Manage Time

December 29, 2020

Time management is your ability to plan and control the time you spend on specific activities. Establish priorities and focus on the most important tasks first. Set short- and long-term goals. Avoid time wasters, distractors, and time robbers. Do distasteful jobs first and avoid procrastination or delaying decisions.

Monitor your screen time to see how you spend your time and slow down if you don't have time to slow down. Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers's fame, had a framed quote on his studio wall that said, "L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux" (What's essential is invisible to the eye).

Take time to slow down and enjoy the being.

If you have time, ask if this is how you want to spend your life. If not, slow down and ask if you want the time to be spent doing things you really want to do, not just spending time on things you like to do. If it takes you no time at all, monitor your screen time to see the amount of time that you spend in front of a screen.

Stay focused and accomplish more by finding your favorite way to block distractions.

Identify the most important tasks, which will be the most valuable use of your time. Set priorities on your list using the Pareto 80/20 principle. Save the last 15 minutes of your day to plan for the next day by listing important tasks. Finally, the last thing you can do on Friday is to organize your upcoming week. You will feel organized and ready to go Monday morning.

The skill for success could be for you, and the skills for you can be for other people, and for others, and you will be able to achieve more by staying focused and productive, says Kevin Krumholz, a success expert with a passion for problem-solving and problem-based learning. Meetings are important, but the majority could be more efficient. Turn your email notification off so you don't hear the ding every time something pops into your inbox. Set a defined amount of time, say 45 minutes, for an important project, and don't stop until the time is up. Stop trying to multitask.

Experts tell us we are much less efficient when we work on more than one thing at a time.

Monitor and track the results each day by keeping a log of how many important tasks were completed. You will find related ideas at these crossover skills: Stay Organized and Understand Personal Style. Balance Life. Set Goals. Cross Training. Understand personal style. Setting goals. Managing your emotions. Tasks. Time-managed meetings. Being punctual.