by Deborah C. Washington

Created on: July 26, 2010   Last Updated: July 30, 2010

Efficient time management is a direct result of efficient planning. To manage your time you need to have a grasp of how long a task will take. It might surprise you just how long or short a time some tasks actually take. Next time you do a monthly report or write your bills or vacuum your living room, time yourself. Many of the tasks that you put off will be easier to do if you realize that they don’t take as long as you may think.

Other tasks, like reading your email can turn into a time eater. You may find yourself checking your Facebook account or Twitter. You may jump from one web site to another. The computer is a source of endless information and can devour time. Buy yourself a kitchen timer. Set it at the amount of time that you are willing to devote to the computer. When it goes off, you are done. Don’t let your precious commodity of time fade away.

You will not be able to determine how long some new tasks will take. For these, an estimate will have to suffice. You may have to be flexible in your planning and move things around to accommodate what needs to be done.

Once you realize how long tasks should take, you can make yourself a weekly schedule dividing up the various tasks that need to be done on different days. You know how many hours you have available on each day. Don’t load one day with all the miserable tasks. Try to balance each day with a mixture of tasks that are both hard and easy.

Always be open to new ideas or methods or products that might accomplish things in a quicker, more efficient way. Don’t do things the same old way out of habit. If your floor cleaner is in a different closest from your mop, store them together. Try to have similarly needed items together. Keeping things organized is a major time saver.

Different colored folders with pockets can serve as organizers for your daily control of the multitude of paperwork that enters your life. A red folder can contain the things that need to be dealt with immediately. A green folder can hold bills that need to be paid. A yellow folder can hold paperwork that you need to read or make a decision on. A blue one can be for papers that you need to file away (be sure to not let this folder get too fat. You should file papers once a week). There can be a miscellaneous folder. If your paperwork does not fit into any of the folders that you have established and it is not needed, put it into the recycling bin immediately to prevent you from moving it around your desk again and again.

Efficient time management always goes hand in hand with planning—from deciding what to wear the night before, to making only one trip to the grocery store, to planning a meeting agenda. Set a goal for yourself, know what you will need to do to accomplish the goal and be aware of the time.

If a task is taking much longer than expected, determine if you need to change tasks or juggle the schedule around. Perhaps you need to solicit help.

Always allow time for a break to refresh yourself. This renewal will give you added energy to continue.

Managing how you spend your time is essential for successful business people. In your personal life, it can give you a feeling of accomplishment and help you to lead a more organized and fulfilling life.

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