In this world today, it is difficult to use your time well. It never really feels like there’s enough time to do everything that you need to do! But, managing your time better may be all you need to do. The following tips will help you figure out what time management is all about.
Purchase a digital timer. Use it to help you focus your energies. For instance, if your goal is to be able to do an hour’s work straight, set your timer for 15 minutes to start out with. Take a break and then increase the time on the timer. Repeat this until you work up to your desired length of time.
Calendars can be great time management tools. Many people like to write on a physical calendar. Others prefer the flexibility of an electronic calender that can be easily access via their computer or mobile device. Whatever mode you prefer, keeping track of your tasks with a calendar will help you be more effective at time management!
Wisely allocate your time. Judge every task based on how much time you have to spend on it. This can help you to manage your time much more efficiently. If you receive unexpected blocks of free time, try using them to do other tasks or take personal time.
Focus on specific tasks if time management is hard for you. Do not try to do more than one task at once. Scrambling around trying to do too much at one time could leave you feeling exhausted and flustered which makes the quality of work suffer. Breathe, relax and focus intently on one project until it’s done, then move on to the next.
Prioritize your list of things to do. A lot of times, the unimportant tasks take over a lot of the day. This will allow you to maximize the quality of your production. List the things you want to accomplish, starting with the most important things first.
Each morning when you wake up, take some time to plan your day. Write what you will be doing that day and what amount of time you will need for each class. Keeping a schedule everyday will improve the efficiency of your time usage.
When you are working on a task, do not answer the phone until you complete it. It’s going to be prove difficult to refocus on your initial task after the interruption concludes. Return texts, phone calls, and instant messages when you are done with the task at hand.
Stay on task to improve things in your life. Don’t let yourself become distracted by all things shiny. You may find that others try to have you work on a different time before you have finished your task. Do not let them do this. Complete one task before doing the next one.
Remember that it is impossible to do everything. Truth be told, very few people meet all of their goals on a day-to-day basis. Only about 20 percent of your activities produces 80 percent of your results. Just try your best at all times and never give up.
Do hard tasks first. These should be done immediately at the start of the day. This way is much less stressful, and lets you proceed to simpler tasks later on. When the stressful portion of your day is completed early, the rest of your day will seem to cruise by.
Take a class in time management. This class will help you learn how to better manage your time. Your boss may be able to offer you such a course through your organization. If yours does not, then look to community college.
Importance is how you should sort your to-do list. This can help you to feel more comfortable about your day. Consider the things you must accomplish by the end of the day. Put these things at the beginning of the list. This way, you can work down to the less important things.
Keep your work area organized. The time you spend searching for things you’ve misplaced can really add up. Everything that you need to do your work should have its own appointed place where you can always find it. This can save time and stress.
You can save time and money by doing all of your errands at one time. If you are going to the store, go to the post office too. Pick up your kid from school and then do another errand.
Urgent Tasks
Make a to-do list out of four quadrants. Two vertical columns are for important and non-important tasks. The horizontal cells can be called “urgent” or “not urgent.” Don’t spend any more than 10% of your time during the day in the not important/urgent quadrant. Your time should be spent on the quadrant labeled urgent and important. But you do want to spend some time on the non-urgent tasks and obligations. They can turn to urgent tasks if you ignore them.
Managing your time can seem hard, but when you know the fundamentals, you’re going to see it’s easier than you thought. Use the advice in this article to get the most from each day. You may even find time that you had previously lost.