Efficient Organization Of Time

How many times have you said, "I don't have time"? Although we are all guided by the same 24-hour clock, many of us feel in a time crunch to accomplish everything we have to do.

The following tips can improve your time management skills by helping you to define important things, to create a functional system, and to eliminate the factors that waste your time.

1 Delimit your priorities. What do you hope to achieve in a day - or a month or a year? What commitments have you already made and what new activities would you like to get involved in?

For example, would you like to get involved in a multi-departmental collaboration project or learn a new computer program? Put these and other similar goals in order of priority and try to estimate how long each one would take.

2 Make a record of the organization of time. Keep a daily diary for the five working days. Record every time you spend your time. Then at the end of the week, analyze your time management habits. Is the level of importance of the activity appropriate to the time you allocate to it?

Let's say you spent two hours deleting older messages from your email, even though you had more important things to do. This is an example of wasting time with tasks that do not lead to the desired results.

3 Dedicate yourself to a system that you will implement. The shops are full of high-tech tools that help you meet scheduled meetings and compose a detailed work schedule.

No matter what system you choose - a regular calendar or a digital assistant - it will only work if you use it consistently. What matters is not the instrument itself, but the habits and discipline you impose on yourself.

4 Outline a work plan for each day. Many time management experts believe that people should spend 10 to 15 minutes setting their priorities at the beginning of each day. Your program is not nailed down; you can change it during the day. And by knowing this information, you will be able to take better advantage of opportunities as they arise.

5 Group similar tasks. Schedule tasks that require similar efforts or resources in the same amount of time. For example, it may be easier for you to research on the Internet for three or four important projects in the same period. Similarly, deal with emails and other types of correspondence over the same period.

6 Observe your moments of peak and weakness. When you are more creative and have a better performance: early in the morning, at noon, or late in the afternoon?

On the other hand, when do you have the worst moments? By becoming aware of the hours at which you perform or not, you can schedule your tasks for the right times. For example, if you have a moment of weakness at 3 pm, it may be better to arrange the files than to write an important memo.

7 Control the factors that distract you. Although interruptions at work are inevitable, their impact may be limited. During busy times, use voice mail to filter calls. When trying to focus, resist the temptation to check your email or reply to a message immediately. If possible, close the door to focus better.

8 Routine tasks. Automation can help you organize your time. Make the most of speed-dials, computer macros, available templates, and other shortcuts that can help you save time with routine tasks.

9 Stop procrastinating. Instead of delaying a large project, separate it into smaller, easy-to-handle steps. If it still overwhelms you, don't hold back from delegating certain items or asking for help from others.

10 Learn to say no. If a task or request is not of major importance for your job or your professional goals, and you have a lot of tasks to perform, politely refuse. However, you could offer some alternative solutions to that person as a sign of consideration and team spirit.

The main goal of perfecting your time management skills is to have the best possible performance every day. Following the above suggestions, you may find that you have all the time you need for the most important issues.