How often do you get frustrated because there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to accomplish the things you need to get done in a day? Co-workers stop by with questions, your cell phone keeps ringing or you get distracted by the 100 ‘urgent’ things that seem to endlessly land on your desk? Maybe what you need isn’t more time but to be more resourceful with the time that you do have.
Well, you probably know that managing your time better will help you get more done but what can you do to regain control of your life if organizational skills don’t exactly come naturally to you?
Before you explore specific time management techniques, it’s important that you bust the following myths:
MYTH – My life is completely at the mercy of the things that happen to me.
MYTHBUSTER – The truth is you DO have some control over many aspects of your life, but you and you alone are responsible for initiating that control. Learn to recognize what you can and can’t control before making your choices.
MYTH – I have to meet everyone’s expectations.
MYTHBUSTER– Not everyone’s priorities are going to be the same as yours. What may be the result of poor time management on someone else’s part does not necessarily mean their problem has to be an emergency on your part. Sure, help if you can but don’t be afraid to say NO if it means not being able to get you own work done.
MYTH – I shouldn’t limit myself.
MYTHBUSTER – We all have limits…and it’s important to acknowledge yours and recognize that limitations are not failures on your part. Nobody’s perfect. In fact perfectionists often hold themselves to such impossible standards that they can cause themselves tons of anxiety which causes them to procrastinate or never complete projects they feel are not flawless, a far from perfect scenario.
To get started it’s important to plan for all the things you want to do. Be sure to save more time than you think you’ll need to finish each of the tasks on your list because you can count on unexpected glitches and delays to pop up pretty much every day!
Plan your day. Write it down. Seriously! Keeping a schedule of your daily activities will minimize last minute crises, scheduling conflicts and keep feelings of panic at bay. Include not only work responsibilities but personal things that you want to fit into your schedule as well such as going to the gym, getting together with friends and family or catching up on last season’s episodes of Dowton Abby.
Prioritize your tasks. Yeah it’s time-consuming but pretty important. Prioritizing your activities will ensure you spend your time and energy on those things that you really need to get done and are important to you and your future.
Learn to say NO to non-essentials. Consider whether a task brings you closer to your goals before agreeing to additional work or activities. You don’t need to do everything yourself, delegate where you can. Take a look at your to do list and see what you can pass on to someone else
Take the time you need to do a quality work. Doing things right the first time will make you look better, smarter and will save you time making corrections which takes more time overall.
Break large, time-consuming jobs into smaller bites. Especially if it is something you dread doing. Vow to spend 10 minutes working on the project. Once you get started you may find you can finish it.
Evaluate how long things ACTUALLY take you for 3 days. Look for time that could be used more wisely so you can free up some time to spend on things you really want to do.
Get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy diet and get some exercise. A healthy lifestyle will provide you with more energy and improve your concentration which will improve your efficiency so you can complete your work in less time.
Take a break! Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break…takes one. Go for a short walk, do some quick stretches or grab some water or herbal tea to refocus and re-energize.