark.com/
twitter: @dorieclark
instagram: @ericakeswi
linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/doriec

Check out episode 19 - Time Management Methods, Mindsets and Approaches - for more on this topic. 

Get the free mini-guide for episode 19 to help you manage your time more effectively.