There is an old saying that you cannot manage time, but you can manage yourself. How true that is! Time management is about habit changes—tiny behavior modifications that you make to help you be more productive. Keep in mind that the goal of higher productivity isn’t to do more tasks, but rather to do the right tasks that will lead you to more significant results. Doing the right things will help you feel more satisfied, get promoted faster, earn higher wages or maybe leave work just a little earlier.
Don’t think you have time to think about time management? Everyone can make some small tweaks to their habits that will produce better results. Try implementing the ideas below to see how far you can go!
- Be open to change. This is key. If you are not ready for change, you won’t be able to modify your habits in order to try something new.
- Consider time the same as money. We’re cautious with our money, but not nearly as careful with our time, which is actually more valuable. You can always earn more money somehow, but you can never earn more hours in a day. Keep in mind that you only have 1,440 minutes each day, so spend your time on activities that really matter—both professionally and personally.
- Prioritize as if you’re going on vacation. We become very good at prioritizing when we’re about to go on vacation; we have a lengthy task list that we ruthlessly trim down the closer our vacation becomes. If we were this ruthless on a daily basis, we would get more significant items accomplished and waste less time on unimportant work.
- Think about consequences. What would happen if you didn’t do that task or project? Sometimes we are so quick to say, “Yes!” that we don’t realize at the time that we won’t be able to do the job adequately. Spare yourself and the other person disappointment and frustration by thinking about your workload and saying “No” politely when needed. You’ll gain respect and other people will know they can count on you when you do say, “Yes.”
- Take care of what bothers you the most. You need to deal with what’s on your mind or you’ll never be able to concentrate on other tasks. We lose energy, time and motivation when we let things go day after day. Whether it’s completing your taxes, getting the brakes fixed on the car or creating a complex report, you need to complete these tasks and get them out of your head so that you can focus on other things.
- Use the T.A.R. Principle. Thinking of every email or piece of paper as falling into one of three categories - Trash, Action or Reference will help you manage the deluge. For each item, first ask yourself “Can I throw it away?” If so, then get rid of it immediately! If you cannot eliminate it, ask “Is action required?” If no action is needed, then the item is reference and should be filed. If action is required, then ask “What is the next step I need to take?” Write that step on your to-do list. The key is to separate your emails and papers into these categories so that you’re not constantly sifting through the trash and filing to find the action items. Plus you’ll realize that you don’t have as many action items as you previously thought!
These Golden Rules will help you get more of the right things done every day. Remember that life is about your values and big goals, not about filling every second of the day with tasks. By making small changes in thought and action, you’ll feel better and accomplish more!
