Time Management Strategies Everyone Can Use

Become More Efficient with These Keys:

Nowadays, it’s much more crucial to be able to manage your time effectively than ever. All of us are busy, and have lots of information and projects we have to process every single day. Whether you are needing help in managing your time at work or at home, the following suggestions can help you get more completed in a more relaxed manner.

You Spend Time As You Choose

Not having time is a common complaint these days, but if you’re honest about how you actually spend your day, it’s likely you’ll see many areas where you waste time. This doesn’t suggest you shouldn’t take breaks, or that you need to work throughout the day like a machine.

If you haven’t noticed, though, there are a great deal of lost minutes each day as a result of people texting, or sending and answering “quick” emails online, and even lingering longer than necessary at another person’s desk at work.

Everyone is guilty of these sorts of actions that, even if they only take five minutes from each hour each day, can really add up to lost time. For example, if you often chat on the phone a lot of, turn it off when you have work that needs to be done and just schedule a block of time for phone calls.

Decide What Is Most Important to You

One of the most beneficial things you can do if you wish to manage your time more effectively is to learn how to prioritize.

Be sure you get pressing tasks done before spending time on activities that are not extremely important. When possible, start your day by doing the most difficult or vital task that’s on your schedule. This does two things: you will not be spending time all day dreading the task that still needs to be done and, the task will actually get done in a timely manner and crossed off your list!

Moreover, when doing these vital tasks, give them your complete attention and don’t allow yourself to get diverted by other things.

The $25,000 Tip Anyone Can Use

About a century ago, an industrialist – Charles Schwab – asked an efficiency expert, Ivy Lee, for some time management tips for his corporate staff. After advising the staff, Mr. Lee told Mr. Schwab that after one month, if he was happy, he could pay him whatever he thought his advice was worth. A month later, Mr. Schwab sent Mr. Lee a check for $25,000.00 (about $300,000.00 today) as he was so pleased with the results of Mr. Lee’s tip.

What was that tip: at the end of each day make a list of the top items you need to do the next day and put them in the order of their importance. In the morning, start with the first job on the list and work on it until it’s completed. Then, cross it off the list and start on #2. It’s that simple.

Multiply Your Time by Delegating Important Tasks

Do you think you’re the only person who can do a job right so you refuse to delegate or outsource?

You need to rethink your outlook on these points, because you will benefit by having a lot more time for other tasks. Individuals who never have enough time are generally people who try and do everything themselves.

While it’s true that a few tasks can’t be done by another person, you could very easily assign some of the lesser tasks, or routine tasks, to someone else to take care of for you. Depending on where you work – at home or outside the home – your assistant could be a child who sets the table, or a colleague who performs some of your preliminary research.

When you are making a to do list, or project outline, ask yourself truthfully if there are areas or tasks where it may be possible to have help from another person. As you go over your list, you may decide that the answer to your question is “no”, particularly when this is a new mindset for you. However, if you can just start with one task to delegate or outsource, and go from there, you’ll save a lot of time in the long run.

Smart Time Management Improves Your Life and Work

When you start implementing these ideas, you will enjoy your work more – whether you are at home, at school, or at work – and you will find that you get through each day with less stress while actually getting more accomplished. All of us start out our day with 24 hours, and how we decide to spend our valuable time is completely up to each of us.

Taking better control of how you handle your time requires you to be aware of what you are choosing to do right now.

When you become aware of how you spend your time, you will start to smartly schedule your day. Entrepreneur and Blogger, Nick Bredimus, says a course in time management taken early in his career made his successful rise possible.

Brian Lee

Brian Lee has been involved with sales for more than 20 years. He likes to bowl, walk in the woods, and occasionally throw food for fish into the water.