If you wish to learn better time management abilities, this is the place to be. The article that follows has great advice to better use your time. To get work done have a timer. If focus is hard to achieve, set your timer for the time you have available to work. As an example, if you feel you can work up to an hour, then set your timer for 15 minutes, take a little break and then repeat this process until you have reached your goal.
Tips to consider:
- For many people, time management is a matter of multitasking. If you want to maximize your productivity, this might not be a good strategy to pursue. Multitasking splits up your attention so that no one subject gets the full benefit of your skills. Instead of splitting your focus, put off new tasks and continue to concentrate on the job at hand.
- 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.
- Consider not wearing a watch. It sounds counterintuitive to time management, but some people are clock watchers. They get focused on the time, to the detriment of actual time management. You need to free yourself of this to really focus. In fact, you’ll find that it’s quite liberating and effective to just get down to work without being the slave of a clock or watch.
- 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.
- If you’re constantly in a bind for time, start cutting people off. If you let them, your neighbors, co-workers and others will eat more time off the clock than you can afford. Learn how to say no or politely excuse yourself from conversations and other unnecessary situations so that you can devote quality time to your own priorities.
- It is okay to take a break once in awhile. You may feel overwhelmed or stressed by what you are doing. When this occurs, it is important to take a break and have a few minutes to yourself. This makes getting back to and completing the task much easier in the long run.
- When your time management techniques are thrown off by a task that seems impossible to complete, step back and assess the problem. Are you avoiding the job because it’s difficult, or are you lacking some piece of information or expertise essential to the job? If you’re being held back by a lack of knowledge, make it a priority to seek out the missing information you require.
- 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.
Closing lines:
When you make your schedule for the day, list it in order of importance. That will help you get a clearer picture of what you are up against. Think about what’s most important and doing what you can to finish them. These items should be found at the beginning of your list. That way, you’ll work down to whatever is important. As you have discovered by reading this article, anyone can learn how to efficiently manage their time. All you really need are solid techniques – after that, it’s up to you. Keep these tips in mind, and always look for ways to effectively manage your time.