Time Management is choosing actions that are in line with your goal of finishing the tasks you have to do. I’m sure you can think of someone who always seems to be stressed out by their busy schedule. It could be that person just has a lot on their plate. On the other hand, their stress could be caused by poor time management skills. One of the best ways to learn how to manage stress is to learn how to manage your time. We all have the same finite number of hours in the day, so it’s up to us to manage those hours for the most productive outcome. You can reduce your stress by simply setting and achieving realistic goals.
4 Time Management Ideas to Live By
Here are some basic ideas that will help you manage your time better:
1. Learn When to Say “When”
A famous piece of artwork shows a cartoon character sinking into a swamp, with the caption, “When you’re up to your neck in alligators, it’s hard to remember your goal was to drain the swamp!” We all have times like this. When things get crazy, call a time-out.
You can’t do your best work without planning; you can’t plan unless you have a clear mind. Learn when to say “when”. For those of us who have a hard time saying, “no” it’s just easier to take on more than you can handle. When you have more to do than you could possibly get done, you’re setting yourself up for stress and failure in reaching your goals.
2. Plan Your Work; Then Work Your Plan
Just because you plan and prioritize does not mean your life will go smoothly. How many times does this happen to you? Before you go to bed, you sit down and plan out everything that you have to do the next day. You get up in the morning and before you can even begin working on your plan, someone comes along and demands your attention, consequently killing your plan. Learn to work around daily problems so you don’t have to abandon your plan.
3. 80-20 Rule
With most people, 20% of what is done makes 80% of the results. And 80% of what is done makes only 20% of the results. Look over your priorities. Are your priorities in line with your goals? Are you doing the things that will give you the biggest payoff for your efforts?
4. Learn to Delegate
There will be many times when you will be able to get more done if you let others do some of the work. Delegating does not mean you are trying to get out of work. But rather, delegating is giving someone else permission to take care of some of the tasks in a project. It allows you to free up time for high-priority items by giving authority for low-priority items to someone else.
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