How can you effectively manage your busy day?
Time management is not necessarily working "harder," but rather, "smarter." Here are seven time management tips that will increase your daily success both on and off the job, in less time, and with less stress.
1. Start your day with a plan of action.
Time management is doing the right things initially. There is nothing more delicious than having a list, then crossing the items off. Instead of having a scattering of partially crossed off lists all over the place, you can buy a small notebook for a running log or of course use your phone/computer notebook. Make a habit of it. One place, write things down.
2. Make time
In fact for To Do's that will take time - put it in your calendar/diary!!!! Make the time and use it. Example 15 minutes to do call backs.
3. Everything is not possible
There is simply no way whatsoever you will ever completely cross off a list. Do not beat yourself up. Let it go. Remember to simply prioritise, then congratulate yourself at the end of the day for getting the most important completed.
4. Losing balance in your life.
Our lives comprise seven vital areas that need balance. These areas include health, family, financial, intellectual, social, professional, and spiritual. If you neglect any one area, you will eventually sabotage your success.
5. D-E-D
Following on from losing balance, many of my speaking presentations centre on how to live the life you love. To do that you have to delegate, eliminate and do what you do better.
In my book: Delegate and eliminate - you can do anything. Not everything. Get help for things you shouldn't be doing with your time - low priority
Doing better focuses around how actively learning your software and using technology better will free up a phenomenal number of hours for you from doing mundane or repetitive tasks.
6. Working with a messy desk or work area.
Here's the kettle calling the pot black (you can't see the top of my desk and yes, I rehandle paper, moving them from pile to pile). However being a hypocrite, I'll say that studies have shown that the person who works with a messy desk spends, on average, one and a half hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things.
7. Giving up your lunch break.
Do you take a lunch break? Studies have shown that after doing what we do for several hours, we start to "dull out." A lunch break, even a short fifteen-minute break, gives us a chance to get our batteries charged up again to more effectively handle the afternoon's challenges.