Ten Tips for Time Management

Do you often feel that you have too much work to do and never enough time to do it all? Inability to manage time is a big problem faced by many people in the world. Ranging from school student, to college students, to busy business people, it’s the same story over and over again. Time management is a skill few people master, but it is one that most people need.

Generally experts in the field of time management believe that one of the first things people need to do to manage their time effectively is to analyze and determine how they are spending their time at present. This process is known as a time audit. By undertaking a time audit, you can change the way you are managing your time now and thus, change yourself in relation to time. That’s the key to time management!

Time cannot be managed. It’s not possible to slow down time or speed it up. You also cannot manufacture extra time, much as you would like to do that. Time management is all about managing yourself by following some basic time management values and principles.

People who effectively use these time management principles are generally the highest achievers in all walks of life. By using time management skills effectively, you can function in the best possible manner even under intense pressure.

The basic rule of time manage is to shift your focus to concentrate on the results and not on being busy. Many people often times spend their days doing a lot of activities, but rarely achieve very much because they are not concentrating on the right things.

Some simple tips to managing time are given below:

Managing time takes practice. Practice asking yourself this question throughout the day: "Is this what I want or need to be doing right now?" If yes, then keep doing it.

Find some way to realistically and practically analyze your time.

Do a "to-do" list for your day. Do it at the end of the previous day.

At the end of your day, spend five minutes cleaning up your space. Use this time, too, to organize your space, including your desktop. This gives you a fresh start for the next day.

Learn the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I need to do this at all?"

Sort your mail into categories including "read now", "handle now" and "read later".

Read your mail at the same time each day.

Have a place for everything and put everything in its place.

Best suggestion for saving time - schedule 10 minutes to do nothing. That time can be used to just sit and clear your mind.

In order to manage your time successfully, having an awareness of what your goals are will assist you in prioritizing your activities.