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The Ultimate 7 Time
Management Tips
T Young
Ever notice that
people don't talk about the weather any more? Now it's "Keeping busy?"
And of course the answer is "yes." In this day and age of overdoing
everything, time management is essential if people are to get all their
work done and still have some fun. Read on for seven time management
tips that will help you get yourself organized so that you will have
more free time.
1. Beat the procrastination habit. Putting things off is almost never a
good idea. Sometimes it is worth it to take a few moments to regroup and
psyche up for a difficult or unpleasant job, but it won't get done until
you get started. A similar rule of thumb for living is to "do the worst
first." If you're dragging your feet about making a certain phone call,
or tackling a messy job, think how good you'll feel when it's done!
2. Put things away when you are done with them. A big time waster for
many people is looking for things that are misplaced. If you can get
your equipment and paperwork organized, you can find anything you need
in just a few seconds. But you must put the item back where it belongs
when you are finished with it, or it will become misplaced. It's
possible to spend hours or even days looking for an important piece of
paper.
3. Delegate what you can. If your life is overloaded with things to do,
look to see if there is someone under you who could take care of some of
the easier tasks. For instance, the kids could help you with folding
laundry or even answering the phone. At work, farm out those basic tasks
to an underling if possible.
4. Establish routines. For many of us, time is wasted every day because
we are trying to decide what to do next. When we get routines
established, and even written down on paper as guidelines, it can
simplify our lives and save time. For instance, you could begin your
workday with tasks like check email, return phone calls, and check
calendar for appointments. You could have a similar end of workday
routine of tidying up your desk, writing out a list of things to do for
the next day, and emptying the trash.
5. Say no or find easy options to volunteer activities. For instance, if
it's your turn to provide snacks for your child's school event, consider
buying cookies ready made instead of devoting several hours to baking
and decorating special cupcakes. The same goes for pot luck dinners.
Potato salad from the store is probably almost as good as what you can
make, but takes a lot less time.
6. Use a timer to motivate yourself to work for a certain length of
time. If you have a hard time getting busy with the work you need to do,
sometimes it helps to simply set a timer for a short time, for instance
15 minutes, or maybe an hour if it's at work. Tell yourself you can quit
when the timer sounds. Often you will be interested in the task by then.
If you aren't, at least you've done a little of the task. Take a short
break and reset the timer.
7. Think positive! Don't let yourself get bogged down in doubts about
your ability to do the project, or about how long it might take. Chances
are it won't be anywhere near as bad or time-consuming as you think.
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