How to Improve Time Management
In 25 Minutes
Is it really possible to improve time management in under half an hour?
Absolutely!
All you need is a bit of basic knowledge (three to five minutes to read this article), 20 minutes to actually do something, and a timer to make sure you stick to the limits.
Scheduling in half an hour to improve time management could be one of the best things you do this week. You’ll feel far more on top of things, you’ll have a tidier and more organized space, and you’ll enjoy the satisfaction that comes from knowing and doing what matters.
You'll also take less time doing what you have to do because you waste less time doing it. Not only that, you fill your newly freed up time with fulfilling experiences.
So, are you ready?
Set your timer...
Go!
Increase your awareness to improve time management - 5 minutes
Appreciate your time more. It’s a finite resource that can’t be saved, stored or stolen.
It’s not whether or not you use it -- it’s how you use it that counts.
Every minute wasted means one less minute for yourself or your family, so make the most of each one.
Take it further:
Keep a time management log for a day to see how you are really using your time.
Organize your space - 10 minutes
Clear some of the clutter in your life. You won’t do it all, but ten minutes, putting things back and sorting out what goes where will be time well spent.
Don’t think too hard -- just do it. Set your timer, pick up anything and ask yourself ‘What it is, where does it go?’ Put it back, then repeat until your timer bleeps.
Clearing the decks like this frees you up to focus your creative energy on what you want to do, not what you feel you should do.
Take it further:
Ten minutes makes a dent, but sixty minutes would make a huge difference. Schedule it in.
Keeping your space organized means practising the 'Golden Rule' -- put things back after using them.
Plan the rest of the day - 10 minutes
Grab a notepad and pen. What else have you got to do today? Now, of those things, what are the three most important things to do? Use your available time today to do them.
Unless they have to be done in one go, the main thing is that you make progress with them.
For example, let’s say ‘write report’ is on your hit-list.
Does it have to be done today or tomorrow? If so, do it to completion. But if it’s not due immediately, work on it for a chunk of time, then come back to it the following day.
That way you’ll make progress on it and keep other things ticking along, too.
Organize your most important tasks according to the time you have available. When you have a chunk of time, use it to work on your what matters to you today.
Take it further:
Buy or make a ‘task diary’ to schedule in what you have to do and when. Using this habitually makes organizing your time and tasks so much easier.
… and stop!
‘Improve time management’ seems such a vague idea that it’s hard to know how, where and when to begin. The trick, as with most things, is to define it by putting a limit on how much you do.
In this case, 25 minutes will make a real difference, but the same would hold true for longer lengths of time. It just depends on how much you want to give to it.
Schedule half an hour to improve time management this week.
You’ll thank yourself for it.
Do you need to get a better balance in your life?
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Time Management Success
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