How top performers manage time
Feeling swamped is a common phenomenon these days. Between work schedules, social engagements and family responsibilities, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time for anything.
The good news is, with a bit of attention to basic time management principles, you can bring your life back to some semblance of control.
The starting point is to develop a general outline of your work and your life. Determine how much time you can give to work in general, how much time you need for family and social engagements and for relaxation. Get a sense of what you’re trying to achieve, overall in each area of your life.
Next, identify key elements in each. Identify the critical tasks you need to perform at work, the deadlines you must meet. Determine what tasks are the routine maintenance items, including ones that repeat regularly.
For each task, ask yourself how much time you can afford to take to complete it. This includes tasks, decisions you need to take, etc.
Developing answers to this question will help you understand which tasks are urgent and which can wait for a while. As well as a timeframe for each.
Most likely, your duties will involve others in a group as well. If so, allot additional time for communication and coordination.
By doing this much, you’re already ahead of the game. Next, use these time management tips to get your schedule well under control.
* Organize and prioritize regularly. One of the best tips for time management is simply this -- at the end of each day, make a prioritized list of tasks to do the next day. And then commit to doing it in order of priority.
* Clear out and organize your desk / work area at the end of each day. Put things back in their respective places. That saves you a lot of time and worry later on.
* If you have deadline work coming up, complete it early. This will give you greater flexibility to manage the rest of your time. And give you the slack time to meet unexpected requirements.
* Even if it means a somewhat lower profit margin, consider contracting out tasks you don’t have real expertise in. That will free up your time. In most cases, clients appreciate it as well, because they see the task being done even better.
* Here’s an extremely practical tip -- do the most distasteful / worrisome thing first. Each time you get down to work, first do the thing which is causing the most stress for you. You’ll be amazed at how easily the rest of the tasks get done.
* Create down time when appropriate. This could be between projects or after you’ve met a deadline. Use this time to evaluate your work direction.
* Allow flexibility in your schedule. In other words, have some slack time. This is needed for meeting emergencies at work, or at home. If you’re a female business owner or entrepreneur, you often have the responsibility to take care of family members when they’re ill or otherwise need your time. Having slack time allows you to take up the responsibility.
* Create a broad division for your time. Decide how much you’ll spend on family, on work, social engagements and so on. Build in some time just for yourself.
* Know your capacity to handle stress. If you feel you’re being stretched too far for too long, schedule a break, even if it is a short one.
* Get the benefits of physical activity. Activities like sports, walking, skipping, swimming, etc are great stress busters. Gardening, playing with children, trekking and much more fall in this category. Consider such activities to help control stress.
* Make fun a part of your life! Don’t take yourself too seriously and have a terrific sense of humor. That keeps everything in perspective and helps you create a high quality life!
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