1. Understand that time cannot be controlled. In other words, you cannot manage time, you can however manage yourself. You have about 14 active hours during your day, which leaves you plenty of time to complete numerous activities and tasks. Once you understand this you will be able to use that time wisely and efficiently.
2. Begin understanding how you use time. Spend a week noting down every activity you do during the day – when you do it, how often you do it, and how long it takes. Examine your record after a week and you will find that you can divide your activities into three categories:
·Urgent – the work you need to do immediately
·Important – the work that is vital to your business but can wait for a while
·Routine – work that you should be doing only when you have the time to spare or work you could give an assistant.
The essence of time management is to prioritize your work according to these criteria.
3. You will see that there are things you do too often and waste time on. Checking your email every 15 minutes is a good example. Learn to limit your email checking to only once every 90 minutes and answer only those that need to be answered right away.
4. The reverse can also be true. When you are stuck on a problem, instead of sitting and staring at the wall, put it aside for a while, and work on something else before returning to it. Focusing on doing something creative rather than on how you are stuck will usually allow you to relax and attack the problem more effectively when you return to it.
5. Do not make the mistake of fixing your working hours and then fitting all your work into it. It is far better to note down all your work and total the time you will need to complete all of it. If the time is too much, you have the specifics in front of you and finding ways to cut the time or share the work with others becomes easier.
6. Don't fall into the trap of leaving large margins for the "unexpected." Setting tight schedules means that initially, you will fail at keeping them but, as time passes and you keep exceeding your scheduled time you will begin to see what is slowing you down and find ways to deal with it. Knowing where time is being wasted is a fundamental time management skill.
7. It sounds boring but, one of the best tips you can follow is to set routines. Routines help you to get organized and save time.
8. Do not let others waste your time. Being a good friend is fine but, when office friendship means that you lose precious time listening to others talk about their personal matters, something is wrong. Be polite but firm in making it clear that there is a time and place for everything.
9. Make sure that you have time to relax. Without that your efficiency will go down. No time management technique can help those who cannot work efficiently.
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