Basic Time Management
Mid-summer brings the longest days of the year, but it still can still seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day. On the other hand, maybe it’s not the number of hours that’s the problem, but how we manage them.
So how can we manage our time better? With context, preparation and planning. Here are four steps that can help.
Take a big look. Instead of just launching into the pieces of your day, take a moment to look at the entire day, identifying key tasks and planning how long they will take. Schedule individual activities as much as is feasible.
Prioritize. Don’t just tackle things as you think of them; prioritize your activities, identifying three things that must be done and knowing you’ll work in other tasks around them.
Write it down. Writing things down takes a few minutes, but it’s time well spent if it saves you from stopping after every task to ask, “What’s next?” and if you use a high-tech tool to record your plan for the day (see Page Two), it might take even less time.
Set [artificial] deadlines. “By when?” is an essential question. Set time parameters with a little extra time at the beginning and end of tasks, and push up project deadlines slightly to force early completions. That way you’ll have wiggle room … and space to breathe.
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Tags: planning, time management