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eLearning Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?
( 50 articles in this series )
Life
Skills: Making the Most of Your Time
Making
the most of your time is a very important life skill. Proper time management can offer you free time,
better mental health, and can help you build a better life
overall for yourself.
The
best way to start making the most of your time is to begin
by planning. You cannot make the best use of your time if you
only complete tasks as you feel like doing them. That method
of time management can only lead to procrastination and a huge
amount of stress as well as guilt. Creating a plan for your
time can help you make the best possible decisions about your
life and your time. The best way to start your planning process
is to examine how you currently use your time. It is easy to
misjudge the amount of time you may have. Building a schedule
of the things you do each day will help you realize how much
time you do or do not have at your disposal. Be sure to include
how many hours you spend working, how many hours you spend
planning, and how many hours you have free. Consider all of
the activities you engage in. Do not forget to include things
like the time you spend sleeping, the time you spend in the
car waiting to pick up Suzy from soccer practice, and the time
you spend grocery shopping for your family. Being honest about
these things can only help you build a better ideal schedule
so you can make the most of your time.
Once you've figured out how much time you currently spend
on your various life activities, make a schedule of
how much time you should spend on each activity on a daily
basis. For
example, consider your sleeping habits. If you currently sleep
for eight hours each night, but you know you would function
just as well on five or six hours of sleep, change your schedule
accordingly. Little things like this can add hours to your
schedule each day. It is also important that you only put things
into your schedule that you know will work for you. One case
in point might be that if you schedule yourself to work on
your computer at ten each evening, but you know your baby wakes
up at ten for a night feeding, you are only setting yourself
up to lose productivity time. Once you have made your new schedule,
post it where it might serve as a reminder of the tasks you
should be completing on a scheduled basis.
This new schedule is only a starting point for managing your
time better. You should also consider making both daily
and weekly lists of tasks that need to be completed. Additionally,
it might help to make lists of long terms tasks that need to
be completed as well. Your lists should be specific enough
for you to understand the task just by glancing at the list.
Be sure to include the task deadline, so you know how much
time you have to finish it. You should also prioritize the
list as you make it. In this way, the list will be far more
effective than simply slopping down deadlines on your calendar.
The next thing you will need to do is work
on fitting your weekly list into your weekly schedule. You must decide what
you will do, and how it fits into the schedule you have made
for yourself. If, on a continual basis, things simply are not
fitting into your schedule, perhaps it is time to revise that
schedule. It may also be time to take some things off of your
lists. It is important to remember, as you begin to reach a
revision process that it is okay to say no to tasks you simply
do not have time to undertake. If these tasks pertain to work,
talk to your boss. If you are your own boss, consider contacting
your clients to let them know of your time constraints. If
the tasks pertain to your domestic life, talk to your significant
other and your children about helping out with the tasks you
feel unable to complete. Be sure to have a bit of flexible
time in your schedule each day. Flexible time can offer you
extra time if a task is left unfinished, or it can provide
you leisure time if you have met all of your goals for the
day. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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