Time Concentration

Those who know me well will know that I have worked in public relations, advertising and the internet. All these industries are known for their busyness. How busy am I? Open 30 or 40 tabs, switch between five or six Microsoft offices documents, eat lunch at the front of the computer, and only found out that never had a glass of water in the whole day is a regular occurrence.

In such a busy environment, a lazy person like me would of course think of all kinds of ways to save time. Today, I'm going to share some tips from the real world that can definitely save time at work and at school!

1. Establishment of an exclusive personal information database

I'm sure you spend a lot of time searching for information in your daily work and study. What kind of information? For example, a conversation with a colleague in Whatsapp, a request from a team leader in Facebook, a text in an email, or a file hidden in a multi-layered path somewhere in your old computer. they are always hidden away when you need them most urgently, and you have to make an effort to find them. Not only is this a waste of time, but it's also often distracting.

If this is a common problem for you, it's a good idea to set up a dedicated database. Whether it's a conversation, an email, a work schedule, feedback on a project, a sudden inspiration, or

all the valuable case studies and knowledge you see on the Internet can be thrown in there, and when you need it, open it up and just look it up!

You can use any note-taking software to build this library of information. My suggestion is to use Onenote or Notion. Of course, the key here is not about which App to use, is about when and how to use it.

In the notes software, create a new notebook according to the project you are working on. Then, everything related to the project can be put in this notebook with a recognizable name!

For example, you and a colleague discuss a prototype online and he brings up a lot of interesting ideas. After the discussion, to avoid forgetting you can then just copy the chat and create a new page of notes in your notebook, named "Date_with_whom_on_which_project_version control' will suffice.

Or, if you're a copywriter, you can just create a new page of notes with examples that you usually collect online. Put it in, and then write about the source and your own ideas. When you're uninspired, open it up and it will immediately provide you with plenty of creative references.

What's more, you can put all your workflows, norms, and even life memos in there. For example,

"5 Batteries for the battery charger are in the second closet by the door."

"The charger is in the box under the bookshelf in the bedroom."

"Business card is in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe."

you may not normally feel it, but it can definitely save you a lot of time and energy in times of urgent need.

To use this method, the most important thing is to keep accumulating and recording on a regular basis. The best way to use this method is to set it to start once you turn on your computer, with the corresponding plug-ins and quick-start methods, you can use the "New Quick Note" in Onenote to make sure that the information is recorded in your notes as soon as possible.

Why is there a unique entry point for aggregation? This is because not only does it make it less difficult to remember, saving our cognitive and memory resources, but it also makes working and learning less difficult. Simplicity and efficiency: When you don't have to spend your precious time trying to remember, you know you can find everything you need by opening this notebook. You can focus more on the task at hand when you have a better understanding of what you are doing.

2. Reduce interruptions to your work

Many people allow themselves to "multitask" to save time. For example, as mentioned earlier, diving into a lot of web pages, a little bit of reading here and there, a little bit of PowerPoint, a little bit of excel, as a way to reduce the anxiety of "I still have one more task to get started" and immerse yourself in the good feeling of "everything is happening at the same time". However, this is the most time-consuming and inefficient way to behave. Remember one basic principle: the human brain is not capable of "multithreading. We can only focus on one thing at a time.

So-called "multitasking" is not really "simultaneous," but rather the brain is constantly interrupting and switching.

In other words, when you think you're "working on two tasks at once," this is actually how your brain works: it goes to A's work State - exit A's working state - enter B's working state - exit B's working state… the cycle continues. It's just that the switchover is so short that we hardly notice it. For example, if you're writing an article and you're first working out a few points in your head, when a news pop-up catches your eye, you click on it, read a news article a few minutes, and then look back at the article and can you immediately recall the result of the idea you just had? I'm afraid it's not that simple because it's been erased from our working memory, making room for us to accept and process the new information from the news article. It takes a while for you to get it back again. And when we interrupt repeatedly, the cumulative total of those hours is quite significant. So while you're working, focus on what you're working on at hand and make sure you don't interrupt for at least half an hour or less and don't work on anything else at the same time.

If there is any unexpected incident, such as a report to hand in, an email to answer, a colleague to respond to…use a Post-it note first! Write it down, and don't take more than 10 seconds, and don't interrupt your work. Take a break until the original task is finished or you are tired, and then go through the items on the post-it note.

If you must interrupt - for example, if you have a sudden meeting - take the post-it note and start with the progress of the work you have just done and the work you are doing. Jot down your thoughts quickly in the form of keywords that you can understand. When returning to your original work, this can greatly reduce the time it takes you to get back to the previous point.

3. The whole to zero

How do you use the time you have in your life, such as taking the bus, waiting for the elevator, eating, walking, etc.? A lot of people choose to read something, read news online, or listen to the online courses, etc.. That's quite right, and certainly much better than getting stoned and doing nothing at all. But it's still not the best use of it. Why? Because the vast majority of valuable knowledge is not something you can grasp in fragments of time. They are often very complex, with a strict reasoning process and thinking logic, you have to completely put yourself into the author's context, follow his line of thought. It is important to analyze his arguments and memorize his conclusions. This process, more often than not, cannot be accomplished in fragments of time, and often requires large chunks of time. In fact, all you can learn in a fragment of time is a few simple conclusions. They don't have much value, except to add to the conversation. They're not even necessarily comprehensive, rigorous, or correct.

So what's the best use of time for fragments of time? It's not about learning and absorbing, it's about thinking.

A proven method is to take the problems you encounter at work and at school, break them down into smaller problems, and then make a list of them. Make a list, carry it with you, and use the time you have to reflect and extrapolate. Any progress and feedback from this process are jotted down for further reflection the next time.

For example, making a PowerPoint, you might list these questions.

1. how is the logic of the entire PowerPoint presentation going to be presented?

2. How many pages are devoted to each section?

3. What factors need to be considered in the context analysis?

4. What should be written for each point?

5. How should the market analysis be written?

6. What are the characteristics of the target consumers?

……..

And so on.

Make a list of these questions, think about them whenever you have time, and write them down in a timely manner. Instead of waiting until you're sitting at your desk to think about them, make a list whenever you are free. This is the best way to tackle your work in a step-by-step fashion and the most time-saving way to do it.

In life, many people who appear to be smart are not really much smarter than we are, but rather,

in every second of their lives, when others are dazed, empty, or muddled, they are always thinking, deducing, and analyzing various scenarios in their minds, and they are already familiar with various paths and outcomes.

Therefore, when the need arises, they are able to judge situations very quickly and make the best decisions.