10 Simple Time Management Skills and Strategies

Time Management Skills and Strategies Lower Stress

Great time management skills make a day full of activities flow smoothly, and keep stress at a minimum.

10 "Tried and True" Time Management Skills and Strategies

Here are 10 of the top time management skills that you can try in your own life. These are time-honored time management techniques that successful people have used throughout time.

1. Clutter causes thoughts to flutter until you don't know if you're coming or going. Take a day to really go through your office at home or at work and throw out anything that serves no purpose any longer. It's amazing how a clean office affects one's mindset!

2. Do not create daily or weekly agendas that set out to "conquer Rome." You are only one person and there are only so many hours in the day. Learn how to break large tasks into smaller ones.

3. If you have trouble saying "no" to others who want to use your time, a great book to read is Don't Let Others Rent Space in your Head by Gary Coxe. This book contains an abundance of time management skills you should know about. The author also addresses how our mindset can be friend or foe, and how to get out of outmoded ways of thinking.

4. As the saying goes, "Don't put off what you can do today." It's better to deal with something and get it over with than to it tug at you day after day. Once you set a time to do a task and get it done, you'll feel like the world has dropped off your shoulders.

5. Great time management is not the same as multitasking. Calling someone a "multitasker" isn't really a compliment anymore. You may do a lot when you multitask but do you finish anything? Work on tasks one at a time so you can do them well and get them. done

6. Set realistic deadlines and use your time management skills to meet them. Instead of trying to cram everything into the span of an hour or two, tackle tasks one at the time. This will allow you to focus on the job at hand. This is where "now" comes into play according to your priorities. It doesn't make sense to have your mind consumed by other things on your to-do list.

7. Avoid interruptions. Constant interruptions can disrupt your thought process. Set aside certain times of the day for e-mail activity and returning calls. This way, you have fewer interruptions and can devote better time to correspondences.Try to create a block of time when people are less likely to call or drop by as well.

8. Use a desktop calendar. A desktop calendar can not only help with time management, but can also ward off other work that could get dumped on you. A full calendar helps you visualize how busy you will be, so you're less likely to agree to do things that you won't have time for. If someone walks in to ask you to take care of something and sees the calendar, he or she may change their mind.

9. Learn how to signal to others that you cannot be interrupted. Keeping an office door closed is one way. Many small interruptions can grow into hour-long conversations, and there goes your time.

10. Create a system, and stick to it. Everyone works a little bit differently. Find or create a time management system that you like. Refine it to your specific needs and use it on a daily basis. The refining and daily use will create a system that's guaranteed to help you manage you time effectively.

Time Management Skills: Points to Remember

• Keep a clean workspace and work area.

• Prioritize your tasks.

• Learn to say "no" to those who want to infringe on your time.

• Don't procrastinate.

• Set realistic deadlines.

• Separate e-mail and phone calling instead of trying to do both at the same time.

• Use a desktop calendar or blotter.

• Perform tasks one at a time.

• Learn to signal to others that you cannot be interrupted for certain periods.

Additional Resources for Time Management Skills, Strategies and Techniques

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