Time Management Tips: For The People Who Dont Have Time!

Where Did All the Time Go?

We can only “manage” time, because there is no way we can ever “find” time, that’s because it’s not lost, we just happen to be living in it, and “buying time” is just a figure of speech which is mostly used in the movies. So, when you think about it, managing time simply means being able to reduce the amount of time away from something in particular to spend it on something else. Simple isn’t it.
On average, a person spends (or wastes) eight years in the bathroom, seven years eating, six years waiting in line, nine months sitting through red lights and eighteen months going through the chaos which is their email box. It does make you kinda sick in the stomach when you come to think of it. The worst part is that this nightmarish picture is sadly true.
Ever felt like your time runs out on you before get a chance to finish off your daily things-to-do list? Do you feel stressed out when you think about effective ways for managing your time? If so then you are not alone. Time management is one of those issues that affects almost every person, no matter whether they are in school or running their own business.
Nowadays, many people can be found searching for new ways to manage time. Part of that is due to the fact that some people just aren’t that efficient when it comes to things like time management and the very thought of having to finish a list of tasks on a given date is enough to leave them pulling their hair before the day is through.

Traditional Techniques are Not Enough:

There are countless self-help books out there, all claiming to have the best remedy for our untimely friends. But more often than not, these self proclaiming masters of time fall short. Now why is that so? Well, for starters, tips like, “If you want to complete your work on time, get up early in the morning,” just don’t kick it anymore. Now, getting up early in the morning is fine ( I get up at 5:00 myself), but I don’t see how the first part of that line helps me in any way. I might as well wear my clothes before getting into the shower to save me even more time. What I’m trying to say is, though traditional techniques might work for some people, it doesn’t work for me.
But enough of the time management grouting, here we are going to talk about some real tips that enables you to have real time management (and you even get time to take that steaming hot shower).

Letting Go:

It is important to realize that while we may think we have the solution for each and every problem that pops up during the day. There are some things that we just can’t control. For instance, if your drive to work goes through a more populous area of the city, you are definitely going to get stuck in traffic. So there’s really nothing you can do about it. And if the photocopy machine at the office starts spitting out paper unexpectedly, well, just grab a latte and wait for the repair man to show up.
There are countless other things that you just cannot control, like if you happen to have an appointment, chances are, you’re going to be kept waiting or just when you are about to leave, your boss will dump a new assignment on your desk, enjoy. These are the times you will just need to relax and let go.

Responsibility:

If you want to adopt better time management skills then you will have to first take full responsibility of your actions. This means, that you count yourself responsible for how you spend your time and have shunned all the excuses that you would look for when things do not go your way. The secret is, there are always choices and effective time management means making choices rather than just jotting down a to-do-list every morning.
Ask Yourself Questions:
No, there is another name for talking to yourself in public. What this really means is to ask yourself about what you need to be doing at that precise moment. Sometimes, there are tasks that we don’t like doing, but still those tasks are something which needs to be done. Asking yourself whether you need to be doing a task at that time will keep you from putting off the stuff that you really need to do. If your answer is “yes” then go back to what you were doing, if “no” then leave it for later and do something which has a higher degree of importance.
Asking questions like these can lead to some amazing results in the long run, and you will find yourself being able to shift your focus from something of little importance to that of a higher importance much easier. Being able to make this differentiation between what’s urgent and what’s important is the essence of effective time management.

Get Rid of the Clutter:

“A place for everything and everything in its place,” what a great line, isn’t it? Don’t you just love a neat and clean desktop with everything in its place. Workplace clutter only leads to more confusion which blocks out any chance of wrapping your mind around what you are currently involved in and what you should really be doing.

Work for Yourself:

Allow me to finish the sentence, what I meant to say was, “Work for yourself, not for everybody else.”When it comes to time management and getting your stuff done on time, this one is a classic. How do you expect to get rid of your things-to-do-today list when you are happily taking on other people’s chores? This is where you need to practice saying “no.” So the next time someone smiles at you while asking you to do some work that they should be doing themselves, if you have plenty on your own plate already, just say NO. I know it seems cold and selfish, but you will thank yourself later when you finish your work and have enough time for dinner with your folks.

Conclusion:

So, like mentioned earlier, no matter what you do, you are still going to waste a lot of time idling at red lights and standing in line waiting for your turn. No, you don’t and shouldn’t quit your job and move to the countryside. What you should do is find answers in this blog. Although some might not work for you, but there is a good chance that others will. All you will need to do is apply a little bit of creativity in finding out an action plan that works for you when it comes to managing your time better.