| SolveYourProblem Article Series: Time Management
How Can I Manage My Time Better?
Time
Management Skills:
Plan As Much As Possible
Time management is one of the most important
life skills you can have. The ability to effectively control
your time wards off depression, gives you more free time, and
can lead to an overall better lifestyle.
Perhaps the most effective method of using time to its fullest
extent is to plan as much as possible. Many people use the
old “I will engage in a task when I feel like it” method. This
is not only a poor way to manage time; it is also a poor way
to manage your life. It can be a great cause of stress, and
it leads to procrastination. That can lead to an extensive
amount of guilt. Creating a time plan, even a flexible one,
helps you make good decisions about the best times and places
for you to work. Time management essentially means working
with intelligence, not necessarily working your self to death.
The way to start a good program of time management is to figure
out what time you truly have at your disposal. It is easy to
think you have more or less time than you do given the toppling
amount of activities each of us tries to fit into every day.
Creating a schedule of your events each week can provide you
with an overall portrait of how many hours you spend working,
how many hours you spend planning, and how many hours you have
free. When you make your schedule, be sure to include everything
that you do. 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. It is essential to be truthful about
these things so that you can make a workable schedule for yourself.
Once you've analyzed how much time you currently spend engaging
in activities, make a schedule of how much time you
should spend with each activities. For example, if you sleep for eight
hours each night, but you know you would function just as well
on five or six hours of sleep, schedule that in. That would
buy you at least two hours of time that you did not have before
you started this process. Moreover, if you schedule yourself
to work each night at ten, after the kids have gone to bed,
but you know you will just spend that time watching the news,
do not put it in the schedule. It will only get you off task.
Once your new schedule is complete, make copies of it for the
month. It should serve as a visual reminder of what you should
be doing and when you should be doing it.
Another way of taking control of your time is to make
a list of tasks you need to complete each day or week. It can also
help to make long term lists. This can be far more effective
than simply writing deadlines on your calendar. Be sure that
you order the tasks to meet your priorities, and be sure to
record a deadline that you can live with for each task.
Finally, combine
your new schedule with your list each week. Decide what you will do, and where that task will fit into
your schedule. Be sure to include your individual strengths
and weaknesses, your habits, and your likes and dislikes in
your thinking process. For example, if you intend to spend
thirty minutes each day working out, but you hate exercising
first thing in the morning, do not schedule it or put it on
your list for that time slot. You should also tailor both your
list and your schedule to your needs. If you like to be scheduled
down to the minute, be sure to include that level of detail
in your planning process. If you simply need to know what to
get accomplished that day, do not schedule yourself more than
you can handle. You should also be sure to plan a bit of flexible
time into your days. 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.
Click here to discover my current SolveYourProblem recommendation and choice pick for the fastest, easiest and best time management solution you'll find anywhere. Get it and reward yourself by doing more in less time than you ever thought possible.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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