Do you usually feel harried, rushed, or like the day doesn’t have enough hours? Do you have a hard time scheduling your activities? Would you like to know how to manage your time wisely? If these problems sound familiar to you, you may find picking up some tips on time management (like those found below) very helpful.
Staying a day ahead of schedule at all times is an excellent way to manage your time. Do this by charting your course for each day during the preceding evening. This will help you wrap everything up at the end of a long business day. With your activities planned, you’ll feel that it is easy to dive right in to your tasks.
Make good use of your time. Make sure you have an honest idea about just how much time you have to each task and then decide on solid completion times. This will help you manage your time wisely and improve your life. You can use surprise spare time to get caught up on the things that you may have fallen behind on.
Check your schedule over in the morning. You will reach your goals faster if you know ahead of time what you have to accomplish for the day. Look over your schedule carefully to make sure you haven’t overbooked yourself.
If you are having trouble managing an entire schedule, concentrate on isolated tasks. Trying to do everything at once only leads to trouble. Doing a lot at the same time can make you feel tired and stressed, which means your work will be lower quality. Focus on doing one project at a time.
If you find that you’re not getting things done in a timely manner, it’s time to stop and think about how you’re doing things. If you think that there is a problem with you following through with tasks and concentrating, look at the reasons why this is happening. You must figure out where you are going wrong so that you can correct it.
Begin each day by planning how you will spend your time. Get paper and a pen, and jot down everything you need to accomplish and how long it will take. This will help you make good use of your time.
Close the door to your office so you can be efficient. An open door is seen as a sign that you are available to them for any questions or problems. Also, you will get privacy from everyone else. People realize that you need to concentrate on your work in order to get your tasks done on time.
Instant Messages
Unless it is an emergency, when you are occupied with a task, you should ignore your phone, text messages or instant messages. It can be hard to find your focus if you allow yourself to be interrupted. Follow up on any missed texts, instant messages, or phone calls once you have finished the task you were working on.
Be sure to view your schedule. Can you cut something unnecessary out? Are you handling some jobs that other people (co-workers, friends, or relatives) could do better? Delegation is a great thing to do when trying to manage time. Once you delegate something to others, take your hands off of it and allow the other person to complete the task.
Stay on task at all times to improve your time management skills. Try to avoid other distractions while you are focused on a particular project. You may encounter folks who want to assign you new things before you have finished previous tasks. This should not be allowed. Finish your first task and then start another.
Know that you’re not ever going to be able to finish everything. Doing so is virtually impossible. Odds are high that only 20 percent of your thoughts, conversations, and actions will produce up to 80 percent of your results. Do your best to get as much done as possible, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get to everything.
Do hard tasks early in the day. All of these big challenges should be out of the way early on. This will relieve you of pressure early in the day. Getting the stress out of the day early, makes for a much nicer afternoon.
Each day, make a list of things to get done and prioritize this list from most important to least important. Then start at the very top of this list, and work on down it. If you are not able to personally remember each task on your list in your head, copy it and take it with you.
Try making a to-do list. Thus, you will have a constant reminder of your priorities. Some tasks you have to complete may be stressful or emotional. It may lead to you forgetting what you next need to do. A list will help to keep you more organized when this happens.
Reward Yourself
Do not reward yourself until you have completed the task at hand. For instance, if getting a snack means that it will cause you delays, you should get the snack later. You should only reward yourself when your time management skills are better than before.
Bundling tasks can save transportation costs and time. Rather than driving back and forth to the market to pick up an item or two at a time, make a thorough list. Stop at the dry cleaners and the post office while you are out. If you need to pick up a child from an after school activity, go a little early and accomplish another small errand.
Time is something that everyone needs. We only have so much time on this planet, and we must make each moment count. These tips will ensure that you can better manage your time.