Time Management – Making The Most Out Of Your Busy Day

My mother once said that the older we get, the faster time flies.  How true that is!  In today's fast paced world, we work, raise families, manage household chores, run errands, volunteer, help our neighbors and the community, etc.  There never seems to be enough time in a day.  Despite this, there are a few things you can do to better manage your day and still take care of yourself.

1.         Realize that you do have control over managing your time and make a conscious choice to do so.  Many people complain about not having enough time in their day but never develop an action plan to address this issue.

2.         Make a commitment to get organized.  The more organized you are, the smoother your day will flow.  This is because you will have set aside time for your most important activities (your daily priorities) first.

3.         Buy a daily planner and develop a schedule for each day.  You will note that certain activities will be consistently repeated (e.g., work, picking up kids from school, meals).

4.         Think about what you have to do every day; what are your priorities?  Do you have any deadlines?  Plug these into your schedule first.  Then insert other (non-priority) activities as +time permits.  Make sure to leave time for yourself, even if it is only fifteen minutes a day.

5.         If possible, delegate or eliminate non-priority items or save them for a specific day of the week.  Or, consider hiring someone to complete some of these items (e.g., clean your house, do your yard work).

6.         Combine errands so you're only doing them once or twice a week versus every day.  Run your errands in a specific geographical order (e.g.,  circle) in order to be more efficient and avoid backtracking. 

7.         Make "to do" lists so you don't leave anything out or waste time trying to remember specific items.  An errand "to do" list helps you run all of the errands you need to in an "orderly" manner, which also saves on gas.  A grocery "to do" list saves time and eliminates the need to go back to the grocery store for a single item.  Put your "to do" lists on a board or in an area where they are visible and easy to access.

8.         Keep a record of how you spend your time each day.  In reviewing this record, where are you losing time?  Do you spend too much time engaged in a specific activity (e.g., watching TV)?  Could you spend less time in this area, freeing up time for more important activities?  What you find may be surprising.

9.         What support systems are in place to help you?  For example, can a parent, friend or babysitter watch your child/children for a few hours on a specific day so you can run errands? 

10.       Can you exchange favors with a family member, friend or neighbor?  For example, if it would take you hours to troubleshoot a computer problem, could you get someone to do this for you and, in exchange, do something for them that would take them more time but would require less time on your part?

By considering and consistently implementing one or more of the above steps, you will have an easier time managing your time and day.  In addition, you will have time to take care of the most important thing in your life...YOU!

Copyright 2009 © Sharon L. Mikrut, All rights reserved.