"Time management is not a peripheral activity or skill. It is the core skill upon which everything else in life depends." - Brian Tracy
Struggling with time management? You don’t have to. Do you often do you find yourself running out of time? For many people, it seems that there is just never sufficient time in the day to get everything done and therefore time usually seems "running away" from them.
Time management is a skill that many of us learn by necessity. However, the problem is that whenever we learn a new skill by necessity the chances are that bad habits creep in and, although we know that time management is useful in general, we do not use it to its full potential. Once we understand to maximize the benefits of time management we gain better control of our daily activities and our stress level is reduced.
Here are ten ways for you to improve your time management skills:
1. Write down your tasks instead of relying on memory alone.
2. Avoid mixing your big/urgent projects and small/easy tasks in the same list. It is human tendency to go after the easy tasks and ignore what requires more from us.
3. Avoid writing to do lists with large amounts of tasks. It is discouraging when you look at your list and you have 53 items on the list. Realize that you can't do EVERYTHING, instead focus on a few key things that will give you the most value.
4. Maximize the use of your first few hours of the day. It is proven that we are more productive during the first few hours of the day, as the day passes by our energy and focus level fades. Therefore, instead of starting your day answering emails and other trivial tasks, attack your most important tasks in the early hours when you are at your best.
5. Avoid multitasking and focus your energy on a single project at a time. You'll accomplish much more done.
6. Use specific times for processing your voice mails and emails. You will be more efficient when you schedule predefined times for processing your stuff (like email, notes, etc.) rather than just doing it whenever new stuff arrives. Consider setting between 2 and 4 processing times per day (based on your specific needs). This breakdown of processing time works well for most people; it allows you to dedicate uninterrupted time to your tasks and be responsive to your customers.
7. Consider creating a Master Project List where you can write down and prioritize all the projects that you're working on (independently of the tasks). Your master project list will give you a visual of the various projects and its respective deadlines.
8. Remember that being "busy" is not the same as being productive. Focus on projects and activities that will move your closer to your goals. Every task you perform should be directed towards the achievement of the established goals.
9. Remember the two worst enemies of productivity are Interruptions and Distractions. These are the two major time wasters in our modern society. Learn to handle them effectively and then work proactively to reduce them. Avoid the "uninvited visitor" who creeps into your office to gossip and share with you information that wont help you achieve your goals.
10. Avoid unnecessary meetings. Meetings are often a waste of time in our businesses. Meetings should be treated like all of the other tasks, they should have a purpose towards the achievement of your goals. With an estimated 11 million formal meetings per day in the United States, corporate America has been held hostage by 3 billion meetings per year. No wonder our productivity levels have reduced.
In my opinion, time management is important for our personal life and career success. It teaches us how to manage our time effectively and make the most of it. When properly used it helps us in achieving a balanced life. Of course, the importance we give to time management depends on the value we place on our time. When we appreciate the importance of time, learn how to manage it, maximise it and actually apply those skills, we can genuinely say our time has been well spent. How much do you value your days, hours and minutes?
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