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10 Easy Tips For
Managing Your Personal Time More Effectively 1. SPEND TIME PLANNING AND
ORGANIZING. Using time to think and plan is time well-spent. In fact, if
you fail to take time for planning, you are, in effect, planning to fail.
Organize in a way that makes sense to you. If you need color and pictures,
use a lot on your calendar or planning book. Some people need to have papers
filed away; others get their creative energy from their piles. So forget the
"shoulds" and organize your way. 2. SET GOALS. Goals give
your life, and the way you spend your time, direction. When asked the secret
to amassing such a fortune, one of the famous Hunt brothers from 3. PRIORITIZE. Use the 80-20 Rule - 80 percent of the reward
comes from 20 percent of the effort. The trick to prioritizing is to isolate
and identify that valuable 20 percent. Once identified, prioritize time to
concentrate your work on those items with the greatest reward. Prioritize by
color, number or letter — whichever method makes the most sense to you.
Flagging items with a deadline is another idea for helping you stick to your
priorities. 4. USE A TO DO LIST. Some
people thrive using a daily To Do list which they construct either the last
thing the previous day or first thing in the morning. Such people may combine
a To Do list with a calendar or schedule. Others prefer a "running"
To Do list which is continuously being updated. Or, you may prefer a
combination of the two previously described To Do lists. Whatever method
works is best for you. Don't be afraid to try a new system — you just might
find one that works even better than your present one! 5. BE FLEXIBLE. Allow
time for interruptions and distractions. Time management experts often
suggest planning for just 50 percent or less of one's time. With only 50
percent of your time planned, you will have the flexibility to handle
interruptions and the unplanned "emergency." When you expect to be
interrupted, schedule routine tasks. Save (or make) larger blocks of time for
your priorities. When interrupted, ask Alan
Lakein's crucial question, "What is the most important thing I can be
doing with my time right now?" to help you get back on track fast. 6. ELIMINATE THE URGENT. Urgent
tasks have short-term consequences while important tasks are those with
long-term, goal-related implications. Work towards reducing the urgent things
you must do so you'll have time for your important priorities. Flagging or
highlighting items on your To Do list or attaching a deadline to each item
may help keep important items from becoming urgent emergencies. 7. PRACTICE THE ART OF
INTELLIGENT NEGLECT. Eliminate from your life trivial tasks or those
tasks which do not have long-term consequences for you. Can you delegate or
eliminate any of your To Do list? Work on those tasks which you alone can do.
8. AVOID BEING A
PERFECTIONIST. In the Malaysian culture, only the gods are considered
capable of producing anything perfect. Whenever something is made, a flaw is
left on purpose so the gods will not be offended. Yes, some things need to be
closer to perfect than others, but perfectionism, paying unnecessary
attention to detail, can be a form of procrastination. 9. CONQUER PROCRASTINATION. One
technique to try is the "Swiss cheese" method
described by Alan Lakein. When you are avoiding something, break it into
smaller tasks and do just one of the smaller tasks or set a timer and work on
the big task for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time, eventually
you'll reach a point where you'll want to finish. 10. LEARN TO SAY
"NO." Such a small word — and so hard to say. Focusing on your
goals may help. Blocking time for important, but often not scheduled, priorities
such as family and friends can also help. But first you must be convinced
that you and your priorities are important — that seems to be the hardest
part in learning to say "no." Once convinced of their importance,
saying "no" to the unimportant in life gets easier.
By : Deepanjali - TOI |