Free Time Management Tips
Do you feel like there’s just not enough hours in each day? Do you struggle with a heavy load and never able to accomplish everything that needs to be done? If you find yourself worn out from being rushed all the time, try these free time management tips to get yourself back on track again:
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #1: Drop half your work load. You’re probably thinking that isn’t possible, but it is. The truth is that you can most likely stop doing half of what you do every day and nobody would be any worse of because of it. Overloading yourself, whether at work or at home, creates a vicious cycle of never having enough time because you have way too much to do.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #2: Get a planner…and use it. Whether a paper planner or digital, this could be your best friend in a few weeks. As soon as you have an appointment, make note of it in your planner. You’ll use your planner to stay focused and on task and should never be late for another appointment again.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #3: Turn off the phone. The telephone is, next to the Internet, one of the biggest time wasters ever. When you’re ready to start working on an important project or task, turn off the ringer on your telephone. When you finish the task, you can turn the ringer back on again. This will prevent interruptions that could cause you to become sidetracked.
TIME MANAGEMENT TIP #4: Let someone else do it. In addition to dropping half your work load, start doling out responsibilities to others. At home, put your children in charge of household chores, like laundry or dirty dishes. At work, form a team and hand out task sheets for everyone to pull together and get the job done.
7 Simple Steps to End Procrastination
Putting things off until the last minute is never conducive to a peaceful mind. Instead, you end up with a headache, anxiety attack and heartburn, not to mention a TO DO list that’s a mile long because you’ve been putting it off all week long. If you’re tired of the stress produced by your procrastination, try these 7 simple steps to stop your procrastination today.
1. Write a daily TO DO list. If you aren’t already writing a TO DO list every day, start now. Not everyone likes TO DO lists, but they help you see what needs to be done. They also give you a visual of what you’ve already completed.
2. Condense your TO DO list. Lots of people make the mistake of making a TO DO list that is a mile long. Don’t make this mistake. If your TO DO list contains more than 20 tasks, condense it down to about 10 tasks or so.
3. Forget about what isn’t important. When condensing your TO DO list, cross off any tasks that are small or meaningless. Your TO DO list should never include things like brushing your teeth or making your bed. Those are considered everyday tasks and do not belong on your list.
4. Delegate. There will always be some tasks that you don’t have to do yourself. Dole out more responsibility to your family and ease some of your own load.
5. Treat yourself for a job well done. If you worked really hard at completing a task then received no recognition for it, you probably subconsciously thought it must have not been very important. These negative self-messages generate laziness that makes you want to procrastinate later. Start treating yourself for completing a major task on your list.
6. Take a look over your shoulder. When you’re working on a large task, it’s always important to stop for a minute and check your progress. This will always motivate you to keep working hard.
7. Live like there’s no tomorrow. Another biggie is telling yourself that you can just do it tomorrow. What if you didn’t have a tomorrow? What would you get done today? Live like this every day.
Easy Time Management
Do you struggle to find enough time every day just to barely get everything done? Do you frequently say, “I wish I had more time, but…”? With families, jobs, hobbies, church…it can all become a bit overwhelming at times just to keep things running smoothly.
It is important, as you already know, to become a wise manager of your time. Here are some really simple tips you can use to get focused and take control of your time.
1. Create a block calendar. One of the best ways to get control of your time is to use a block calendar to map out your day. This should be done at least a week, but preferably a month, in advance. Each block can represent thirty minutes, an hour, or even three hours of time. Think of them as your “time chunks.” Write down everything you need to do in each chunk of time. Once you have all your time chunks filled, you’ll have an overall view of each day. This will also help prevent you from overbooking yourself.
2. Prioritize tasks. Once you create your block calendar, you can very easily assign priorities to each task by writing a number beside each one. Giving each task a priority helps you keep things in perspective, as well as ensure that you get the most important tasks completed early on.
3. Rid yourself of distractions. When you have important business to take care of, there is nothing worse than having lots of distractions to cause you to waste time. Know your weaknesses and get rid of them before they suck your time away from you. Common distractions many people face are: computer games, Internet, telephone, and unexpected company.
Finally, remember to allow yourself frequent breaks throughout the day. If you have a desk job, be sure to take a ten or fifteen minute break every couple of hours. Grab a drink of water and stretch your legs. You’ll be ready to hit the books again when your break is up, and get much more accomplished throughout the day.
What Causes Low Productivity at Work?
image: stock.xchng
Have you noticed a decrease in productivity at work? Do your employees seem sluggish or slow to complete their work within the proper time frame? Here are some of the most popular causes for decreased productivity in the work place so you can keep an eye out for them.
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