--- title: 7 Hacks for Guarding Your Time More Effectively description: Time is one of the most precious assets each of us has during a day. image: https://blog.solomonpage.com/hubfs/7%20Hacks%20for%20Guarding%20Your%20Time-01.png --- - [Home](https://solomonpage.com) - Divisions - Functional Divisions - [Accounting & Finance](https://solomonpage.com/accounting-finance/) - [Administrative & Support](https://solomonpage.com/administrative-support/) - [Creative & Marketing](https://solomonpage.com/creative-marketing/) - [Human Resources](https://solomonpage.com/humanresources/) - [Legal Services](https://solomonpage.com/legal-services/) - [Scientific & Engineering](https://solomonpage.com/scientific-engineering/) - [Technology](https://solomonpage.com/technology/) - Industry Divisions - [Clinical Resource Network](https://solomonpage.com/crn/) - [Fashion & Beauty](https://solomonpage.com/fashion-beauty/) - [Financial Services](https://solomonpage.com/financialservices/) - [Healthcare & Life Sciences](https://solomonpage.com/healthcare-lifesciences/) - [Healthcare Staffing](https://solomonpage.com/healthcare-staffing/) - [Hospitality](https://solomonpage.com/hospitality/) - [Media, Education & Publishing](https://solomonpage.com/digitalmedia-publishing/) - [Specialty Financial Services](https://solomonpage.com/specialtyfinance/) - [Locations](https://solomonpage.com/locations/) - [Contact](https://info.solomonpage.com/contact-us?_gl=1*ffwfay*_gcl_au*MTc3NTM1NDM3MC4xNzI4NjczOTcw) - [Blog](https://blog.solomonpage.com) [![SP_Corporate Global_horiz_lockup_positive_DIGITAL_HIGH](https://blog.solomonpage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SP_Corporate%20Global_horiz_lockup_positive_DIGITAL_HIGH.png?width=294&name=SP_Corporate%20Global_horiz_lockup_positive_DIGITAL_HIGH.png)](https://solomonpage.com) - [WHAT WE DO](https://www.solomonpage.com/service-offerings) - [AREAS OF EXPERTISE](https://www.solomonpage.com/areas-of-expertise) - [ABOUT](https://www.solomonpage.com/about) - [JOB OPPORTUNITIES](https://opportunities.solomonpage.com) ## Blog # 7 Hacks for Guarding Your Time More Effectively July 26, 2021 Filed Under: [Productivity](https://blog.solomonpage.com/tag/productivity), [Time Management](https://blog.solomonpage.com/tag/time-management) ![Person Holding Clock](https://blog.solomonpage.com/hubfs/7%20Hacks%20for%20Guarding%20Your%20Time-01.png) - [mailto:?body=https://blog.solomonpage.com/7-hacks-for-guarding-your-time-more-effectively](mailto:?body=https://blog.solomonpage.com/7-hacks-for-guarding-your-time-more-effectively) - - - By Phil Santoro Photo Credit: rawpixel Time is our most important resource and an especially difficult one to protect as life returns to “normal.” Although many of us felt more [productive](https://blog.solomonpage.com/5-strategies-for-salvaging-an-unproductive-day) while cloistered at home, researchers find that remote employees worked longer but less efficiently. Emails, messages, news articles, and social media continued to hack our attention. Now, networking events, conferences, and meetups are back, competing for more of our time. The new “hybrid” norm of balancing in-office and remote work adds even more complexity. Without the social structures of a conventional office, there is pressure to do things coworkers notice and reward, like answering emails quickly. These distractions can imitate productive uses of time. Time is the most valuable, non-renewable resource I have in my work. To run a startup studio, or a company that builds other companies, my cofounder and I must protect our time against noise and distractions. I want to offer some tools that have optimized my time and may help you as well. Start by Defining Your Goals to Filter Distractions Defining what qualifies as a distraction, or noise, is challenging and varies from person to person. Instead, start by defining your goals. Your goals might be to start a business, complete an urgent project, or find a new job. A distraction is then *anything* that takes you away from that core goal. When you evaluate ways to spend work time against goals, distractions become obvious. Emails, for instance, will begin to look like someone else’s to-do list. Perform and Focus Audit Even with defined goals, you might not spend as much time on your priorities as you think. To find out, audit yourself. For at least a week, make a list of everything you do at work and how much time you spend on each item. You can also use software to automate the tracking. The point is to identify the specific distractions that steal time you could otherwise spend on your goals. Be Selective About Who You Network With Rather than wander around networking events for hours hoping to find a valuable contact, get on LinkedIn or Twitter and decide who you want to meet. Find people who work on the same issues or used to work for your competitors. To start, suggest a 20-minute phone call so there’s no added pressure to set up for a formal video chat or meet in person. You’ll save time and have valuable conversations more often. Don't Let Social Media Set Your Information Diet On social media, the clicks, likes, and comments of other users determine what appears in your feed. Why let random people set your information diet? Instead, go to experts. [Read books by people you admire](https://blog.solomonpage.com/15-great-leadership-books-on-adam-grants-summer-reading-list)and want to learn from (the late Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel, is one of my favorite business authors). Likewise, be highly selective with the publications you follow. Books and quality journalism have high hurdles to clear; social media posts don’t. Get Comfortable Saying "No" At Wilbur Labs, we wrote in our studio handbook, “Saying no is more important than saying yes.” Only by saying no to distractions can you say yes to important goals and execute them. While you might not be able to rewrite your company handbook, you can have a conversation with your teammates. Define your goals together, and point back to them when you need to say no to a new project or task that competes with higher priorities. Build Habits and Routines That Reduce Distractions Many people believe the key to being productive is being motivated, but I believe building strong habits and [routines](https://blog.solomonpage.com/how-to-find-your-new-routine-when-returning-back-to-the-office) is far more important than motivation. For example, even the most disciplined, motivated people succumb to smartphone apps. There’s probably one you’re tempted to check every time you grab the phone. It might even be something core like your mobile browser or email app. Rather than try to resist, make a habit of deleting those apps, moving them to the second page, or placing them in a folder labeled “distractions.” Ignore What Others Are Up To Last year, we surveyed founders about startup failures. Almost none of them said they failed due to a competitor. Whether you run a startup or work in a fast-paced culture, don’t waste time monitoring what others are doing and worrying about how you measure up. Instead, spend that time serving customers better than they do and making progress against your own goals.  So did I waste my time reading this? To be clear, we’re not suggesting you stay in a pandemic bubble to protect your time. Get out into the world. Have fun, be social, and make time to play. When you’re working though, set a high bar for the value of your time. By focusing on what matters, you’ll raise your output and create more time for everything you missed during the pandemic. If you read this article and take no action, you will have wasted about six minutes of your day. And you can never get them back. Instead, I hope you will set new goals and relentlessly protect them from distractions. For the original article, visit: [Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/90658072/guarding-your-time-is-more-than-a-pandemic-skill-heres-how-to-do-it-effectively) ### related Posts [![Computer](https://blog.solomonpage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog-01-Aug-26-2021-09-52-32-66-PM.png?width=861&upsize=true&name=Blog-01-Aug-26-2021-09-52-32-66-PM.png)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/how-to-set-boundaries-when-youre-doing-hybrid-work) ### [How to Set Boundaries When You’re Doing Hybrid Work](https://blog.solomonpage.com/how-to-set-boundaries-when-youre-doing-hybrid-work) August 26 , 2021 [![Computer with Sticky Notes](https://blog.solomonpage.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ToDoList-01.png?width=861&upsize=true&name=ToDoList-01.png)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/5-concrete-steps-to-take-when-youre-overwhelmed-by-your-to-do-list) ### [5 Concrete Steps to Take When You’re Overwhelmed by Your To-do List](https://blog.solomonpage.com/5-concrete-steps-to-take-when-youre-overwhelmed-by-your-to-do-list) July 07 , 2021 ### Subscribe Here! ### ARCHIVES - [November 2020 (18)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/11) - [December 2020 (18)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/12) - [February 2021 (16)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/02) - [March 2021 (16)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/03) - [October 2020 (15)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/10) - [January 2021 (12)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/01) - [April 2021 (12)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/04) - [July 2013 (10)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/07) - [August 2013 (10)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/08) - [December 2013 (10)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/12) - [November 2014 (10)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/11) - [September 2013 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/09) - [October 2013 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/10) - [January 2014 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/01) - [March 2014 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/03) - [June 2014 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/06) - [July 2014 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/07) - [December 2014 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/12) - [July 2015 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/07) - [October 2015 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/10) - [March 2020 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/03) - [August 2020 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/08) - [July 2021 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/07) - [April 2022 (9)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/04) - [May 2013 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/05) - [November 2013 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/11) - [February 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/02) - [April 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/04) - [May 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/05) - [August 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/08) - [September 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/09) - [October 2014 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2014/10) - [January 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/01) - [February 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/02) - [March 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/03) - [May 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/05) - [June 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/06) - [August 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/08) - [September 2015 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/09) - [August 2016 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/08) - [April 2020 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/04) - [June 2021 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/06) - [October 2021 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/10) - [March 2022 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/03) - [May 2023 (8)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/05) - [June 2013 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/06) - [April 2015 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/04) - [November 2015 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/11) - [February 2016 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/02) - [July 2016 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/07) - [September 2016 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/09) - [July 2020 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/07) - [May 2021 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/05) - [August 2021 (7)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/08) - [April 2013 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2013/04) - [December 2015 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2015/12) - [January 2016 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/01) - [May 2020 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/05) - [September 2020 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/09) - [March 2023 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/03) - [January 2025 (6)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/01) - [June 2016 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/06) - [May 2017 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/05) - [July 2018 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/07) - [August 2018 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/08) - [February 2024 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/02) - [March 2024 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/03) - [November 2024 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/11) - [March 2025 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/03) - [May 2025 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/05) - [June 2025 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/06) - [April 2026 (5)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2026/04) - [March 2016 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/03) - [April 2017 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/04) - [October 2018 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/10) - [January 2019 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/01) - [March 2019 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/03) - [June 2022 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/06) - [May 2024 (4)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/05) - [October 2016 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2016/10) - [May 2018 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/05) - [June 2018 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/06) - [September 2018 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/09) - [December 2018 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/12) - [November 2019 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/11) - [January 2020 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/01) - [September 2021 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/09) - [February 2022 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/02) - [July 2022 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/07) - [June 2023 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/06) - [August 2023 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/08) - [October 2023 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/10) - [December 2023 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/12) - [October 2024 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/10) - [December 2024 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/12) - [February 2025 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/02) - [July 2025 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/07) - [August 2025 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/08) - [May 2026 (3)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2026/05) - [July 2017 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/07) - [August 2017 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/08) - [October 2017 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/10) - [November 2017 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/11) - [April 2018 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/04) - [November 2018 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/11) - [December 2019 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/12) - [February 2020 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/02) - [June 2020 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2020/06) - [November 2021 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/11) - [May 2022 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/05) - [August 2022 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/08) - [November 2022 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/11) - [December 2022 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/12) - [April 2023 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/04) - [November 2023 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/11) - [January 2024 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/01) - [July 2024 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/07) - [September 2025 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/09) - [October 2025 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/10) - [March 2026 (2)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2026/03) - [February 2017 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/02) - [March 2017 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/03) - [December 2017 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2017/12) - [February 2018 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2018/02) - [February 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/02) - [May 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/05) - [June 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/06) - [July 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/07) - [August 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/08) - [October 2019 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2019/10) - [December 2021 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2021/12) - [October 2022 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2022/10) - [January 2023 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2023/01) - [April 2024 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/04) - [June 2024 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/06) - [August 2024 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2024/08) - [April 2025 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/04) - [December 2025 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2025/12) - [January 2026 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2026/01) - [June 2026 (1)](https://blog.solomonpage.com/archive/2026/06) See all SEARCH ### Most Popular Posts - Solomon Page - [Home](https://solomonpage.com/) - [Service Offerings](https://solomonpage.com/service-offerings/) - [Areas of Expertise](https://solomonpage.com/areas-of-expertise/) - [About](https://solomonpage.com/about/) - [Opportunities](http://opportunities.solomonpage.com/) - Our Divisions - [Accounting & Finance](https://solomonpage.com/accounting-finance) - [Administrative & Support](https://solomonpage.com/administrative-support) - [Clinical Resource Network](https://solomonpage.com/crn) - [Creative & Marketing](https://solomonpage.com/creative-marketing) - [Fashion & Beauty](https://solomonpage.com/fashion-beauty) - [Financial Services](https://solomonpage.com/financialservices) - [Healthcare](https://solomonpage.com/healthcare-lifesciences) - [Hospitality](https://solomonpage.com/hospitality) - [Human Resources](https://solomonpage.com/humanresources) - [Legal Services](https://solomonpage.com/legal-services) - [Media, Education & Publishing](https://solomonpage.com/digitalmedia-publishing) - [Scientific & Engineering](https://solomonpage.com/scientific-engineering) - [Specialty Financial Services](https://solomonpage.com/specialtyfinance) - [Technology](https://solomonpage.com/technology) - Employment Tools - [Search Jobs](http://opportunities.solomonpage.com/) - [Submit a Resume](https://opportunities.solomonpage.com) - [Submit a Staffing Request](https://solomonpage.com/contact) [![Solomon](https://blog.solomonpage.com/hubfs/SP_Corporate%20Global_horiz_lockup_positive_DIGITAL_HIGH.png)](https://solomonpage.com) ##### Solomon Page 260 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016 Phone: (212) 403-6100 Fax: (212) 764-6003 Follow us [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/solomon-page-group) [Google](https://plus.google.com/+solomonpagegroup/about) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/SolomonPageGroup) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/solomonpage) Copyright ©2019 Solomon Page. All Rights Reserved.   [Disclosure](https://solomonpage.com/disclosure/)