Time management is what quite a few people wish to work with, but they’re not sure of where to start. If you think this sounds just like you, you are in the right place! This post will give you tips to help increase your overall time management skills.
If you’re having a hard time fitting all your tasks into the day, try using a calendar to make things easier. Hang one on your fridge or keep a desk calendar handy at work. Mark your priorities with a given time to get things accomplished and you should be able to operate more efficiently with a little time left over.
If you’re always pressed for time, start trying to be early for everything. If you aim to be on time, even a little traffic can mess up your entire schedule by making you late. However, when you do your best to be early, you are often left with a little extra time, which you can then put to good use!
Keep a diary of how you are spending your time. Do this for about 3 days. You will be able to see what you are spending time on. You can then determine what is necessary to spend time doing and what isn’t necessary. Figure out how to manage your time better.
If you’re having trouble managing your time, work on smaller tasks. Many people do not accomplish much if trying to multitask. When you try to accomplish too many tasks at the same time, you become tired and flustered. Breathe evenly, relax, and stay focused until one task is done before moving on to your next task.
Do not be afraid to neglect any tasks that are not essential. If you have a busy schedule, you can eliminate anything that does not have a deadline or something that could be done by someone else. Allow people to help you with the tasks that you do not have to handle personally.
Try to avoid answering the phone or e-mails just because they ring or appear. If you can, try disabling or disconnecting instant messaging. You don’t need to instantly give people attention unless it’s essential to the instant human response aspect of your business. You should try scheduling time for returning calls and answering emails.
In order to manage your time more wisely, prioritize your daily tasks. Tasks that are unimportant and time-consuming can take up a lot of your time during the day. Prioritizing all your tasks will help you spend more energy and time on those tasks that are more important to you.
Look into software programs that are meant to help with time management. Once it is set up, it will be quick and easy to plan how your time is spent. This software is meant to help and it will prove to be quite effective in how your time is spent each day.
Consider Pareto’s Rule when considering time management. Really the lion’s share of your focused work (80%) gets done in 20% of your time. That’s normal and not the sign of someone inefficient. The human brain needs down time to adjust and renew itself. Make sure you give yourself breaks and periods where less is expected.
One of the most basic time management techniques is a to-do list. Sunday night, write down everything you need to do in the coming week. The simple fact that you put it on paper should help you sleep since the list is outside of your head. Monday, just focus on starting the list, not finishing. You likely will never finish your weekly list, but just having it on paper makes it constantly manageable.
Have a sit-down with yourself daily. The first half hour of your day is about strategy. You should build a list of priorities that balances your day. Do not overwhelm the list with more than your day can handle. If it is not a priority for today, consider it for tomorrow’s list and focus on higher priorities.
Make sure that you do not waste your time with unimportant tasks. If you take on too much at the same time, the result will be poor work. This will lead you to not finish anything. In contrast, if you work on one thing before moving onto the next task, it will be more manageable.
As described in this article, good time management is easy if you follow strategies that work. This article includes many ways to manage your time. Make sure that you put them into practice daily. Soon, you will have your life under better control and you’ll be more productive than you ever thought possible.