Time management is a big concern for a lot of people. I keep hearing there are just not enough hours in the day Or where does my time go? Face it, we all live busy lives. Work, family and other commitments keep us all hopping to utilised better time management. It’s important to recognise what the specific problems are. Is it not having enough time for you or your family?
Do you feel that you are wasting time by excessive driving? Maybe you’re not sure where all your time is going and just want to account for it. The most important step in time management is evaluating our schedules on a sheet of paper right up my typical week for you. By looking at your current schedule, you will be able to identify places where better time management could be used.
Ask yourself why are you feeling unsatisfied with your schedule?
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Make a list of what you want to change and what you want to make room for. Do you want more time to pursue interests? More time to be with your children, or just more time to get everything done? After you have done this, take a piece of paper and draw three columns. In the first column, put a list of all the appointments, events or commitments that are set in stone. Things that take place at a set time and happen daily, weekly or monthly. Such as work. Club meetings or standing doctor’s appointments. In the second column, put flexible tasks or commitments that can be done around your set in stone. Commitments such as grocery shopping, house cleaning or having lunch with a friend. In the third column, put those occasional appointments, doctor appointments, a school play or an old friend coming into town, or anything that does not fall into the other two columns. Then using a calendar or use a notebook and label each page a day or two. Start putting in the items from your three columns, starting with the items that are set in stone, then the items that are occasional. Leave the flexible items to last since you’re able to put them in around the other things. The objective is to balance out your days and to maximise your time. Why make a separate trip to the pharmacy when it is on your way to your son’s soccer practise? I always try to plan appointments in the same area on the same day. This reduces my travel time and gets the most out of my day. The biggest thing to consider is are you doing too much? No matter how well time is managed, there is such a thing as an overload of commitments. Time management is not just about structuring your week so that you can get everything accomplished. Include things that you want to do but just don’t seem to have time for in your day. What is the sense of manage your time better just to fit in more work? A part of time management is balancing so that you can have time to enjoy the fun stuff in life too. By mastering your time, you can accomplish much more with less effort. Be choosy about how you spend your time. Focus on activities which most closely match your goals. By taking time to monitor, measure and manage your time, you will enjoy an abundance of success and happiness.
