10 Strategies for Better Time Management

Peggy R. Anderson

Extension Agent

February 8, 2012

10 Strategies for Better Time Management

The term Time Management is a misnomer. You cannot manage time; you can manage the events in your life in relation to time. You may often wish for more time but you only get 24 hours, 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds each day. How you use that time depends on skills learned through self-analysis, planning, evaluation, and self-control.

Much like money, time is both valuable and limited; it must be protected, used wisely, and budgeted. People who practice good time management techniques often find that they:

·        Are more productive,

·        Have more energy for things they need to accomplish,

·        Feel less stressed,

·        Are able to do the things they want,

·        Get more things done,

·        Relate more positively to others, and

·        Feel better about themselves (Dodd and Sundheim, 2005).

Finding a time management strategy that works best for you depends on your personality, ability to self-motivate and level of self-discipline. By incorporating some, or all of the ten strategies below, you can more effectively manage your time.

1.      Know How You Spend Your Time. Keeping a time log is a helpful way to determine how you are using your time. Start by recording what you are doing for 15-minute intervals for a week or two. Now take a look at the results. Identify your most time-consuming tasks and determine whether you are investing your time in the most important activities to help you.

2.      Set Priorities. Managing your time effectively requires a distinction between what is important and what is urgent. One of the easiest ways to prioritize is to make a “to do” list. Whether you need a daily, weekly or monthly list depends on your lifestyle. Just be careful not to allow the list-making to get out of control and do not keep multiple lists at the same time. Rank the items on your “to do” list in order of priority.

3.      Use a Planning Tool. Experts recommend using a personal planning tool to improve your productivity. Examples of personal planning tools include electronic planners, pocket diaries, calendars, computer programs, wall charts, index cards and notebooks. Writing down your tasks, schedules, and memory joggers can free your mind to focus on your priorities. Auditory learners may prefer to dictate their thoughts instead. The key is to find one planning tool that works for you and use that tool consistently.

4.      Get Organized. Most people find that disorganization results in poor time management. A frequently used method is to set up three boxes (or corners of a room) labeled “Keep”, “Give Away”, “Toss”. Separate the clutter by sorting items into these boxes. The key is to immediately discard items in your “Toss” box. Your “Give Away” box may include items you want to sell, delegate, or discontinue so find a method to eliminate these items.

5.      Schedule Your Time Appropriately. Scheduling is not just recording what you have to do, it’s also making a time commitment to the things you want to do. Good scheduling requires that you know yourself. Plan your most challenging tasks for when you have the most energy. Block out time for your high priority activities first and protect that time from interruptions.

6.      Delegate: Get Help from Others. Delegation means assigning responsibility for a task to someone else, freeing up some of your time for tasks that require your expertise. Delegation begins by identifying tasks that others can do and then selecting the appropriate person(s) to do them. Another way to get help is to “buy” time by obtaining goods and service that save you a time investment.

7.      Stop Procrastinating. You may be putting off tasks for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the task seems overwhelming or unpleasant. Try breaking down the task into smaller segments that require less time commitment and result in specific, realistic deadlines. If you’re having trouble getting started, you may need to do some prep work such as collecting materials or organizing your notes. Also, try building in a reward system as you complete each small task.

8.      Manage External Time Wasters. Your time may be impacted by external factors imposed by other people and things. You can decrease or eliminate time spent in these activities by implementing some simple tips such as: Avoid small talk on the phone. Stay focused on the reason for the call; Start and end meetings on time; Turn off instant messaging features on e-mail; Establish a master calendar for each family member to post their time commitments.

9.      Avoid Multi-tasking. Recent psychological studies have shown that multi-tasking does not actually save time. In fact, the opposite is often true. You lose time when switching from one task to another, resulting in a loss of productivity. Routine multi-tasking may lead to difficulty in concentrating and maintaining focus when needed.

10.  Stay Healthy. The care and attention you give yourself is an important investment of time. Scheduling time to relax or do nothing can help you rejuvenate both physically and mentally, enabling you to accomplish tasks more quickly and easily. Poor time management can result in fatigue, moodiness, and more frequent illness.

Regardless of the time management strategies you use, you should take time to evaluate how they have worked for you. Ask yourself a few simple questions: Do you have a healthy balance between work and home life? Are you accomplishing the tasks that are most important in your life? If you answer no to one of these questions you may need to rethink how you manage your time. Take the time to make sure you feel great about you and your accomplishments!

Schedule

Wednesday, February 8 – Burke County

Thursday, February 9 – Divide County

Friday, February 10 – Burke County

Monday, February 13 – Burke County

Tuesday, February 14 – Divide County