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Time Management In Business

Do you ever find yourself wishing there were more hours in the day? Is your leisure and family time taking a back seat to your professional life? Do you feel like you are missing out on the best things in life because you don't have enough time?

If you do it is okay as most of us feel like this on a regular basis. Perhaps you are spending extra hours each evening at the weekend trying to get your work completed. Or you just do not have enough leisure time to pursue your hobbies and do the things you enjoy.

However, don't worry just yet. There is a solution to your problems. It only takes a few small adjustments in the way you use your time to change your life forever. Not only will this help you manage your time more effectively, it can help you to achieve the things you really want to in life.

Time management in business is about managing yourself

Each day has only 24 hours. This is something that will not change and we can do nothing about it. You can not manage time, but you can manage yourself. Once you realize this you have taken the first step towards effective time management. You have to identify the things in life that truly matter to you - this is where you should spend your time. Everything else should be eliminated from your life.

It is important to point out at this stage that making the changes necessary to manage your time effectively can mean making some fundamental changes in your lifestyle. However, there is no need to rush, you can make the necessary changes at your own pace. Trying to make big changes at the beginning might be too much for you, so start with small steps.

One step to time management in business is understanding yourself first

Knowing yourself is the essential first step on the road to effective time management. As we grow older it is easy to lose track of the things that really matter to us in life. It is amazing that we can let this happen to us, but it happens all too easily.

So before you can really begin to look at your time management you need to figure out what you want out of life. When you discover this you have discovered your vision. Try to remember yourself as a child or as a young adult when you felt you could achieve anything. What were your dreams and aims when you were that age? What you wanted then may really be what you want now, it may just be that you have lost sight of your true vision. It is likely that some of your priorities will have changed since then, but many will have remained the same.

Think about how you would like your life to be at home and at your work. You should also think about your capabilities and what is possible for you in life. This is your vision.

Where are you now?

If you followed the steps above you should be able to picture your ideal life accurately. So here comes the tough part. I want you to compare this vision of your ideal life to your life as it really is now. For most people, the difference between the two can be quite daunting.

Don't worry if this is the case as bridging the gap between your ideal reality and your life now is much easier than you would expect. Many people think effective time management is all about calendars and diaries. Not so. Effective time management is much more about you and how you choose to spend your time.

Living your life and spending your time the way you want to will involve a few changes - some big, some small. A small change would be something like taking a walk every evening. A major change could be quitting your job to travel the world. However, if you put your mind to it you could achieve either of these. You need to look at how you spend your days and plan your time with a view to achieving these goals.

Planning your day.

You should start by picking two things you want to achieve, one big and one small. Now, you want to think of one small step you can take towards achieving these that you can incorporate into one day. If you can do this, and complete those steps then you are on the way.

In truth, this is just a first step on a long journey but the point is to show that effective time management and achieving your ideal life can be achieved and the process can be rewarding. Now you need to make sure that everything you do each day is taking you towards your goals, and that you plan in such a way that you complete all of the tasks you need to do each day.

This is where a time plan comes in. You need to have a very clear idea of what needs to be done, how long it will take, and when it is going to be done. If it is your first time using a time plan you may want to keep a time log for a week or two first. A time log is a detailed record of how you spend your time each day. Keeping a time log for a week should give you a clear picture of how long the various tasks you need to do take. When you know this you can plan your days much more accurately and effectively.

The 4 Ds of time management

Now, as you make your time plan for each day you need to decide how to handle the various tasks that need doing, and how to deal with any new tasks that may arise. So let me introduce you to the four Ds of self-management. Which are:

* Do it - Get it done, the sooner the better. * Delegate it - This task doesn't suit you, get someone else to do it. * Dump it - This is not important, thrash it. * Defer it - Something for the 'to do' pile. Come back to it later.

You should be able to file any task that arises in your average day under one of the four Ds.

Time wasters

Now let's look at time wasters. Time wasters eat into our time and can make it very difficult to manage our time effectively. The biggest problem is that they are often very hard to identify because they can be very trivial.

Examples of common time wasters are :

* Lack of or poor planning - File things properly, write down appointments, that kind of thing. Basically, you need to be organized to use your time effectively.

* Procrastination - If you keep putting things off you will miss all the best opportunities in life.

* Failure to delegate - Are there tasks in your day that are not effective use of your time? If so, delegate them.

* Interruptions - Set up your workspace so that there are no distractions that will disrupt your workflow.

Try to identify the time wasters that are holding you back and eliminate them from your life.

This was a crash course in time management but should get you started. As a general rule, try to take it step by step and as you make a change maintain it until it becomes a natural part of your life. As you take it step by step, you will gradually move closer to your ideal life, a life where there is plenty of time for the things you want to do.

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