Features - Time Management: Make it a Priority
Time Management: Make it a Priority
Almost everyone, it seems, feels strapped for time. When you're barely able to fit everything you need to do in one day, you may feel that you simply don't have the time to learn about time management. However, prioritizing time management skills can save you a great deal of time over the long run. It's worth doing something about it now.
Wasted Time
Estimates show that about 20% of a person's efforts generate about 80% of their results. Imagine what you could accomplish by tapping into that less effective time! In order to do this, you need to know what you're doing with that time.
Time Logs
Find a calendar or programme that allows you to track time on a daily basis in short increments. Over the next few days, write down how you spend all of your time throughout the day. Be specific. It only takes a few seconds to jot a few words.
At the end of the week, review your log in detail. Some areas where you use time ineffectively will be obvious. Spending twenty minutes looking for a lost document, for example, is wasted time that could be avoided through better organization. When reviewing your time, look for the following:
Taking too long on a particular task
Spending too much time on less important tasks
Taking on tasks that can, and should be, delegated
Time and Money
Managing time is a lot like managing money. If you're trying to reduce spending, for example, you look for expenses you can cut. One effective way to do this is to look for small expenses that add up. Alone, they appear to be minor costs, yet when added together, they can result in significant amounts. The daily latte is one example; over a year, this daily indulgence can cost several hundred pounds.
Small chunks of wasted time also add up. A detailed time log will show you, in black and white, where you are most ineffective with your time. You can be more effective by spending your time well and incorporating break periods than you can "plugging away" all day long but not accomplishing much.
Make Time a Priority
In developing a time management plan, you'll learn that you need to prioritize tasks and spend the bulk of your time on the most important ones. Before you reach this point, however, you first need to make time management a priority. Yes, it will take "time" to learn new skills and incorporate them. You may not enjoy keeping a time log, but focusing on the positive outcome will make this easier to do.
In addition, just as you sometimes "spend money to make money" in business, you need to spend time to make time. This means being willing to make the effort to learn and try time management skills. It also means setting aside a block of time to organize your workspace.
If you don't respect your time and make it a priority, no one else will.
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