On Time Management
by Special Events by Noelle

Stop running in circles! Grab a pen, paper, and a cup of tea and gain control of your life. Time management is a means of asserting greater control over your use of time and energy, rather than allowing tasks and demands to control you. It is a given that you will never be able to do everything that you think you should. By using time management techniques, you attain a balance in your life ensuring that the activities that you do not do are those of your choice--your lowest priorities.

Time management is a skill. Like any skill, time management must be learned and then practiced. The best way to learn and practice time management is to develop routines that turn into habits. Developing routines can be an effective way of managing time, because habits do not require much thought and can free up concentration in your head. There are more hours in the day than one realizes if they are managed effectively. There are efficient uses of small amounts of time you do not even realize you have. The key to managing your time is to pay close attention to your priorities and to stay committed. We have all indulged in time-wasting activities without realizing the amount of time we have squandered. Another aspect that is helpful is to develop an understanding of how long tasks actually take to complete. Ask yourself if you have enough time to drive to the other side of town to do your errand during your lunch break. Is that errand important enough at this time to skip a meal and a chance to relax for a moment in your busy day? Once you have made a realistic assessment of the time required to carry out your day-to-day activities, you will begin to see how valuable your time really is and how valuable you are. We must always value ourselves in every situation and in every moment of our day. There are several ways to help yourself carry out your activities in a balanced way.

A simple and highly effective aid in time management is to keep a day planner or calendar. This is the most efficient way to get organized and to be able to see your week, day, and month more clearly. It also offers itself as a reminder, so that you can "un-clutter" your mind and simply check your calendar each day. Some people find it helpful to check off items as they are completed giving a sense of accomplishment. Simply checking off that you went to the grocery store or picked up the dry cleaning can make you feel positive about your day. Some people find it helpful to make a daily or weekly "to-do" list. Making a daily "to-do" list the night before helps to ease the mind of what needs to be done the next day. If you need pictures or use color-coding, use a lot on your calendar or planning book. Find a method that works best for you. For the more technically advanced, a digital diary, cell phone, or computer can also help you organize your daily and weekly tasks. A time log allows you to use your time wisely and professionally. Using time to think and plan is time well spent. In fact, it has been said, "If you fail to take time for planning, you are, in effect, planning to fail."

Prioritizing and setting goals give your life, and the way you spend your time, direction. Your goals should be specific, measurable, realistic, and achievable. Goals can give people a much-needed sense of direction. Once you have set your goals, you can plan the tasks needed to accomplish your goals. Distinguish trivial tasks from goal-related tasks. Eliminate from your life trivial tasks or those tasks, which do not have long-term value for you. A good way of prioritizing is to simply put your tasks into categories: what is "important", "urgent", and "urgent and important". Obviously, if something is in the "important" category, it needs to be taken care of, but with less urgency than a task in the "urgent and important" category. This will allow focus to be on the individual items themselves without feeling overwhelmed by how many things need to be done. Additionally, "urgent" tasks have short-term consequences while "important" tasks are those with long-term, goal-related implications. Work towards reducing the "urgent" things you must do so you will have time for your "important" priorities. Students often use the "important" and "urgent" categories to prioritize and balance their schoolwork. Special work assignments, school projects, or life events such as planning a wedding can be difficult additions to every day life. If you have a big project or are planning something that you know will take a lot of time and energy, do not wait until the last minute when panic will set in; instead, divide the time into sections. This way you can spend a few hours or some time everyday on the project and still get it done on time without neglecting your other responsibilities. Write down your goals and priorities to more easily prioritize - stop keeping everything in your head! Also mark your deadline for task or goal completion on your calendar, so you can keep track of where you are and how much time you have left to complete a task. Organization is the key to successful time management, but you must find the type of organization that works for you.

Have you ever seen a desk that was such a complete mess that you wondered how that person could find anything in that clutter? A few people might work well in clutter, but most need some type of organization. Take the time to file your documents so that they are easy to find, but file them your way, even if that is in piles. Always organize in a way that makes sense to you not to someone else. The time you usually spend on looking for important papers and items can now be used more productively. Your creative energy can also be found more easily when everything is in place and organized.

Being flexible in your day. Allow time for interruptions and distractions that will most likely be a part of most days. When interrupted, ask yourself "What is the most important thing I can be doing with my time right now to help get me back on track fast?" Acknowledge the distraction, but do not let it overtake you or drain your energy. Also, be aware of when you are at your best. Know yourself and do not expect that you have to be like everyone else. Are you a "morning person" or perhaps a "night owl?" If possible, try to plan your priorities around your best time of day. This is not always possible, but there might be ways to work in tasks in other times of the day. Just because your co-worker gets up to jog at 5:00 a.m. every day does not mean you must do the same. Your body might prefer jogging later in the day. Do not let unrealistic or high expectations get in the way of letting ourselves do our best work when we are truly at our best. These expectations lead to putting things off until later.

Procrastination is the enemy and it must be conquered. We are vulnerable to procrastination when we feel overwhelmed and feel like shutting down and avoiding our responsibilities. When you are avoiding something, break it into smaller tasks and do just one of the smaller tasks or set a timer and work on the big task for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time, eventually you will reach a point where you will want to finish. Another form of procrastination is perfectionism. Paying unnecessary attention to detail only prolongs a task needlessly. If we get too wrapped up in the small things, we might really be trying to avoid something else or avoid completion of this task. Details are important, however, if you find yourself "obsessed" with the small stuff, try to figure out the reason for your preoccupation. We need to figure out what is important and what is not.

Sometimes we need to say "no" to tasks and things in our life that might interfere with what really is important - having priorities such as spending time with family and friends can also help. But first you must be convinced that you and your priorities are important - that seems to be the hardest part in learning to say "no." Once convinced of their importance, saying "no" to the unimportant in life gets easier and we begin to take better care of ourselves and our lives.

One of the most important aspects of time management is to take a break and relax. Avoid workload burnout. Set some time aside throughout your day or after work to unwind from your daily routine. Take a break to clear your mind. A moment of relaxation will help you focus more clearly on doing your job well. Also, reward yourself for completing tasks or finishing a job. Keep your promises to yourself and take care of yourself, so you can take care of what you need to do. In today's world, feeling overwhelmed or feeling anxious is common leading to stress and health problems. Sometimes looking at the big picture of your life and what needs to be done is less productive than looking at it in parts. Life will work itself out if we just play along and take it a little at a time.

The ultimate key to effective time management and life itself appears to be balance. We need to balance what is important with what is not as important. Some things can wait and some things cannot wait, and we must acquire the wisdom to tell the difference. We must work toward excellence in all parts of our life including how we play and relax. Balancing work time with play time leads to a healthier and happier life.

Special Events by Noelle