Time Management

There is a saying, that ‘time waits for no man and very few women’. Well, whether that is true or not, it doesn’t matter. Most of us lead extremely busy lives and on some days need to pack 48 hours worth of work into a mere 24 hours.

The advantages of time management are many. It will help you gain (yes, I said gain) time in your day to day, keep you more organized and help you feel less stressed. There are date books that list not only the dates on them, but hours as well. You should try and write down on your book, the things that need to be accomplished on that particular day, by doing this, it will help you prioritize your short term goals for any given day. 

It might look something like this: (you can also make a random list and prioritize with as much or as little detail as you require)

-get up at 6

-drop of Megan at babysitters

-head to the gym, change and get ready for work

@ work

-answer emails and return phone calls

- meeting with sales dept

-on lunch hour pick up drycleaning

-work on project for next weeks meeting

-after work, pick up Megan from babysitters

-pick up groceries for supper

-make supper

-go shopping with Megan for Lindsay’s birthday

- play with Megan

-get her into bed

-do a load of laundry, tidy house

-read over statements for tomorrow

Of course, one major factor is flexibility. Nothing ever goes according to plan. If this is a little much for you, you could try a weekly schedule and be as specific or non-specific as you want.

Here are a few helpful ideas that may help with your quest to manage your time better:

-Learn to say ‘NO’. For many women, this is a hard pill to swallow at times. Many of us feel like we should be superwoman and do everything and look after everyone – and we suffer for this mindset.

-Don’t set yourself up to fail. Be realistic and work towards the goals that are meant for you.

-Enlist the help of others by letting others know that you are attempting to better manage your time.

-Reward yourself for effective time management

-Try to keep on top of your lists, try to delegate or totally get rid of unnecessary time wasters

-Review your lists often

-Take advantage of your regular cycles. Sharpest in the morning, then plan difficult tasks for that time period.

It is up to you how you accomplish this feat. Dieters who try to loose weight, write down their calories on any given day, you could do the same, this will pinpoint where your time is going. Good luck!