Time Management Tips and Tricks

Time management... those same two words that keep popping up. With such limiting time in our days, as much as we hate to admit it, time management may be the only solution to help us get through stress free. If you’re not a person who already uses time management to their advantage, there are a lot of ways to get you started. Here are a few tips to successfully become a time management master.

Wait! Before I can give you the solutions, we have to get a few things lined up. First, you need to be aware of your goals. If you know what you want to get done, we can work at prioritizing what needs to be worked on.

The second thing is, you need to make sure your schedule is flexible, we’d be living in a dream world if we could say our day was never interrupted. So, be prepared for those interruptions and making them fit in with your current schedule.

Now, we can get started. Here are a few tips to help you master your time management skills:

1. It’s time to do a little reflection. You need to recognize what your old habits are when it comes to scheduling your time. Are you a doddler? Do you get distracted easy? When you figure out what is stopping you from being productive, you need to find a strategy that will change that. Maybe you need to make sure you do all of your boring tasks first thing in the morning while you’re bright eyed, saving your fun work for the end of the day.
    
2. Remind yourself. When you’re trying to pursue long-term goals, we need to see them in front of us at all times so we don’t lose focus. Whether that’s sticky notes on the fridge or little Outlook reminders at work, a quick reminder always gets your mind focused back on the goal.
    
3. Maintain a list of things that need to be done. Whether it has a deadline two weeks from now, like grandma’s 80th birthday, or needs to be done today, if you have it written down, you are less likely to have it running through your mind. When you finish making your list, put stars beside the things that are a priority for that day. Slowly check off things as you start to complete them and add new things as they pop up. A checklist is a great way to stay focused and be aware of everything that is on your list.
    
4. Keep yourself concentrated on the task at hand. Some people try to do multiple things at once, and while some get a lot accomplished jumping back and forth between projects/goals, it’s easier to just do one and get it out of the way. Not only does it give you a sense of completion, you also feel relieved when you start to see things getting checked off your list. It’s a sure way to eliminate stress and you’ll find that you are saving time by sticking to one task at a time.
    
5. Enjoy what you do. When you like what you are doing, you feel less stressed and are more likely to get things done faster. How often do you avoid doing a task because you hate it? You’ll make a million excuses and spend time concentrating on why you shouldn’t do it, when it could be done instantly. If you are constantly hating what you do, either find a way to eliminate it from your list altogether or find a way to make it enjoyable. For example, if you and a co-worker are working on a project together, compete with each other to see who can get their half done faster - just make sure you don’t take any shortcuts doing so.
    
6. Keep an eye out for time wasters. If you are aware of tasks that aren’t necessary or can find ways to spend less time on certain activities, do so. The more time we have on our hands, the less stress we will feel and the more productive we will be. Remember, each minute goes a long way when you save a lot of them.

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"Gary Gzik is a Corporate Trainer and CEO of the business consulting company BizXcel Inc. which owns and operates Getting to Someday, a place where people go to achieve their goals and dreams.

Gary also wrote "The Orange Popsicle - Six Influential Lessons that will Inspire You to Change Your Life" and "The Power of RE - Recreate Your Life from the Inside-Out".

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