Principles of Time Management
For
those who've never been taught the required skills, the principles of time
management can seem daunting. However, they're basically fairly simple steps
that can be implemented in your life with very little effort required.
Principles
of time management can only do so much though. To begin with, you first need to
work out how you're spending your day. Are you constantly turning back to check
your emails, surf the net or re-looking up information because you've lost your
notes? For one day, jot down how you're spending your time, and you'll probably
realize that you can streamline your day more efficiently.
One
of the key principles knows what you have to achieve by the end of each day.
Once you're aware of each task that needs to be performed, you are able to
prioritize the work, making sure that the most important jobs are completed
first. Make a list each morning of what you need to do, and estimate roughly
how long each task will take to complete.
One
of the easiest principles of time management to use is working out when you are
at your most effective. What time of day are you most attentive? Some people
are morning people while others have trouble functioning well before lunch
time. Arrange your schedule to best suit your strengths. If you're not a
morning person, do tasks such as filing, photocopying, faxing while you gear up
for the day. Leave the more intricate tasks for late morning or afternoon, when
you're at your peak. Obviously, if you're a morning person, do the reverse.
No
principles of time management can be highly effective if you’re working area is
working against you. Take a look at your work space. Is it disorganized, messy
or overcrowded? Start by reorganizing your desk so that it's not cluttered.
Make use of in and out trays and folders for filing purposes. It's possible
that you're currently wasting an hour or more a day simply looking for things. Deciliter
your clutter!
One
of the biggest stumbling blocks to overcome when implementing time management
principles is procrastination. If you often begin something, but then move onto
another job before completing the first, it's time to stop. Having a list
beside you each day will help you to overcome this. As you complete each task,
cross it off the list, and then move onto the next job. Of course, if something
urgent comes up, you can obviously bump your current task, but make sure to
return back to it once you have completed the urgent work.
Principles
of time management are not difficult or impossible to implement. They simply
require you to look at things differently. Knowing your peak working times,
being organized and actively committing to not wasting time all go a long way
to helping you become more productive. Principles of time management are simply
steps to help you get the most from your day. If you use them wisely, your
productivity will rise, and you'll return home every day feeling far less
stressed and frazzled. (Rechtschaffen, S. – 1996)
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