Client Laura Stack
Copyright 2008 Laura Stack
How to Effectively Manage Your Time
Day after day your brain kicks into overdrive as you prepare to begin your work day. Hundreds of little voices in your head are telling you that you have got to get this and that done first thing. Then you realize there are about ten other things you have to do first, before you can get those two things accomplished. When does it ever end?
The answer is that it never does. Make a list of everything that has to be done this week. Then break that list down into what has to be accomplished each day. Continue this breakdown until you have items prioritized for every day in your week.
If you're thinking I don't have time to make all these lists, think again. In the time it takes you to make these small lists, you will have saved yourself at least an hour a day of trying to find and gather all of your post it notes and other reminders and organizing them into one readable schedule. So, taking an hour your first morning to get it over with just saved you that first hour everyday the rest of the week. There's an extra four hours already that you didn't have when you started work today.
Here is one way to save your sanity:
� Prioritize immediate tasks
� Weed through backed-up emails
� Get your appointments set for the week
� Make your phone calls for the day
The co-worker interruptions and emergencies cannot be helped. You just have to work around them. When one comes up, take care of it and then get back to your personal productivity plan of action for today.
Contemporary Time Management
In reality, contemporary time management isn't that different from the old days. We just have more toys now to help us manage it better. Computers, Palm pals and digital recorders all serve the same purposes as our old day planners and desk calendars used to. They are places to list our tasks so we remember to do everything.
Prioritization
The key is to organize all of your tasks into a format that allows you to practice effective time management. Start with the most important tasks and the ones that have the shortest deadlines. Those are the ones you must complete first, no matter what. Block out a time frame at the beginning of your day to take care of the daily tasks that you cannot get around.
Begin your daily task list with these items. Next, take care of the second most important items of the day. Again, forget about the interruptions and emergencies. There is no way to avoid them. The only thing you can do is make the best of it and pick up where you left off before the interruption or emergency hit.
Down Time
The most difficult thing for any of us to learn in effective time management is to be sure you squeeze in some down time. I know what you're thinking. "Yeah, right! I'm already behind. The last thing I have is time for me."
Sound familiar? The unfortunate truth of the matter is that if we neglect to take that "me time", then we are just going to end up spinning our wheels. Once you reach a certain point, productivity goes out the window. You are too overworked and over-exhausted to effectively do anything except get more stressed and angry about the situation. Taking a bit of down time each day really does improve your personal productivity in the long run.
The best time management skills you can learn is to take everything into consideration that makes up your days and weeks and prioritize those things in the most effective way that you possibly can. The things you cannot avoid and cannot control should not even come into question because they cannot be stopped. As sure as today will turn into tomorrow, unexpected events will arise and you must manage your time in spite of them. There are companies out there waiting to teach you how to effectively manage your time. Perhaps it is time you contacted one of them for help.