10 Time Management Tips For Busy Professionals
|
If you feel like your life moves faster than a Nascar race, you're not alone. We are living in a time where dual income families and single parent homes are the norm, a sharp contrast to the happy sitcom families we grew up watching on TV.
So how do you get everything accomplished when there are only 24 hours in a day? The first step is to reprioritize. Does it really matter if you're house is immaculate? Does your family really need a 7-course meal on the table every night? Instead of spending time preparing an elaborate meal, wouldn't you rather use that time with your family or to catch up on some R&R for yourself?
Regardless of how your priorities are defined, we could all use some extra time in the day. The following are some time management ideas that can help increase your productivity and improve the quality of your life. Try incorporating just a few of these ideas and see how it affects your life. You will be glad you did!
1. Turn your email off. It may be hard to break away from your constant communication with the world, but if you check email twice per day instead, you will be amazed by how much time you save. Specify specific time frames during the day that you will devote to email and stick to your schedule.
One Silicon Valley company recently implemented a No Email rule on Fridays. If you need a question answered, you have to pick up the phone or walk over to the person with the answer. While this may not always be the most productive solution, it drives home the point that we rely too heavily on email for our communication. When you stop letting it rule your life, your productivity will ultimately increase.
2. Create email filters to send junk mail directly to the trash bin. With the latest version of Microsoft Outlook, you can right click on a junk message and add the sender to your Blocked Senders list, preventing any future messages from that sender from landing in your Inbox.
3. Hire a Virtual Assistant to handle administrative tasks. VAs are remote office administrators who can handle tasks including large mailings, contact management and other office duties. They can be hired for a simple project or on an ongoing basis. To find a VA, visit the International Virtual Assistants Association.
4. Get in the habit of using a To Do list every day. At the end of each day, make a list of items to complete the following day. This helps you put closure on the day so you don't leave worried about forgetting the tasks that await you tomorrow.
5. Manage your meetings. Set expectations when beginning a meeting by announcing a cut-off time. You could say something like, "I know you're busy too and I have another meeting at 3:00 so let's plan to wrap this up by 2:45." This not only keeps your schedule on track, but busy attendees will appreciate it as well. Keep an eye on the clock and stick to the time you have allotted.
6. Get your filing system in order. Do you waste time looking for invoices or receipts? Create a file folder for receipts each month and simply drop your papers into each corresponding folder. This can also be useful later on when you have a question about a credit card expense from January. Simply pull out your January folder and voila- you have your information at your fingertips!
7. Use pre-printed lists for supplies, groceries, etc. Make a list of the office supplies that you use regularly and post one on a bulletin board near your desk. Simply check off the supplies you need when you run low so you remember what you need to reorder. This system works well for groceries and household supplies too. Get your family in the habit of checking off items that are running low so you never again forget to pick something up at the grocery store.
8. Use templates for repeat projects. Do you have a daily, weekly or monthly report to write? Do you spend time calculating figures manually that could be done easily in a spreadsheet? Create templates to reuse over and over again and minimize your prep time.
9. Freeze leftovers. If you have a serving or two left of tonight's dinner and you know nobody will want it tomorrow, put it in a freezer safe container and save it for lunch or a quick dinner option in the upcoming weeks.
10. Designate a daily chore to everyone in your family. In previous generations, most kids worked for a living! Break your kids away from the video games for twenty minutes to help with garbage duty, dishes, vacuuming or taking care of the pets. Delegating one chore to everyone daily will lighten your load and keep your home organized and clean. You can even make a list or spreadsheet and rotate the chores or make it fun by offering a reward after everyone finishes.
Don't forget the most important time management tip- make time for yourself. You're no good to anyone if you're sleep deprived and miserable. We all deserve a little downtime, even if that means you have to schedule some time for yourself into your calendar each day. Your business, family and relationships will all benefit when your priorities are in order and you have balance in your life.
***This is an excerpt from "100+ Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals by Stephanie Chandler. For more information, visit: http://www.BusinessInfoGuide.com/timemanagement.htm
Stephanie Chandler is the author of "The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide: Seize Your Entrepreneurial Dreams!" and the founder of http://www.BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of free resources for entrepreneurs. Sign up for the BusinessInfoGuide newsletter to receive hot resources and tips every month.
|
|
|
Effective Time Management - Delegating Techniques
Do you manage your time or does your time manage you? Do you start your day knowing what you want to achieve today and how you are going to achieve it?Time management is a skill. You should learn the basics and learn how to implement it.Following a thorough research on the topic of time management , I strongly suggest you us...(related: Time Management)
Make Procrastination Wait
Reflect on the rewards of kicking the procrastination habit. They are quite clear: -- Daily feeling of accomplish...(related: Time Management)
How Would You Like To Capture Some Time?
Women's health issues often are focused on goals to reach: getting thin, moving up in the corporate world, having a child, taking a vacation, meeting Mr. Right, fitting in exercise or making sure you are eating your vegetables!Well, I hope to help you start at the beginning to capture moments of time that will help you build a foundation to support that very busy, goal directed life. How can you focus on the process of living, be able to stay in and gain those moments of time as you are trying to reach your ...(related: Time Management)
Effective Email And Verses Voicemail
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time consumed by an unplanned telephone call is 12 minutes, verses 7 minutes for a planned call. This represents five-minute savings every time you jot down some notes before dialing ...(related: Time Management)
Measure Your Time Against Active Inactivity
We don't realize many things we do until we draw our attention to them.Active inactivity doesn't occur only now, it can occur later unless you catch yourself doing it.What is active inactivity?It's when we do things that don't progress our purpose. The only thing that will progress your purpose is doing things your business requires.Active inactivity stretches to all aspects of our lives.A business needs time to set up. The more time you have to devote to it now, the quicker it will be set up and the quicker you can begin to enjoythe benefits of having an internet business.Want the obvious?
- Doing housework every day
- Watching tv
- Reading fiction when you should be reading this book
- Socializing whe...(related: Time Management)
Freelance Productivity: Do One Thing Extra Each Day
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's amazing how completing one extra task each day can quickly add up and make a difference.Here's how it works for me...Each day I look at my 'Today's Things To Do List'.Oh yes, I have a list. Without it I would be lost. I schedule upcoming work. I list deadlines. I make notes of the people I should be calling or emailing. I look for the spare moments when I can write an article or two. I list all my personal and family commitments too.>> And then I add one thing moreIn addition to my daily list of things to do, I also have a general 'Needs to be Done' list. These are items that don't really have delivery dates or deadlines, but should get done.Examples? Maybe a follow-up email to a company I worked for a w...(related: Time Management)
5 Tips To Get More Out Of Your Work Day
It's easy to waste time on things that seem urgent but are not important, and even easier to get slowed down by clutter and distractions. Here are 5 solutions.1. Carefully examine what factors you are using to set project deadlines. Then set realistic deadlines. Start with the most important things first and rearrange projects that are within your control. Then set acceptable time limits for completion.2. Be on the lookout for time sinkholes. Those little pesky tasks that steal valuable time ...(related: Time Management)
Beyond Time Management ? Seven Ways To Leverage Your Time For Greater Results
Most of us have a to-do list ? some of us have a very long one! While a to-do list is a valuable tool to help us stay on track for the urgent tasks of the day (and while there are many ways to improve your production and use of this list), that isn't the focus of this article.This article isn't about managing your time. It is about taking the limited time resources we have and determining how to leverage that time for greater results in our lives. When we use a lever we use specific, correct actions to create great results. That is what we all want to do with our time --find the activi...(related: Time Management)
First Things Last
Years ago clients would tell me they could not identify their priorities. Now I hear them saying 'I know what my priorities are?I just can't get to them'.But effectively organizing yourself an...(related: Time Management)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Time Management