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Time Management Tips

Are you finding it difficult to fit all of the things you want to do into each day? Do you wish you could spend less time working and more time with your family? Do you feel dissatisfied in your professional or personal life?

Hopefully, this isn't you but unfortunately most of us feel this way some time. You may be under stress because you are not achieving enough in your professional life. Or you could be feeling guilty because you are not spending enough time at home with your family.

Don't worry, it may not be as bad as you think. There is a solution to this problem and it is far easier than you might think. It only takes a few small adjustments in the way you use your time to change your life forever. As well as finding more time for the things you want to do, you will also be more fulfilled in your life.

Time Management Tips - manage yourself

There are 24 hours in the day. This is something that will not change and we can do nothing about it. Time can not be changed, but the way you approach it can. This is where the answer to effective time management lies. You have to identify the things in life that truly matter to you - this is where you should spend your time. Everything else is just a waste of time.

Making the changes necessary to manage your time effectively can be rewarding and fun, but some of these changes will take a leap of faith on your part. Because of this, you need to take one step at a time. It is best to go slowly, at least to begin with, as you may not succeed if you try to do too much, too soon.

Time Management Tips - Know yourself

To take the first step in effective time management you need to know yourself. In modern society there are so many distractions we can easily lose our focus on what we really want in our lives. It is difficult to identify where and when this happens, but it inevitably does.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do before you even begin to manage your time is to get in touch with what you really want from life. When you discover this you have discovered your vision. Remember a time earlier in your life when you felt anything was possible. What were your dreams and aims when you were that age? Your dreams and goals at this time may help you get in touch with your vision. No doubt, some priorities will have changed, but many will have remained the same.

Also ask yourself how you would like your personal and professional life to be. And think about what is possible for you and what you can really achieve. We will call this your vision.

Where are you now?

By now, you should have a reasonable idea of what you would like your life to be like. The next step is tricky. You must take your vision and compare it to your life at present. Be prepared for a shock here as there will most likely be a vast difference between the two.

However, no matter how wide the gap is between your ideal reality and how you live your life now, it can be bridged. There is a widely held belief that effective time management is about good time-keeping. This is not the case. Effective time management is much more about you and how you choose to spend your time.

If you really want to manage your time effectively you will have to make some major changes and minor changes in your life. A small change would be something like taking a walk every evening. A big change might be starting up your own business. There is a big difference between the two, but both goals are attainable. 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 successfully and complete the step you are on the road to success.

In truth, there is much more to it than this but this will show you that it is far from impossible and can be very rewarding. However, you must be much more meticulous in planning your days so that you complete everything you need to do while only spending time on the things that really matter to you.

This is where a time plan comes in. Each day, you will need to have a clear idea of what needs doing and find a suitable place for it on your schedule. If it is your first time using a time plan you may want to keep a time log for a week or two first. With a time log you write down in detail how you spend your time. 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 - This can not wait and needs to be taken care of now. * 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.

When you plan your day, and even during the day, you should be able to file all the things that need doing under one of the four Ds.

Time wasters

Now let's look at time wasters. Time wasters can destroy any attempt at effective time management if they are not identified and eliminated. This is mainly because they can be very hard to spot and are often the most trivial things.

These are some time wasters to watch out for:

* Lack of planning or bad planning - Develop a good filing system and know how you are going to spend your days. Being neat in your habits will help you manage your time more effectively.

* Procrastination - Many people keep deferring things when they are best done immediately. Don't fall into this trap.

* Not delegating - You can't do it all yourself. Do the things that you are good at and enjoy. Someone else can do the rest.

* Interruptions - Chatty colleagues, needless phonecalls, noisy surroundings. These can all distract you from the task at hand and should be removed.

These and other time wasters are probably eating into your time, so try to identify them and get rid of them.

These are just some of the basics of effective time management. Breaking old habits isn't easy so take the changes you need to make one step at a time. 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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