Tips on Efficient Time Management

Life is hectic.  Sometimes you may feel as if you are being pulled in every direction and can’t seem to get anything accomplished in a timely manner.  Since February is National Time Management Month, we’d like to offer these tips and strategies that might help you become more efficient in your daily life.  While these techniques might seem like small changes, they may just make a world of difference:

• List your day– For one day, write down everything that you do and the time it takes you to do it.  List your job duties and exactly how long it takes you.  Do not estimate and do not cheat.  Write down all your Facebook breaks, all your minutes walking to and from the kitchen, and every chat you have with a coworker.  When your day is complete, you will notice how much time you will need to allocate to each task.  Which then leads to the next bullet point…
• Do not allow distractions– Highlight your most distracting items on your list and find ways to remove them from your life.  If you feel that social media is your biggest distraction, remove the option to view it on your PC or phone.  Delete apps.  Install a blocking program like Facebook Nanny so when you are tempted, you simply will not be allowed to view your social media accounts.
• Make appointments– Get yourself an appointment book and make appointments with yourself.  Add all the items you wish to accomplish in a day and how much time they should take.  Be realistic with your goals and don’t forget to include free time as well.
• Say no– After you’ve made appointments for yourself, start refusing any more additions.  Once your day is full, you simply will have to say no to any other tasks.  You might be tempted to remove your free time and replace it with another task, but stay strong.  You need that free time to recoup.  If you have free time, it does not mean you need to add more work.  It means you need that time to do nothing.
• Reward yourself– give yourself something to look forward to each week.  Once you’ve completed a week’s worth of schedule keeping, reward yourself with a good book or a nice dinner with friends.  You deserve it!