Time Management System: Keys To Effective Time Management
Looking for an effective time management system? Here are some key elements you will need to enjoy the fruits of effective time management.
Start With Motivation. Have you ever been to a time management seminar? If you have, you will remember how pumped up you were by the speakers. Do you think it was because they were teaching you some sort of new and improved time management system? Of course not. It is because they motivated the audience into action. Your motivating factor will be the pleasure of getting the things done so that you have the freedom to do what you want.
Keep Written Records. You have to write down the things that you need to remember. Furthermore, writing the tasks down gives you the ability to see that which needs to be done and more effectively prioritize the tasks to maximize effective time management. The human brain is incapable of remembering more than four to five things in its short term memory at one time. So, unless you make a written record of what you need to do, you will only get those things done that you remember as opposed to those that are the most important.
Accountability. Accountability is the twin sister of the written to do list. I am not talking about being accountable to some exterior person. No, I am talking about accountability to yourself and your plan to accomplish all that you have to do. In order to be able to practice effective time management, you have to have something to measure your progress. This should not be an opportunity to beat yourself up. It should be an opportunity to fine tune and adjust your course, or figure out why you have failed to meet your expectations. Use that information to make fine adjustments and resume course.
Multitasking. If you closely examine the down times throughout your day, you will find a couple of hours of usable time lost while commuting, waiting for appointments, or watching TV. How do you find time to read a book or return a phone call? Well, you learn to use these dead times to more effectively manage your time. Instead of purchasing a book, get it on CD and listen to it while commuting to and from work. A book that would take two weeks to read, can be read in less than a week if on audio. You can make six five minute phone calls while waiting for the doctor.
Delegate simple tasks. Guess what? You are not indispensable. Other people can do your work.and should. Most tasks do not have to be perfect, only good enough. I would suspect that, if you are a perfectionist, you definition of good enough is probably well above average definition of perfect. If you have subordinates, let them return phone calls or draft simple correspondence. Let the boy down the street mow your yard. Have your clothes dry cleaned and pressed. If your time is worth more than the cost of having the job done, then it makes economic sense to let someone else do it.
Be More Assertive. You have to learn to say No when others make excessive demands on your time. In many ways, effective time management is a zero sum game. Literally, every hour you give away decreases your time by one hour while increasing the recipients by the same amount. The fact is that your time is as valuable, or more valuable than that of other people. It must be, otherwise, others would not ask you to give your time to them, right? Manage your time as you would any other scarce resource. Be assertive and say No.
Use these time management tips and I am confident that you will find that you are more effectively using your time. Every time management system includes these key elements. First, you have to learn how to motivate yourself to action. How will getting things done better motivate you to avoid pain and seek pleasure? Learn that you must write things down in order to remember to do them. You have to have a written list in order to maintain your accountability to yourself. If you can make better use of dead time through multitasking or delegating, then do that as well. Finally, learn that your time is a scarce commodity that must be managed just as effectively as food, money or water. Do not give your time away unless the recipient needs and deserves it. If you can incorporate these time management tools into your time management system, you will be able to be more effective and more free to use your time as your own.
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