Do you find yourself running at breakneck speed to meet the demands of your family and your job? Many people find themselves in that situation, but organization can help bring structure to your life. This article provides some great tips about how to get organized and bring order to your life.
Plan your daily activities out. Make a schedule for your daily activities and stick to it. This will help eliminate stressful and last minute situations. You can make a daily to do list and put the most important things that you need to get done at the top of the list.
When you find yourself constantly late and missing deadlines, consider getting a bigger clock and putting it in a place where it stares you down all the time. Studies show that when people can see a clock during the day, they mentally gravitate toward more time-saving efforts! Try this at home and the office to better manage your time.
Make a list. Sometimes it’s easier to manage your time when you know exactly what you have to do. Write down exactly what you would like to accomplish and get started. Once you finish one task, mark it off your list. This can help you feel accomplished and help you continue on your to your goal.
When making yourself a schedule, don’t forget to factor in time for interruptions. If you have things you need to get done but aren’t sure of what you can do if something unexpected comes up, it could ruin your whole day. Understanding that these interruptions will take place will make things easier.
Do not rush through your day. If you rush through things and make mistakes, it is going to take you far longer to fix those mistakes than it would have for you to do it right the first time. Slow and careful work will be more productive than rushed, sloppy work.
When time is really of the essence, keep any sort of social media out of your workspace. Social media can be an extreme time suck, literally eating minutes and hours if you aren’t careful. To truly focus, you’ll need privacy away from these sites. It may be tempting to take a look, but remember how efficient you’ll be without it!
Keep a journal of your days for a week or two. Include everything that you are doing during the day. Once you have compiled a list of all of your activities, you will be able to find where you are wasting time. This way, you can eliminate any unnecessary activities in the day.
Do not approach a task with hours of work in mind. You can be more productive in short spurts. Set timers for up to an hour and focus on your task for that time. Get up and walk away for a short break when the timer sounds. Get your head back in the game and approach the task with new vision.
Don’t dismiss the simplicity of a simple pocket sized planner with pages for you to write in appointments, birthdays, lists and other important things. People tend to rely too much on electronic gadgets to help them manage their lives but paper and pen can often be the most effective way to organize your thoughts.
If you need peace and quiet to manage your time better, consider hanging up some do not disturb signs. A few simple signs, especially in a busy office environment, can alert those around you that your time is currently off limits. It’s not at all rude to put up these signs. In fact, most people will appreciate the hard work that you are doing.
Sometimes, time management problems arise because you do not say “no”. When you take on more than you can handle, of course you will not finish all of your tasks on time. When a new task is thrust upon you and you already have a full schedule, either give a firm “no” or defer the task to a later period of time.
If you are having trouble managing your time and it is leading to stress in your life, you should try to cancel any routine meetings that do not have specific benefits for you. If you need to ask a superior if this acceptable, then ask them. Many hours are wasted sitting in routine meetings that have nothing to do with your abilities. Stop going to them and wasting time.
After reading the valuable tips in this article, it is time to start putting them into practice. You will not only reduce the stress in your own life, but the lessons your family learns from your example will serve them well. Use this information to the best advantage and create harmony in your home.