To Manage Time – Work At It Everyday

Concentrate on priorities, focus on results and overcome procrastination.  Everyday.  There it is in a nutshell.  Now, why?  To get control over your time, of course, and meet commitments and expectations.

You may not need to spend excessive time reading time management books, keeping time logs, etc., as many standard time management techniques are not for everyone.  But one thing is:  if you are struggling to manage your time, you need to be willing to change what you do and how you do it to move in a different direction and get control back.

Time does fly by, but it doesn’t run out – only our ability to use it effectively slips away.  Decide what you want to do with time, and what you want to accomplish, then you can focus on priorities.

Take responsibility for how you allocate your time.  Manage it aggressively.  Don’t procrastinate by putting off until tomorrow what you should have done today. 

Say “no” to interruptions.  Don’t allow interruptions – no matter how urgent they may seem at the time – to get you off track.  While there may be times where you cannot refuse, in others simply say “no” to avoid taking responsibility for tasks that yield control of your time to others, and keep focused on what’s really important.  

Remember it often takes longer to complete work than initially planned.  So leave extra time in your day to accommodate overages.  

Those of us who are effective time managers put forth the effort and are diligent practitioners – we are patient, committed and willing to stay the course to get the big payoff – delivering on commitments and results.