Time Management Help
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By :
Stephen G
Submitted
2009-10-28 08:46:17 |
Time management help can provide you with the right time management technique to help you get more out of your day and maximize your efficiency.
Imagine all time you have wasted in your life that could have been put to better use for exercising, financial planning, money making, education or self improvement.
Now think how much Smarter, Wealthier, Happier and Healthier you would be right now if you hadn't spent so much time twiddling your thumbs wasting precious opportunities. With an effective time management plan you can get so much more out of your day.
If you waste just 1 hour per day, here is something to think about:
1 hour per day = 365 hours per year
3650 hours over ten years - imagine if you had spent 3650 hours working to earn more money, or exercising or learning a new language, or learning new financial skills.
Well you can't get that time back, but you can control the next 3000 hours that you get. Will you use them wisely or waist them?
Are you ready to save some time?
Time Management Definition
It's pretty easy to define time management - It's simply how you manage the time you have. Some people manage quite well to work out every day, get their 8 hours sleep, do their job and get everything done and still have relax time. All because they learned how to improve time management.
1. Beat Procrastination
Stop procrastinating and do things now, don't put them off. Positive, wealthy people don't procrastinate so follow their example.
Less procrastination leads to less stress in the long run and it builds a measure of self control and the essential discipline it takes to have a better quality of life.
2. Be Organized
File things away in an organized and structured manner. Keep a tidy filing systems for bills, bank statements and any important financial information.
To succeed in a proper time management plan you must be organized, otherwise you will spend countless hours trying to find information that could have only taken you seconds - Talk about wasting time. Even consider keeping things like car keys and the T.V remote in a set place to avoid the panicked hunt.
3. Make A List
Have a must do list and prioritize it. Good planning leads to efficient task completion and that is an essential element to time management. Know the must-complete items and go straight to them, don't scatter your attention with unimportant chores.
4. Tackle Your T.V
Make a list of your top 10 T.V shows and make a plan to only watch the shows on that list, don't let one show become two, which becomes three and before you know it your whole night was a T.V slobfest.
Be better than that and turn of the lazy box after your show is finished, then proceed to do something useful.
5. Commercial Breaks
Never Sit through commercials. It's one of the best time management tips you can get - never, ever watch the adverts, instead use the time to get up and do physical chores or anything productive.
Why would you be interested in mind numbing commercials anyway?
A very useful time management technique!
6. A Stitch In Time
The old phrase a stitch in time saves nine is more appropriate now than when it was first conceived. The premise is of course, to stitch a small hole before it needs nine more.
How many things can we apply this theory to in modern day life? Right now is the perfect time to look around your home and your lifestyle, looking for things that need immediate attention to avoid future problems.
Fix breaks, tears, holes and cuts early to prevent more extravagant damages, but also apply this to relationships and non physical things in your life that might require your focus sooner than later.
7. Be Proactive
Instead of waiting for problems to come to life, why not try to anticipate things that may happen and take steps to eliminate these potential future difficulties.
You can not seriously attempt time management without acknowledging the importance of being proactive to prevent possibly time consuming occurrences.
No one can do it for you, hence it is a very personal task and at times hard work, but good, intelligent time management starts and finishes with motivated pro-activity.
Being proactive is especially useful in team time management as you can stay ahead of the curve and make team productivity consistent
8. Tools
Every tried to hammer a nail with a rock? - The right tools are needed to do something properly and quickly, without the right equipment, advice, system or application then time management is next to impossible.
If you are a person who constantly attempts to perform a given task without the correct tools, then you need to change that immediately.
9. Teach Your Household Team Time Management
Now that you are learning the information, you can get your entire household involved in running a smoother, well oiled machine.
Every one can participate and do their part to help then your free time will increase.
10. Work From Home
There is no doubt about it - not spending 2 hours a day commuting to and from work is a valuable time saving idea. Some people can do exactly what they do at the office, but complete those tasks at home an not only save valuable time every week, but also all of the transportation related expenses.
It certainly is worth thinking about or you can start up your own home business such as your own themed website or a completely new idea you may have floating around.
11. Go Large
Cook larger meals (around double) and freeze the left overs in little containers to save having to prepare the same meal next week.
12. Buy Bulk
Buying large quantities of household goods can not only save you time, it can save you money. If you buy twice the amount you usually buy you will only have to shop half as often.
13. Get A Speaker
If you have to phone a large company or a government department, then you know you'll be in for a long (and time consuming) wait.
Don't spend all that time just dying of boredom, get a speaker phone, then you can complete some tasks without having to hold a warm phone to your ear. Make the most of this type of convenience and get something done.
14. Avoid Peak Traffic
If you have to encounter the long and frustrating peak hour snail-paced traffic, then it may be worth considering going to the gym or the library before you head on home. Try to do something productive with that time and go home after the rush hour.
15. Wash Large
If you want a time management tip for lazy people here it is, don't do the dishes. Do one large load per day, of course this is a lot easier if you have a dish washer that you can put the pre-washed dishes into, because a big stinky load of dishes on the kitchen bench might not be hygienic.
The same goes for clothes washing, only do one monster load at a time and you'll definitely save time.
16. Be Smart
Be clever enough to keep frozen bread and milk powder on hand for those unavoidable times where you may run out. Doing this will save you the car trip to have to replace the items, so be smart and prepare.
Be cunning about your time management plan
17. Fill your car
Fill your car right to the brim with fuel and you'll save time, because you won't have to put fuel in as often. Wait until it hits a certain low point each week and then fill again. Don't make 4 trips a week because you only put $10 in at a time.
18. Work Faster
Well Duh! - But the fact is when you concentrate on something you revert to you basic pace and forget to try a little expedience. Leave notes to remind your self to pick up the pace and go faster, most of us can if we just remember to.
19. Time Blocks
Set blocks of time for specific tasks, that way you will increase the likely hood that you will finish your particular area within the time frame of that block. Developing time blocks is one of the most effective time management strategies there is.
This is especially important for study skills time management, where you need to get certain things done
20. Identify Waste
Identify the areas in your life that produce excessive waste and take action to create a more efficient solution to this problem.
What do you spend time on that is pointless or fruitless? Identification of weak links is import to create your personal time management program.
21. Multi task
If you can then by all means multi-task, but do so only if the outcome will be beneficial.
Don't do two things horribly wrong. You are often better not to multi-task when you can no skill in the areas you are attempting. It's a common sense decision that no one else can make for you.
22. Attitude
It's important not to be flaky about this and say I can't do this or this is too hard. You can if you have the gumption, you just have to really understand the benefits that more time will create for you.
This isn't a method for lazy people, in fact lazy people don't need time management at all - they have all the time they need. Other successful people need to develop the necessary skills to enhance their lives and create extra time for their personal productivity.
Keep the right attitude to time management - you can and you will because you should.
23. Email Solutions
How do you sort through your email swamp with an efficient strategy that works? - You need to keep it simple and here is a simple time management strategy to rank the important from the unimportant. The Multiple email time management technique.
Have three email accounts each with a ranking of importance and hand them out to those whom you deal with in order of how important they are.
They will never know you do this, but you will be able to go straight to the A-List important emails straight away and deal with the less important ones as is necessary.
24. Effective Delegation
What can you do that is vital and which of your tasks can you delegate? - The key to successful delegation is having a good sense of importance about the tasks at hand.
By taking on the things that you think you must complete and passing on the lesser chores to others then you can manage your time far more effectively.
Of course that is if the situation applies to you, but even Mum's and Dad's can delegate a few more responsibilities to the kids.
25. Don't Say yes To Just Anything
People will invite you to parties, friends will ask you for favors, work places will ask you to stay late, telemarketers will try to sell to you and door knockers will try to change your religion...it's a time management mine field out there and you need to learn fast the word NO.
Be assertive and say no if something doesn't interest you or you are too busy, because your time is more important to you than it is to them.....one more time:
Your - Time - Is - More - Important - To - You - Than - It - Is - To - Them!
In Conclusion
If you commit the small amount of time it takes to learn and implement some of the new time management help you've learned here today then you can become so much more productive in any avenue you choose.
Improving time management makes sense because you and I only get the same hours in the day, but whosoever makes the most out of them shall be more fulfilled.
Time Management Help By Stephen G
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