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| Eight Simple Steps to Improve Your Time Management |
By:
Chuck Lee |
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Do you have trouble managing time? Not having enough time to get things done can cause stress and trouble at home or at work. The good news, however, is that there are a number of steps that you can take to improve your time management. In fact, eight simple steps that you can take are outlined below.
Realize That You Have a Time Management Issue
Knowing that you have a time management problem is the first step in changing your behavior, processes, and stress level. If your daily or weekly tasks are always late or even undone at the deadline, this is an indicator that you need to find ways to manage your time more effectively. Also, often being late for work or a social event shouldn’t be happening on a daily or a weekly basis. If it is, it is time for you to realize that you may have a problem.
Decide To Make Changes
Knowing that you have a time management problem is important, but wanting to change is even more important. You need to set goals and targets for yourself, as these goals can help to provide you with a source of motivation. Some goals to consider are showing up to work on time for a whole month, getting all home chores done as planned for a month, finishing work tasks and projects as scheduled for a month, being on time for all dinner dates, and so forth.
Stick To The Goals You Made
Creating a number of time management goals for you to meet is obviously important and something you should do. This is only the beginning. Setting goals is meaningless if there’s no effort to reach those goals. It is important that you don’t give up right away or when it becomes difficult to reach a goal. Setting goals simply just isn’t enough, you need to stick with them.
Create Daily Task Lists
Creating a to do list for yourself is a great idea to help you remember what needs to be done and to stay focused on the priorities of the day. In fact, it is one of the easiest approaches that you can take. Outline what you need to do throughout the day – be as detailed as you need to be to keep you on track. Either list the tasks in order of importance or assign importance ratings to each entry. Consider assigning completion times if you have enough info about the task to do that.
As you work through your task list each day, reprioritize as necessary. There are many times when unexpected situations come up. These situations don’t have to get you off track. Adjust your list, keep plugging away, and also adjust your mindset to the new plan. If you have to make adjustments, remember that you can have flexibility to take time from the lower priorities on your list. Assess which ones can move to the next day or which ones really could be done quicker than you thought.
Use Time Management Tools
Time management tools can be a great advantage. A simple timer or alarm clock is one tool that can help. If you’ve set time limits on tasks, set the timer or alarm for the time you should be finished. If you need to be reminded about meetings, deadlines, or appointments, set up your online calendar to help. Most email services come with a calendar that can be set to send alerts. Many people have cell phones with capabilities to alert when it’s time to be somewhere or do something. If you prefer something more manual, make notes in a paper calendar that you can easily see and easily update. Keep that calendar with you at all times so you can make sure you know what your schedule is and can update at any time.
It’s Okay To Say No
The truth is that there are times where you may not be able to refuse a project at work or a task at home. It really is important to not take on more than you can accomplish. If you must accept more than you think you can do, look into using outside help. In the home, this outside help can come from a baby sitter, housecleaner, landscaper, contractor, etc. Making the decision to outsource at home is probably much easier to set up because you can completely control that process and decision.
In the workplace, it may be more difficult to set up some help. Consider enlisting the help of a coworker or hiring a short term temporary employee. It’s up to you how you approach this. It may need to go through your manager or you may be able to ask for help on your own. It may depend on the size of the help request.
As for saying no – if you do say no you don’t always owe an explanation or an apology. At work, most likely an explanation will be required, but an apology is rarely necessary in overwork situations. At home, you may choose to explain, but don’t go overboard. Getting your time management skills in place doesn’t have to come with a boat load of guilt.
Get Organized
Organization is one of the biggest factors to being able to properly manage your time. As a start to organization, make sure your spaces are easy to get around in and free of clutter. Make sure things have a place and that if they’re not in use they’re in their place. At work, give yourself plenty of desktop space to actually work. When you’re finished with documents and papers, file them. Have trays or some place for pending work, but make sure you manage this process daily. At home, set up a place for mail sorting, key storage, cleaning supply storage, etc. Keep kids clutter down by confining their things to one area and requiring them to keep it clean and tidy.
Look into purchasing storage containers that will help you get organized and decluttered. You don’t have to spend a lot of money, but do invest in as many pieces as possible if you have a big organizational need. Giving your things a place to be is key. The second key is making sure to return things to their place when you have finished with them.
Professional Help
Outside help was discussed earlier in context of having to deal with more than you know you can handle. Do reach out for help to accomplish specific tasks or responsibilities if you need to.
To expand on what professional help may be available, consider hiring a coach if these guidelines don’t seem like enough to get you on track. There are cases where people are unable to get time management under control on their own due to overwhelming circumstances or situations. Coaches are available to help with processes, organization, accountability, and more. |
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