10 Useful Guidelines For Mastering Time Management
It’s important to know as much about time management as possible and to put it into practice. All of us could be so much better off if we were more efficient and effective from this point of view and could lead much more enjoyable and productive lives.
1. While this is on your mind, look at everything that you do during the course of the day and for the rest of the week. Write down on a large sheet of paper each task that you complete within, say, 15 minute chunks of time. Put it all down, walking the dog, watching TV, even taking a break to go to the bathroom; it has to be comprehensive. This will give you a good idea of where you start.
2. Don’t rely on your memory. How often has something just “slipped” and almost been forgotten, putting additional stress on your daily life when you don’t need it? Make sure that you make a list and check it again!
3. Isn’t it true that almost everything that lands on your lap that is said to be vital is rarely so? Don’t think that you have to drop everything that you are doing to answer that call and be prepared to put your foot down, gently to start off, with whoever may be suggesting otherwise!
4. Schedule what you have to do well and make sure that you are scheduling your priorities and not the other way around. When you look at the tasks ahead of you, you would refer to a hierarchy of importance and while you should never procrastinate and put it off if it can be done now, you must also be wary of trying to rush any job due to completion, as this can work out to be a bad habit.
5. Delegate effectively. Find out who can do the job for you, trust them to do it and once you have given clear directions, let them do it. They will prioritise it according to their individual schedules.
6. Do not micro-manage. This is a bad habit to have if you’re in management, although many of us exhibit this failure from time to time. If you have entrusted someone to do the job for you, let them do it.
7. Why do you procrastinate? There can be many different reasons – fear, the need for perfectionism, uncertainty or simply becoming overwhelmed. Once you have discovered the source of the problem, take appropriate steps to overcome.
8. Realise how important time management is for you. From a financial perspective, calculate how much each minute of each hour is actually worth to you and this will help you to focus on making each moment truly count.
9. Do not be afraid to say no. This can be a difficult suggestion, as we feel that we cannot afford to turn down anything to do with an income, most especially due to the recession. Understand that in the long run, if you take on too much for what may only be short-term gain; it could end up costing you more in so many different ways.
10. By understanding everything there is to know about online time management, you will come to realise that time tracking software and time management software tools are crucial investments to help you through.