There are two things that are absolutely essential for successful time management (which means accomplishing everything you want to do). They are goals and a tool.
GOALS ARE THE STARTING POINT
If you do not have goals, you do not know where you are headed in life (or your career), so it is virtually impossible to successfully manage your time and accomplish what you want. So the first step is to determine what you want out of life (career, finances, lifestyle, etc.)
GET THE RIGHT TOOLS
As tools go, we recommend that you get a Day Planner. It is the calendar / scheduling book that thousands of business people use – it comes in a variety of sizes and page formats to fit your individual style. Once you get used to using a Day Planner, your won’t know you lived without one!
Other calendar / organizer books are available at office supply, luggage and department stores. Take the time to look at them all and choose one that you can work with comfortably.
HOW ARE YOU USING YOUR TIME?
The first thing to do when you decide that’s it’s time to start managing your day better, is to record everything you do (and for how long) for an entire week. It’s a tedious task, but will be well worth the effort.
Record the time you get up in the morning, how long you spend in the shower, eating breakfast, reading the paper, getting dressed, and so on throughout your day, including time spent on commuting, talking on the telephone with friends, reading magazines (note whether they were career or for entertainment), and watching television.
DID YOU GET A SURPRISE?
At the end of that week, look over your activity log. Most people are quite surprised when they add up how much time they spent on the phone, in front of the television or preparing for work in the morning. These are the easiest places to cut out wasted time and should be the first that you tackle.
Before you do tackle your time wasters, though, add up the amount of time spent on activities that help put you closer to any one of your goals (career, personal, or financial). If it’s less than 50% of your waking hours, you have a lot of adjusting to do.
MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS
Now, begin adjusting your use of time to accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourself. At the beginning of each week, write down the major tasks (not each nitty-gritty detail) that you want to accomplish during the coming week. List them in priority order, most important at the top.
WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT?
Things that fit either of these criteria: directly relate to accomplishing one of you top priority life or career goals; or, if not done, will result in a loss of a job, future career opportunities, or financial status (small amounts of financial loss are OK; it’s when something can cause you to miss loan or rent payments that you should worry).
Most people end up not accomplishing their goals because they spend too much of their time completing seemingly “urgent” tasks which are not really important. Don’t confuse urgency with importance. Some important tasks will also be urgent—by all means, do those first. But if a task seems urgent, but does not fit the definition of important, it can probably be left undone temporarily (or sometimes permanently) and you won’t suffer any consequences. If you can master this distinction, you’re on your way to accomplish whatever you set out to do with your life because you’ll be making every minute count.
TURN THE TV OFF
Normally the first activity to accommodate more important things is television watching. Even if particular shows will help you accomplish your goals, chances are you have a VCR and can record the show for viewing at a more convenient time (and in less time).
GET UP EARLY – GO TO BED LATE
The next thing most people adjust is their sleeping schedule. Most of us can do quite well on less sleep than we are currently getting. Don’t try to make a sudden change, or you’ll doom yourself to failure in this area.
Try to get up 15 minutes earlier for a few days, then 30 minutes. Adjust your bedtime the same way until you come up with a schedule you can live with and which provides you more productive, waking time to accomplish your goals. Many people find that housework and laundry are perfect tasks for the early morning –getting them “out of the way” when little brainpower is available.
BE EFFICIENT
Save time, also by being efficient. Bunch your driving-around errands all into one trip, and don’t go during rush hour traffic. Any time you find yourself with even a few minutes on your hands, fill the time with reviewing your goals and determining what you can do now to move closer to them.
(This information came from the “Dose of Reality” series.)
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