4 tips on Time Management

You need tips on time management if you always fall short of what is expected of you when it comes to productivity. One good question you need to answer is are you managing time profitably?

Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include planning, allocating, setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent, monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing.

Source: Wikepedia

These tips on time management are usually beneficial for everyone, from homemakers who need to run their households, students who need to complete their school work, and even entrepreneurs who need to move fast to achieve their returns on investment. It is appropriate for those who simple want to know what is time management.

These tips on time management will help you get more control over your time so that you can achieve more than what you have set out to do, within the time you have specified. The goal of tips on time management is to point you to the right direction whenever you feel too overwhelmed with the tasks at hand.

Check these tips on time management and see which ones are doable considering your situation and available resources:

1. Use a planner

This is so far the simplest nugget on time management that can be achieved without much effort at all. For one, it is just like taking stock of what you need to do for the day or for the next week. But instead of just keeping them in your mind, you now have to list them down in a notebook or a planner, with their specific time schedules so your activities don’t overlap. Keeping a planner is one way of keeping yourself organized and the secret to making these tips on time management work is to make sure that you follow the list. One good planner I recommend is the Making Time Work for You – a productivity tool to make time work for you. N500 per copy.

2. Categorize your tasks according to importance

Another time management tip you can use to make your schedule more efficient is to use the priority matrix tool. This tool will help you identify tasks that are urgent and important and those that are important but can wait. There are bigger tasks you can put on the “can wait” list if they are urgent. However, some small tasks have to be done immediately like buying your medication or paying your bills. You need to be adept in categorizing tasks to improve your time management skills though.

3. Use down time to your advantage

You planner and your “urgent” and “can wait” matrix will keep you company during your down time. These are certain times in a day when you have more time to kill without doing anything. It could be the time you need to spend waiting for your doctor or the time wasted while waiting for your order in a restaurant. Instead of doing nothing, keep your planner at hand and update it.

4. Plan your Internet time

The internet is no doubt fun but it is also a major time waster, so I advice that you plan your time on the internet. You will know you have started making time work for you, if you can close your browser when the time scheduled for it is over. One of the greatest time wasters today is the internet.

Time management strategies need not be complicated but they need to be very practical and doable. These top tips are not only easy to do but will help you develop the skill of managing your time efficiently.

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Photo Credit: Army.Arch