Time Management

Everyone talks about time management. How can that be though? We all have 24 hours in our day so what are we really managing considering time is constant? So it’s more about how we use the time we have rather than managing it per se, as it moves at the same rate for everybody. It is about organising all the activities we have to do in order to help us make the most productive use of our time.

Why do we struggle to manage time?

There are many reasons why we might fail to manage the 1440 minutes available to use every day. Some of these include:

• We’re not organised
• We don’t know how to say no
• We procrastinate

How can we use our time more efficiently?

Get Organised

Do the most important tasks first. Do the things you really don’t feel like doing and know will be tempted to put off. If you don’t, this will zap your energy as you will be fully aware there is something to be done. Do easy tasks when you are not at your peak. Set deadlines to keep you focused. Having to do lists and setting goals helps become more organised which in turn helps save time. Crossing things off a list is not only extremely rewarding and satisfying, it is also a very simple way of actually seeing what you have achieved.

Just say no (politely!)

Learn to say no without feeling guilty. You cannot do everything for everyone all the time. Focus on what’s important. Saying no is actually a great way of building more trust and credibility as it is better than saying yes when you can’t get it done (either in time or with quality). In the words of Jack Canfield There are only two words that will always lead you to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, you’ve mastered saying yes. So start practicing saying no. Your goals depend on it!

No more procrastinating

Procrastination can be defined as putting off the things that should be done now. The reasons why we all postpone certain actions are varied and can be as simple as we are just waiting for the right mood or for the right time. There are of course many other motives such as lack of clear goals, underestimating the time a task will take and can be connected to the fear of failure or perfectionism. This is obviously the ideal moment to advocate coaching and state it can help with all of these, yet the main message here is to realise that postponing things serves no purpose.

There is so much more to be said yet in the interest of time I would like to recommend “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy. The metaphor “eat that frog” is used to describe the most challenging task you are likely to have to do that day. The book is enjoyable, useful and an appropriately short read that will only take about 120 minutes away from your daily allowance of 1440! Whilst the ideas are not revolutionary, I like it for its simplicity, tips and ideas that you can apply at your convenience.

153,615 Responses to “Time Management”

1. preschool education says:

   February 22, 2015 at 3:34 pm

   well written article, i just bookmarked it for future reference. i would love to revisit on new articles. how can i set up the rss again? thanks!

   Reply
2. Ana says:

   March 9, 2015 at 4:41 pm

   Thanks! I really appreciate your positive comments. I hope you also enjoy the other posts on here.
   Ana

   Reply