Experts say, forget multitasking, staying focused is the key to getting things done. Many so-called time-saving strategies haven‚t delivered on their promise, among them cell phones, instant messaging, e-mail and the whole concept of multitasking. You can‚t add more hours to the day, but you can reclaim wasted or poorly managed time.

Consider these two tactics:



PUT INTERRUPTIONS ON HOLD

A cell phone becomes a time wasting distraction when it allows socializing to push its way into what could be productive work time or equally important down time.

Business and sales consultant Jeffrey Mayer advises his clients to limit phone conversations that intrude on their work or study time. Use caller ID and voice mail to screen calls.

Waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting in the lobby for appointments and meetings and walking to and from the parking lot are perfect times for using the cell, even if it is just for chit chat.



MODERATE THE MESSAGING

E-mailing and text messaging while you‚re writing a report, conducting research on the Internet or attending a meeting may feel like productive multitasking, but you may be wasting time by doing too many tasks poorly instead of one task well.

Marcia Ramsland, author of Simplify Your Life, suggests: Send and respond to e-mails and text messages in batches, all at once, as a dedicated task unto itself. This allows you to more efficiently compose your messages, saving time.