10 Time Management Tips
By Sharon Housley,
sharon at notepage net
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Managing your time and using it wisely is a journey, and not something
that can be easily mastered overnight. Implementing a plan will help,
but it is not going to be a sure cure. Time management requires a significant
amount of self-discipline.
Here are some tips to assist you with time management...
1. Set Goals
Set both short-term and long-term goals for your work day, work week,
and work year. While it may seem silly, take the time to make a written
list of your goals, which will allow you to refer back to the list when
you need some guidance. Keep in mind that it is okay to adjust the goals
as your business needs or your role changes. Use them as a tool to guide
you.
2. Mini-Rewards
All work an no play is a difficult concept to sustain for very long. Build
rewards into your schedule. If there is a task you really dislike, follow
it with a task that you greatly enjoy. Build "mini-rewards"
into your schedule to increase your productivity.
3. Keep Lists
Keep a running "To Do" list. The To Do list should contain both
daily tasks as well as longer-term tasks. Having a To Do list will help
keep your attention on the projects that require attention, and prevent
some items from slipping through the cracks and being forgotten.
4. Be Realistic
Keep your expectations realistic. No one can do everything, and with that
it mind, try to set realistic expectations of what you can hope to accomplish.
5. Prioritize
Prioritize the list of things to do. Some items might require immediate
attention, while others may be necessary but not as urgent. And after
prioritizing, try not to become a "firefighter" and only react
to the urgent items. Be sure to still give proper attention to non-urgent
items as well, as they are important too.
6. Use Time Wisely
If there are blocks of time that you spend waiting or commuting, figure
out ways to use that time being productive! Listening to podcasts, reading,
writing, proof-reading, reviewing your schedule, planning for your next
activity, etc, are all things that can usually be done remotely to fill
in some of the unavoidable "dead" time in your schedule. Try
to find interesting and unusual productive things to do during those periods
of downtime.
7. Set Limits
Set reasonable time limits for tasks. When working on those tasks, monitor
the time that each item is taking.
8. Organize Work Space
Organize your work space, and remove any excessive clutter. Spending time
looking for something is a waste of time... and time is a precious commodity.
Both your computer files and your physical working area should be organized
so that you can easily locate anything you need in a moment's notice.
9. Minimize Distractions
If you find yourself consumed by social media, facebook, instant messaging,
or other social mediums, set aside a specific and timed period of the
day for participating in the online social community. Other than those
specific periods of time, set your status to "unavailable" so
that you are not interrupted throughout the work day. Minimize interruptions
and distractions as much as possible.
10. Reflect
At the end of the day, reflect on what you accomplished. If you were unable
to account for a specific period of time, or you found a given day to
be particularly unproductive, take an inventory and try to determine where
your time management system broke down.
Keep in mind that not every day is going to be as productive as you would
hope. Unexpected things always come up, and no matter how hard you try,
your expectations just might not be realistic. Do not become discouraged.
Instead, simply stay focused and make an effort to increase your productivity
the next day.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com software
for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition
Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
Published - November 2009
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