Time Management Tips and Resources
You may have adopted resources already to manage your time better, but if you haven’t now is the time to do so. If you have already dedicated resources to time management but still don’t seem to have enough time, here are some more tips that will help you to become master of your own time.
Plan Every Day
Plan your day before you even start it. Take 30 minutes the evening before or every morning to plan your next day so that you can accomplish everything you need. Don’t begin doing anything until you have completed your plan. It is vital to schedule in time to schedule your day so that you can optimize your time and achieve your goals.
Hire Help
Don’t be a control freak and try to do everything on your own. As an entrepreneur, it is vital you use your time to your best advantage. Answering non-urgent phone calls, managing social media, scheduling appointments, taking client orders and more are all tasks that you can have a virtual assistant do for you, freeing up your time for more important work.
Be Unavailable
There are times when to truly accomplish important work and meet deadlines you need to be undisturbed. Do not be afraid to put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on your door, to turn off your cell, get your staff or virtual assistant to answer calls for you and deal with email as well as other tasks. Being unavailable will help you get the precious time you need to tackle urgent work.
Turn Off Distractions
Full concentration is important to work at your maximum potential and optimize time. Lost minutes can lead to lost hours according to CareerBuilder spokesperson Jennifer Grasz, whose study demonstrated that employees can lose time to distractions such as mobile devices. Turn off your phone, ignore social media, gossip, the news and minimize the noise around you as all these waste time.
Face Difficult Tasks at your Best
Are you a morning person? Or perhaps you work best after lunch? Whatever your optimal hours are, whenever you feel at your peak, schedule in the difficult tasks for those time slots. This way you can give them your maximum attention and get them done in record breaking time. It is a waste of time to try to do challenging work when you are tired or half-asleep.
Work on the Go
Every minute counts. Whether you are waiting at the doctor’s, travelling, or commuting on public transport, make the most of your time instead of sitting around doing nothing. Download documents and work on them, answer emails, schedule appointments and more, whatever work it is make sure your devices are fully charged so that you can optimize your time.
Schedule in a Break
Make sure that whatever day you plan ahead, you schedule in time to eat, sleep and take a break. No one can be productive and use their time well if they are starving, exhausted or they have not had time to catch their breath all day. Take a well-earned break once in a while and you will use your time ahead better.
