Creating a time management plan keeps you from wasting time.
Having a plan makes every hour count, ensures that you get to work more quickly
and helps distribute your time over all the tasks that you need to do each day,
week, month and year. Creating a time
management plan is an imperative if you want to be successful.
* Be Realistic With Your Plans – Don’t go against your own
internal clock when planning each day. If you know you struggle to get up in
the morning, do not schedule things in the early morning hours. If you can
manage in the mornings if you do tasks you like first, try that.
* Set Time Limits – This is especially important for both
tasks you dislike and tasks you like. You always have a risk of procrastination
when it comes to tasks you hate by spending too much time on tasks you like.
* Eliminate Distractions – One of the biggest killers of any
plan that you set are distractions such as television, interrupting phone
calls, social media, and yes – children and spouses. While nothing is ever
perfect, you can eliminate most distractions by planning ahead about how to
deal with them. Turn off the TV, turn off the phone, use social media only at
certain times with a timer set, and explain to children and spouses the
importance of not bothering you while you are working.
* Differentiate Important from Non-Important Tasks – One of
the hardest tasks before you when creating a time management plan is
understanding what is important and what is not important. If you make it a
habit to do the most important things first, you’re going to feel more
accomplished and get more done.
* Use a Calendar and Technology – Where would we be without
technology? Using Google Calendar or another system synced to your phone is a
great way to ensure that your calendar is always with you and that you don’t
forget things. You can even set reminders and alarms to help.
* Eliminate Urgency from Your Life – This can be difficult
but most things really aren’t urgent. If you are a service provider, stop
taking last-minute work; train your clients to give you plenty of time to work
tasks into your schedule. If you set family time and play time into your
schedule too, that will eliminate the need for a last-minute meltdown from the
toddler too.
* Create and Use Lists – It is one thing to note on your
calendar “work on project A” but it’s quite another to list exactly what you
are to do during that time period on project A. This is the most effective way
to schedule your time so that you meet your goals. Be very specific with lists
so that no time is wasted.
* Create a Daily Action Plan – There should always be at
least four or five things that you can do each day toward any future goal that
you have to help you feel accomplished. Plus, having a variety of things to do
each day will eliminate boredom and procrastination.
Creating a time management plan is an essential element in
creating success. Most successful people live and die by their calendars. When
you meet someone and wonder how in the world she does it all, it’s probably a
very thought-out and coordinated schedule that allows her to accomplish so
much.
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