{"id":2975,"date":"2014-05-19T05:00:34","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T10:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/2009\/08\/using-templates-for-greater-efficiency.html"},"modified":"2014-05-19T05:00:34","modified_gmt":"2014-05-19T10:00:34","slug":"templates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/templates\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Templates to Get More Done in Less Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, I have used templates to improve my productivity. I create a template for any task I find myself doing repeatedly. So instead of reinventing the wheel every time, I do it once, save it as a template, and then reuse it.<\/p>\n\n

For example, before speaking engagements, I always have a conference call with the event sponsor. Initially, I found myself asking the same questions. Sometimes, I would forget to ask something important, so I decided to create a reusable template in Evernote<\/a>. (You can see it here<\/a>.)
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But a template can include more than just the form of the document. It can include the content itself.<\/p>\n

For example, several years ago, I found myself responding to the same email requests over and over again. People would request that I review a book proposal, consider them for a job position, or meet with them for some personal advice.<\/p>\n\n

These requests usually came from complete strangers or vague acquaintances. I really needed to say, \u201cno,\u201d in order to be faithful to my other commitments. But I found it difficult.<\/p>\n

One strategy would be just to ignore these requests. Many people do just that. However, I didn\u2019t think that would reflect very well on me or my work. Instead, I wanted to be responsive, even if I had to decline their request.<\/p>\n

So rather than go through the angst of this every single time, I took a step back and looked at these requests objectively. In doing so, I created a series of email templates. (I personally use Apple Mail on the Mac, so I saved these as a series of \u201cemail signatures.\u201d)<\/p>\n

I thought through how I could respond in a way that addressed the sender\u2019s request thoughtfully and with grace. [You can see some examples here<\/a>.] Even though I would have to decline their request most of the time, I wanted to do it in a way that left people feeling considered and respected. And, to the extent I could help them, I wanted to do that, too.<\/p>\n

So I created email templates for each of the following kinds of inquiries:<\/p>\n