Time Management Tips And Tricks

Previously we discussed ways to keep yourself focused so that you can achieve your goals or get more work done. Another step in the process is to manage your time effectively. Time management skills go hand in hand with staying focused – if you do not focus, it can be almost impossible to manage your time in a way that will allow you to quickly finish menial tasks and get on with your important work or play. Having good time management skills will also help decrease your stress levels from having too many tasks at hand. Read on to discover a few ways to manage your time effectively!

Create Goals – These goals can be big or small: What do you expect to get out of a phone call or meeting, or from each task on your to-do list? Put intention into every action you take in order to get more results. If you consistently do not get the results that you are looking for, do your due diligence to determine what needs to change, and then be sure to follow through with making those changes.

Break Up Tasks – Along the lines of micro-goals, breaking up your larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks for your to-do list will give you a clearer idea of how to tackle each project. I personally have daily to-do lists, along with project-specific task lists – these help me organize my thoughts and stay focused on the actions I need to take in order to work smoothly and smartly.

Prioritize – Once you have your to-do lists, it is time to arrange your tasks by priority. What needs to get done first? What is the biggest, most important task to complete or goal to achieve? Answering these questions will help you sort your lists, which will then help you determine the order in which you should best tackle these action points.

Set a Schedule – Before you set your schedule, you must figure out how you are spending your time each day. Write down all your actions – or inactions – when you are at home and at work, and during your leisure time. This will help you determine what you need to cut out, and where you can take the time to tackle the tasks that you need to complete. Take your tasks and action points from your to-do lists, and put them into a schedule, and then find someone or something to hold you accountable for staying focused.

Delegate – An important lesson to learn is that no one has to go it alone. If you have tasks that are better suited to your employees or coworkers, or tasks which need to get done in order to lift the burden off of you, or if you don’t have time to complete everything on your list, a great idea is to figure out what other people can help you accomplish. Bonus points if you and your employees and coworkers figure out a routine to complete miscellaneous and extraneous tasks so that you all free up time to get the important work done!