7 Top Time Management Tips

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email this article to a friend

The objective of time management is productivity and efficiency, accomplishing more, better, easier and in less time. The benefit is more time to do those things which bring the most enjoyment. “No one really wants to work any harder than necessary to get the results they want.” Sir William Osler. That is an excellent reason to learn time management.

When you consider that time is the most valuable asset that we have and once gone can’t be replenished, it makes sense to want to use it wisely.

Taking time to improve your time management skills can be greatly rewarding. It is a skill that is developed and perfected over time and is also one that needs to be customized to best fit your personal needs. As you go along, you might continue to discover that you need to make modifications from time to time.

There are three ways to focus on time management: short term (daily time management); medium term (Over a week or month); and then long term time management (Planning a year or more).

Here are what I consider to be 7 top time managing tips:

• Have a plan
• Avoid procrastination
• Set priorities and focus on them
• Focus on one task at a time
• Set deadlines
• Take needed breaks
• Set up a routine and avoid distractions

Have a plan:

One method of time management that I picked up from my wife years ago is making a to-do list. It is much easier than depending on your mind, which is already loaded with all sorts of other things. Each task I complete I mark it off the list. I remember one super list I made that took about a year to complete all the tasks. That is an example of long term time management. It was so rewarding at the end of that year as I looked back at all I had accomplished.

The same works for planning your day. For me, I have a number of things that I plan to do each day, so there are some reoccurring tasks. For example, I plan to write at least one article per day. I don’t have to waste time on trying to figure out what I’m going to write on because there is a premade list of topics that are waiting and from time to time I add more as new topics come to mind. Planning for time management is essential because without it you or destined to lose valuable time just searching for the next task and thinking about it or maybe getting sidetracked into something that is not a priority at all.

Avoid procrastination:

One of the biggest time wasters in the world is procrastination and one of the easiest things to do. I must confess that at times it still is challenging to me to avoid it. It is so easy to think, oh well it doesn’t have to be done now so it can wait. It is usually those things that we dread the most that we want to put off, but in doing so we have that nagging feeling that it is hanging over our head. Therefore the pain of procrastination is worse than the pain of just doing it in the first place and getting it over and done.

Set priorities and focus on them:

Naturally some things are far more important than others and to focus a lot of time and attention on those of lesser importance can upset your schedule and cause you to miss some very important deadlines. Sort through your work list and assign the right priority to each task and a deadline for when it is to be completed. If you feel something is very important, perhaps first thing in the morning when you are fresh is the best time to complete it.

Focus on one task at a time:

Multitasking may have some benefits, but it is not the best way to manage time. Focusing on one task and working at it relentlessly until it is finished is the way to best manage your time. Switching back and forth from one thing to the other uses up a good deal of time and also causes you to lose your point of consecration.

Set deadlines:

Things without clear deadlines have the tendency to get pushed back into the background and sometimes forgotten. It is for sure that deadlines are not our most favorite thing, but they are extremely important.

If you are not careful, deadlines can in fact cause a hindrance to time management and that is because of the stress that they bring with them. Avoid stress by setting your own deadline even earlier than required and then challenge yourself to completing it on time. Reward yourself with a treat when you meet a deadline. This works well for animals and it also works for humans.

Sometimes missing deadlines can cost a large sum of money in penalties, fines, and extra fees. Therefore missing deadlines, when there is no real excuse, makes no sense at all.

Take needed breaks:

I write articles each day and I’ve discovered that it is best to write the article today that I intend to post tomorrow, rather than writing and article and then posting it. If I take a break from the article and sit back and have a snack or walk outside in the sunshine for a while and then come back, I’m able to edit much more effectively and when I think the article is all edited and complete, I then lay it aside until the next day. When I go to review the article again, I find there are sometimes many things I need to change and improve before I post it.

Sometime I may take a nap at noon which always enhances the quality of work. Just a 30 minute nap can rest your mind and enable you to start again afresh.

Set up a routine and avoid distractions:

Setting up a routine is just planning your day’s work and routinely going from one task to the other until finished; this helps avoid distractions. For example, email can become a big distraction, especially when you get into the habit of checking it every little while. So the way I fit it into my routine is by going there once a day and deleting those that I don’t want to waste time with, and reading and taking action on those that are relevant. Sometimes I will have to go back latter and address one that requires more time than I want to give at the moment. But for the most part one time is usually enough to deal with any particular email.

Plan a task to start your day with and then follow it with all the things you normally have to finish during the day, right down the line like 1, 2, and 3. Occasionally you may have to modify your routine in order to complete something of a higher priority but generally you can keep a regular routine, and over time it becomes a habit which makes it even easier to stay on task.

Conclusion:

Don’t give up on time management even if you’ve tried before and failed. Good time management skills are too valuable in giving you back the control of your life. Having a bunch of loose ends and not being able to get things done routinely can create a lot of un-needed stress and waste a lot of precious time. Time management teaches you about having good balance in your life, not wasting your time but using it to aptly fulfill your obligations, and freeing up ample time to enjoy other things that you want to do that would not be possible otherwise.

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Jimmie Burroughs is the author of JimmieBurroughs.com ; get more tips on personal development: www.JimmieBurroughs.com

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