Using Time Wisely

Having a conversation about time management will not do any good to change the time issues you may face.  Taking action on managing your time is what you need to do to master it.

Do you ever tell yourself on a Sunday afternoon “If I just had one more day, I could catch up on the things I need to do.”  Realistically would that one more day make that big of a difference?  What would happen when the next Sunday came along?

With our blackberrys, iPhones, and the many other organizational tools that we have access to, you would think we would have this time thing under control.

The light finally came on when I realized that time management is really not about having 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Managing time is really about what I do and how I utilize every minute and hour of each day.

Mastering how to use your time to the best of your advantage in whatever area you are working will maximize your potential to be more successful and have a better work and home life.  Sounds nice, but is it that easy?  Here are a few things you can do to jump-start a Time Management/Self Management plan:

1. Have a priority list for work and home.  Keep it simple, you can always add to it. It is always better to complete your list and be successful than to make your list so long that you fail.

2. At work, keep distractions down, focus on what can be realistically done each hour from your priority list.

3. Don’t over book yourself, this leads to stress.

4. The night before, plan your day for work and at home.  Thinking about it and planning ahead of time will make you more successful at completing it.  This has been proven to be true.

5. Have just one calendar and use it.

6. Establish routines for yourself in the morning and at night.

7. This is important..”Be flexible.”

8. This is the most important one…schedule “me” time, so that you can regroup, relax and have a better positive mental attitude to carry on.

We cannot add anymore time to the 24 hours in a day, but we can learn to master ourselves in what we do with those 24 hours.

One always has time enough, if one will apply it well. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe