Top 10 Tips: Time Management
- Evaluate how you spend your time. Make a note of how much time you spend on each task every day. This will help you to see where your time is going and how much time is needed for different things. It may seem time consuming but in the long run it will help you to plan out your day and allocate the right amount of time for different jobs.
- Plan your day in advance. Either the night before or first thing in the morning, make a detailed list of all the things that you need to get done that day and how much time should be spent doing them. Buying a diary may help you do this.
- Prioritise key tasks. Jobs that have immediate deadlines must take priority over those that are less important. Responding to an e-mail can wait, preparing for a presentation you have after lunch cannot.
- Make long and short term goals. Knowing what you want to do and roughly how much time it will take will make everything seem more achievable. Having a plan will help you to focus on your goals.
- Make use of all your time. Don’t let any part of your day be wasted. The time you spend on the train to work can be used to make lists of things you need to do or to start planning out your long and short term goals.
- Organise your e-mails. Create different folders for your e-mails to keep all relevant messages together, this will enable you to find what you need a lot quicker. Keep work e-mails separate from personal ones.
- Be aware of common distractions. Surfing the internet, spending too much time on the phone and sifting through e-mails all slow you down and waste your time. Knowing what you are easily distracted by will help you to try and cut it out of your day.
- Tidy as you go along. Whether you are at work or at home keeping things tidy is an easy way to save time. If you know where things are and everything is neatly organised, you will find your life much easier.
- Use the phone instead of e-mail. Waiting for others to respond to your e-mail means you can’t get on with the task in hand. Cut this problem out by picking up the phone and speaking to the relevant person to get the information you need straight away.
- Get a virtual assistant to help. Outsourcing tasks is an easy way to save you time. Let cushion the impact take some of the weight off your shoulders, with over 10 years experience in lifestyle management we can provide you with all the assistance you require. Cushion the impact: Making time for you.
