10 Ways to Effectively Manage Your Time

Everyone would like more time to complete everything that they need to do in a day. This article will help you to identify where your time is being wasted and how to improve efficiency and complete tasks more quickly. We will provide our top 10 ways to effectively manage your time.

1. Plan your day - quickly go through what has to be done and write a list of activities that need to be completed urgently. Estimate how long it will take to complete each activity and indicate whether you can delegate any tasks to someone else. Leave the non-urgent tasks to be reviewed after you have completed the urgent tasks.

2. Check your Calendar - fill in all your meetings for the week and slot in tasks that need to be completed before the meeting. Slot in your tasks in the time that you have left. Include all other activities in the calendar, such as picking up the kids from school or having a lunch break.

3. Have a lunch break - you will be more productive if you have a break from work, at least 30 minutes will give you an opportunity to have lunch, read a magazine or catch up with the day time soapies. If you are able to, get out of the office and get some fresh air or meet a friend for lunch. A mid-day break will leave you feeling refreshed when you get back to the office. If you are planning on going out for lunch, put your break in the Calender and commit to a time that you will be back in the office so that your lunch does not run over time.

4. Paper shuffling - when you are picking up papers on your desk only handle the paper once. If it needs to be filed, put it in the filing folder. If it needs to be entered into the computer, put it in a data entry folder. Put any rubbish in the shredder straight away. If your paper shredder is not located in your office, put it in a folder labelled to be shredded. Sort all papers as you touch them to reduce your paper shuffling time.

5. Don't answer all your emails immediately - if you are completing a task, glance at the email to see if it is urgent and then go back to your work. Once you have completed the task you are on, then check your emails. If you find it hard to do this, then turn off the email notify function so you will not know when emails come in, then check your emails periodically (after you have finished a task).

6. If you are working on a challenging task and you are stuck, have a break. If your back is getting stiff, nature calls or you need a drink, have a break. Do all three in one hit, get up, go to the ladies/gents room, get a drink, chat to other staff wandering the corridors, visit your boss if you need a chat and then get back to work. Your mind will be refreshed and the task you are working on will not be as challenging.

7. Come to work early and leave late - It is amazing how many Managers whinge about their staff running late and leaving early. If you come in 10 minutes early and leave 10 minutes late, you will be amazed at how more efficient you will become and you will feel less rushed. The coffee machine will be free and you will be settled by the time you are due to start work. You will have a better mind set as you won't feel so rushed.

8. Negotiate your own timetable - If your Manager allows, arrange to come in half an hour later to drop the kids off to school and miss the rush hour traffic. Leave half an hour later to miss that rush hour traffic again. You will arrive at your destination more relaxed. Also, there will be less staff in the office after 5 pm and you will be able to complete more tasks.

9. Negotiate to work from home - After you have proven yourself in the office, you may be able to negotiate working from home. But beware, you will have to be very organised and work the hours you have negotiated. Fill in your Schedule weekly with time set aside to work from home. If your family and friends know that you are working from home, let them know about your schedule so that they may contact you at appropriate times.

10. Review your systems and processes - can tasks be completed in a more efficient way or can they be delegated to others? Set aside time for certain activities like leaving one day a week to do book-keeping. Keep all the expenses in a folder and once per week, enter them into the system.

If you utilise just 2 or 3 of these ideas, you will be amazed about how more efficient you will become. You will also feel less stressed as you will be able to work out when you will be completing certain tasks. If you feel overstretched and unable to complete a project, you will have supporting documentation to ask your Manager for an extension, or delegate the tasks/project to others.

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