Time Management 101
You understand the phrase, “Time is money” better when you are in the labour market.
You understand the phrase, “Time is money” better when you are in the labour market.
It doesn’t matter whether you are in the private or public sector, or whether you are a business owner or a paid employee.
With the need to juggle business with family and other things of interest, it could feel like you need a few extra hours every day to get by.
I’m sorry to break it to you, but it is only those 24 hours we get.
Therefore, it is essential that we figure out how best to manage our time so 24 hours can feel more adequate for a day.
This post would suggest six principles that you can use to manage your time better and improve efficiency.
Firstly, it is crucial that you know what the concept of your business is. Once you know them, make sure that you are occupied in activities that would support this.
Make your daily plan revolve around events that relate to growing your business.
The co-author of First things First, Stephen Covey, once offered an organisational tool for your to-do list. It would help you sort out what tasks are essential and urgent.
So, looking at what you do every day, figure out where your tasks fit into these categories.
• Important and urgent — Tasks that must be done. Do them right away.
• Important but not critical — Tasks that appear significant, but upon closer examination aren’t. Decide when to do them.
• Urgent but not essential — Tasks that make the most “noise,” but when accomplished, have little or no lasting value. Delegate these if possible.
• Not urgent and not important — Low-priority stuff that offers the illusion of “being busy.” Do them later.
A way you can do this is to write down your “important and urgent” tasks that must be addressed today.
When you complete each one, tick it off your list. Completing these tasks would give you a sense of accomplishment that would give you the motivation you need to tackle less essential items.
Say no when you have to
Do not hesitate to decline tasks that would sidetrack you from focusing on the essential ones.
Also, do the same for jobs that seem urgent but appear to be going nowhere. Focus on productive tasks!!
Always learn from experience so that you can avoid wasting time in the future.
Plan your days ahead
This is better than aimlessly jumping from one task to the next, barely completing anything.
You can either plan your next day the night before or first thing in the morning.
Make sure you create your to-do list using the Stephen Covey organisational tool specified above.
Track distractions and try your possible best to eliminate them
Pay attention to the number of times you get interrupted while you are in the middle of completing an important task.
Also, track the self-induced ones, particularly the ones from social media.
While your smartphone is handy, it can be addictive and is one of the worst time wasters in the history of humanity.
Take care of yourself
Never deprive yourself of sleep, food and exercise.
Regular sleep and exercise would make you stay alert enough to complete your tasks.
What’s the point of saving time if you can’t use it to complete tasks with an alert mind?