| SolveYourProblem Article Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?
How
Well Do You Prioritize? 5 Steps To Help You
Prioritization is a skill that often takes
practice before you can truly master it. When you’ve got a
long list of things that need to be done, figuring out which
ones take precedence can be difficult to say the least!
Here are 5 simple steps to becoming a whiz at prioritization:
1)
Plan your day ahead of time.
It’s
impossible to prioritize when you have no clear idea of what
needs to be done. Get into
the habit of making a detailed list of everything you want
to get done each day. You can make your list the night before
or first thing in the morning, but be sure to set a routine
and stick to it so you don’t forget. On this list you’ll
place the big activities and chores, but also the smaller
tasks and
obligations.
2)
Pare down the list.
If
you’re like most people, your list is probably several hundred
miles long. It could probably
even
circle the globe at least once, right? However, if you look
at the items on your list, probably a large chunk of them
don’t have to be done immediately. Instead, focus on the
main activities
that really DO have to be done today (or tomorrow, depending
on when you are making your list). Transfer all of the other
non-essential items to another list. You can do them once
you’ve completed the items on your main list.
3)
Allot a specific period of time for each item on the list.
Look
closely at each task and activity on your main list. How
long do they usually take to complete? This will be a general
estimate, since it can be difficult to say exactly – especially
when interruptions and delays can throw your timeline off.
Be sure to allow a few extra minutes for each task, just
in case they take longer than you expect. If you end up finishing
a task in less time, you’ve got that much more time that
can
be applied to other items.
4)
Now, prioritize!
Which
of the items on the list is MOST crucial to complete? One
good way to figure this out is to
consider the consequences of NOT doing each thing on the
list. What would happen if you didn’t complete your work
project
on time or bring your child to a doctor appointment? Any
item that would create negative consequences if not completed
should
be given very high priority. You can use a letter or numbering
system to label each item on your list, if it helps. Use
the number 1 or the letter A for very high priority items;
then
the number 2 or letter B would be for items that are important
but not as crucial as the highest priority items. I wish I could tell you to do the highest priority items first,
and then work your way down the list, but unfortunately events
won’t always comply with that type of structure. For example,
you may have a high-priority item that can’t be completed until
later in the day for whatever reason, so you’ll have no choice
but to complete some other, less important activities in the
meantime. That’s okay, but just be sure to keep checking your
list and focusing on what needs to be done in the timeframe
it needs to be done. More on this in the next step:
5)
Review your list and stay focused.
If
you are not accustomed to working in such an organized manner,
you may find yourself
forgetting to check your list throughout the day, or you
may even find yourself getting distracted and losing track
of time.
When this happens, simply redouble your efforts to get back
on track. Keep your list in a prominent area so you’ll see
it frequently, and do your best to stick to the plan you’ve
set for yourself. If you manage to complete all of your most important items
from the list, immediately switch to your other list of non-essential
items! Even if you can only complete one or two of them, you’ll
feel the glow of accomplishment from going the extra mile.
Remember, this process will take time to fully master. Especially
if you’re used to dealing with a lot of distraction and upheaval
in your daily activities, it will seem like an impossible dream
to get it all together and flowing smoothly. However, every
day that you attempt to stick to your priority schedule you’ll
find the process getting easier and easier. Before long you’ll
have no problem addressing the most crucial items first, and
everything else will fall easily into place.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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