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Making the Most of Your Time
Time management is a matter of self-discipline. To control your time, you must control yourself. Although we all have the same amount of time, we don’t have the same demands on out time. To make the most of your time—whatever the demands—consider these tips:
Plan your day. Make a list of the activities you must do during the day and carry this list with you. Check off each item as it is completed.
Get yourself organized by developing a system to keep track of important details.
Do first things first. Arrange your day so that you get the important things done first. Spend your most productive time doing the important activities and leave routine matters for the time of day when you are less productive.
Make and stick to decisions by acquiring a habit of decisiveness. A test of a well-managed life is the ability to get things done.
Take action. Act promptly once you have decided what to do. The sooner your action follows your decision, the easier it will be to carry out. Don’t put things off. If you procrastinate, you will spend valuable time justifying why you are not doing the job, instead of spending the time doing the job.
Keep up your self - confidence by accomplishing something every day. Set realistic goals for the day and keep going until they are achieved. Don’t waste the precious hours of your day because you can never get that time back.
Concentrate on one thing at a time and put all your energy into the task at hand. Tune out interruptions when possible, and when interrupted, learn to get back to the job you were doing.
Learn to say “no”. Think through requests and invitations carefully and determine if each is the best use of your time. Don’t get involved in “no-win” situations. Don’t be afraid to say “no” firmly.
Watch out for the time thieves. Recognize time thieves and avoid them: daydreaming, excuses, frustration, irritation, impatience, and worry.
Remember—successful time management is the process of arranging the events of your day so that you accomplish things that are truly important to you.
