Every day is only 24 hours long, yet it often seems like there are not enough hours in the day. If you are the type of person who constantly feels rushed to get things accomplished, then this article is what you need. Here, you will find great advice to get your time back in your control.
Make a list. Sometimes it’s easier to manage your time when you know exactly what you have to do. Write down exactly what you would like to accomplish and get started. Once you finish one task, mark it off your list. This can help you feel accomplished and help you continue on your to your goal.
Start each morning by reviewing your overall schedule, and try to fill out any blank spots. By knowing how your day’s activities are planned, you can reach your goals. Be sure you haven’t penciled in too much.
Keep a diary of how you are spending your time. Do this for about 3 days. You will be able to see what you are spending time on. You can then determine what is necessary to spend time doing and what isn’t necessary. Figure out how to manage your time better.
The first 30 minutes of the start of your day should be used for planning the entire day. Do not begin your day until you have completed a plan that includes the times that everything is to be done. You can consider this time block used for scheduling your day one of the most important times of your day.
Try to avoid answering the phone or e-mails just because they ring or appear. If you can, try disabling or disconnecting instant messaging. You don’t need to instantly give people attention unless it’s essential to the instant human response aspect of your business. You should try scheduling time for returning calls and answering emails.
When time is really of the essence, keep any sort of social media out of your workspace. Social media can be an extreme time suck, literally eating minutes and hours if you aren’t careful. To truly focus, you’ll need privacy away from these sites. It may be tempting to take a look, but remember how efficient you’ll be without it!
Don’t wait for the last minute to get something done if you find yourself constantly behind schedule. For example, when you suddenly remember an important task that has to be taken care of before five today, you won’t be able to get anything else done! Avoid being a slave to deadlines and manage time more wisely.
Take a peek at your current schedule. Can you eliminate certain activities? Can you see some things others can help you with to give you some extra time? Delegation is a very useful time-management skill you should learn. Let those tasks go and let others take on the task.
Stop rushing around and leaving your day unfinished. You should easily see how your time can be handled in a better way. If you apply what you have learned here, you can get your time management skills honed to a successful point. Learn all you can and make time work for you.