Time Management Tips That Work
By Pamela Wong
Pamela is a Trained Professional Organizer based in Oakville, Ontario and is the owner of Zen N Organized. She helps homeowners and small business owners transform their homes and home offices into organized spaces. She has a practical, non-judgemental approach to organizing. Her objective is to create functional and harmonious spaces for her clients.
Does your stress level go up when you hear the clock ticking? Are you often pressed for time when the deadline is approaching, and you don’t know where all that time went? Want to find ways to better manage your time and get more done? If you say yes to any of these questions, then this blogpost is for you.
Drawbacks with poor time management
Let’s start with the negatives. What happens if you don’t manage your time well?
Less time
Poor planning leads to unorganized files and disorganized thoughts. This leads to you working at a suboptimal level and you now need to spend more time looking for things as opposed to focusing in on your work.
More stress
That lack of planning can lead to pile up, increasing the daily pressure to get tasks done. As the time crunch catches up to you, it can eventually lead to a stress level that increases by the minute.
Poor quality of work
The ripple effect of lack of time and increased stress is now making you rush through the tasks to meet the deadline. You are under pressure and not thinking things through. As a result, your quality of work is not at its optimal level.
Bad image
When you produce a poor quality of work, you are also perceived as not being prepared. This can lead to your clients and colleagues not trusting the work that you do in the future.
Benefits of good time management skills
Now onto the positives. What are the benefits of better time management?
Less stress
This requires no explanation. We can all use a little less stress in our already stressful lives.
More time to look for more opportunities
You now have more time to search for other opportunities and to pursue them.
Feel better
With more time to explore more opportunities, there is now a higher probability of turning promising prospects into actual sales. The outlook becomes more positive and you feel better overall.
Achieve goals
Good time management allows you to focus on the potential new projects and find more ways to achieve the goals you’ve set.
Time Management Tips
Good time management skills are needed to be productive and efficient. Here are some tips to make it happen:
1. Set SMART goals and accomplish what YOU want. SMART goals are defined as:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
2. Schedule your time
Plan wisely and know where you are spending your time and where improvements can be made.
3. Prioritize
Prioritize tasks based on importance and urgency.
4. Remove non-essential tasks
Eliminate time wasters and distractions. Pop up notifications are major distractions for many people. Delegate tasks so you remain focused on what you need to do.
5. Set time limit and take breaks
Take regular breaks and set time limit so you are always fresh and focused.
6. Stay organized
Keep your thoughts and your files organized so you are not wasting time. See Are You Filing the Right Way?
If you follow these tips, you can get more done in a day. Give it a try and let me know which time management tip works best for you.
