"Clear Mind, Effective Action"
7 Free Time Management Tips
People have always placed a value on time. However, only a few people have mastered the skill of properly allocating time for their work. We see a lot of books in book shops claiming they have the secret to proper time management. But do we really have to pay just to understand the secret of proper time management?
You really don’t have to buy these books to understand the secret of Proper Time Management. All you need is common sense and discipline. However, there are more reliable ways to achieve your goal.
Here are a few tips to help you manage your time.
Before you go and start making a list of things you need to do, you have to realize that the list will never work if you won’t back it up with discipline. When talking about discipline here, it means you have to know your own priorities as well to guide you in abiding with the rules that you have set for yourself.1. List a set of things to do for the day – This is the traditional way to proper time management. Make a list of things you have to do for the day to keep you informed on what to do for the day. The list will help you to avoid distractions if any should arise during the day.
It is recommended that you create a flexible "to do list"; having a flexible list allows you to fit unexpected events and occasions (only important ones) without destroying the whole list.
2. Change Bad Time Management Habits – It usually helps for starters to change their Bad Time Management Habits. If you reflect on your everyday activities, you'd probably realize that you spend a lot of time watching too much TV or other forms of leisure. It is okay to spend time on leisure, but never when it exceeds the alloted time for it. Changing these habits would increase your time to do more meaningful activities.
3. Set some things to do for the day as top priority. – The idea of setting hierarchies among your list of priorities is that those on top of the list are what you need to attend to first. It also helps you to finish on time when you use it in conjunction with your "to-do" list and daily timetable.
4. Learn how to say "NO" – When offered to do something, most people have trouble refusing. Hence, they are confronted with more tasks than they can manage. This is more important when it comes to tasks that are less important, such as watching a movie or going to a football game. You have to remember that once you have completed your pending tasks, you will have time to enjoy yourself.
If you’re planning to go out, you have to plan this a few days ahead. Therefore, you can finish your task ahead as well to save enough time for these long breaks.
5. Dividing your workload – This is specially helpful when working with other people as a team. You don’t have to do everything yourself. When you divide your workload, people tend to finish faster because they can focus on doing a specific task.
6. Keeping your workplace clean and organized – When your workplace is a mess, it is usually hard to look for things underneath the pile. Sometimes it takes hours for you to look for a lost paper on a cluttered pile.
Keeping things organized improves your over-all efficiency.
7. Set Goals for yourself. Practical and achievable goals are an important step in proper time management. Setting goals keeps you motivated to do your job well. Remember that you need efficiency to get things done the right way.
