“Time management is the process of organizing and planning how much time you spend on specific activities.” Some people are naturally good at managing their time. If you are not one of those individuals, it’s ok. There are easy ways to change how you manage your time. If you are struggling with having enough hours in the day to get tasks done, then you need to re-evaluate the management of your time. Read on to learn more.
Find out where your time is going.
You might be surprised what you find when you track what you are doing, when you are doing it, and how long you are taking to do it.
Set a goal
Then another. Figure out what is one quick time waster you can eliminate.
Go a few days making that change. Did you notice you had more time for other tasks?
Find a Time Management Tool
This could be a paper planner, an app, or something else you have created. If you try one and it doesn’t work, try something else.
Learn to prioritize
Don’t get overwhelmed by what needs to get done. By prioritizing tasks at the start of your day or week, you can accomplish more. Make adjustments as needed daily.
Create a routine
If you follow the same schedule each day, it makes it easier to complete tasks. Life happens though and things do not always go as planned. Just re-adjust your to-do list, and move on.
Set time limits for tasks
Some tasks, such as email management or research, you can do all day. Set a hard limit for how long and when you are going to work on those types of tasks.
One important thing to remember is that no matter how organized you are, there are always only 24 hours in a day. So keep in mind that you can still be efficient but may not complete everything you set out to do. That does not mean you failed or are not good at time management. Essentially, all you can do is better manage yourself and the time you have.
Remember – take control of your time, don’t let your time control you.
If you need help getting started or need help with a plan to better manage your time, contact Schwab Virtual Assistant Services to help you.