More Quick Time Management Tips For Busy People

By Author: Sam Sander
Total Articles: 60
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If you're too busy to learn about time management, then these quick yet effective time management tips are for you.

1. Understand where your time goes. If you get to the end of each day and wonder where your time went, then find out! Use an activity log to monitor your daily tasks and use this information to better plan your day.

Arrest the time thieves. By using an activity log, you can identify any time wasters, those unimportant tasks that take up your valuable time. Whether it's water cooler gossip or inefficient tasks, find out what they are and work out how to avoid them.

2. Don't fill your day with small tasks. Using the analogy of a bucket full of rocks and sand, if you try to fill the bucket by adding all the sand first and then adding the rocks, the bucket will overflow because the sand has filled up the space. If you add the rocks first and then the sand, the sand will find its way between all the gaps in the rocks and the bucket won't overflow.

The Moral of the story is don't fill your day with lots of small tasks, as you won't be able to get onto any of the larger ones. Instead, tackle ...
... the large tasks and use the small tasks as fillers when you've got a spare 5 minutes.

3. Know when to say 'No'. Too often we end up taking on too much, or end up doing someone else's . Know when you have enough on your plate and politely turn down requests for additional work.

4. Know when it's good enough. Some of us are perfectionists and won't move on until every little detail is right. That's fine, but don't waste time perfecting things that don't matter. Know when your task is functional, and move onto the next one.

5. Use your energy cycles. We all have high and low energy cycles during the day. Know when you are most productive and use this time to do your important development activities that demand your full attention. Do more mundane tasks in your low energy cycles.

6. Exercise for energy. Exercising gets the heart pumping and actually boosts energy levels, but don't go and run a 20km marathon during your lunch break! Start the day with a brisk 30 minute walk, and go for a walk at lunch time too. You'll be surprised how your energy levels pick up!

7. Eat for energy. Grazing throughout the day will keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders, so keeps energy levels higher than if you have 3 larger meals during the day. Avoid large meals and alcohol at lunch time, as this will just make you sleepy all afternoon.

8. Understand Pareto's principle, the 80:20 rule. The first 80% of a task takes 20% of your time, the last 20% takes 80% of your time. And 20% of your tasks actually aren't important, but take 80% of your time. This principle can be applied a number of ways to explain value for effort. The key is to identify the best value for the least effort.

And finally, don't forget the 'Me' time. Take time out to relax and recharge your batteries and achieve life balance. It will make you much less stressed and even more efficient in the long term.
You can learn more about how to manage your time to achieve all your dreams by reading this FREE ebook - "The Time Management Secrets that will Set You Free". You'll also find lots of free tips and tools on a range of self-improvement topics from success to emotional intelligence.