Time Management tips Top Time Management Tips Help yourself to save time, and also to make the most of your time, by taking on board these tried-and-tested time management tips. If it’s too overwhelming to adopt all of them, pick one to try at first. Spend a moment to plan each and every day. Take a few minutes to jot down the few key things you need to achieve today. Set a time limit. You’re more focused and less likely to get distracted if you don’t have an open-ended time slot in your day for a particular task. Write everything down. You’ll save time and be less stressed if you’re not holding all those things you’re trying to remember in your head. Focus on important tasks. Don’t just focus on the urgent items. Look at your longer-term goals. Ask yourself how what you’re doing each day fits in with your goals. Do little and often. Breaking tasks into chunks helps to prevent a build-up and is less overwhelming when you’re only spending a few minutes on a task. Take a break. Doing so might seem counter-intuitive, but if you try to cram too much into your day you end up stressed out and exhausted. Have regular breaks and you’ll be more productive. Don’t do it all on your own. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Keep the balance. Try not to spend all your waking hours at work – make time for home, family, and friends, and make sure you leave time to eat properly and exercise regularly. Task-Related Questions to Keep You Focused and Save You Time Ask yourself these short but helpful questions to help you keep really focused on the task in hand and stop wasting time doing unnecessary tasks: Is what I’m doing right now helping me to achieve my goals or objectives? What is the best use of my time right now? Is the task urgent? Is it important? Will it enhance my life? Last reviewed: February 2014 Time Management tips Top Time-Saving Tips Here’s a short and snappy overview of the best time-saving tips around – leaving you more leisure and free time to do the things you enjoy: Plan, plan and plan. Have one diary for everything. Switch off your email alerts. Use a timer when you’re trying to complete a task. Schedule tasks in blocks of time. Carry a notebook with you to make lists and make sure you don’t forget anything. A Quick Checklist for Dealing with Procrastination Even the most efficient people sometimes get stuck or keep putting something off. If you’re hit with a bad case of procrastination, ask yourself these questions to get you moving again: What are you putting off? What impact will not doing this task have? What’s stopping you? What’s the benefit of doing the task or not doing it? What can you do to make the first step? Choose one of these procrastination-busting tips: Take one step at a time. Don’t try to tackle big tasks all in one go; do one little bit at a time. Do it now. You’ve put something off for long enough – just take yourself by surprise and do it. Get someone else to do it. If you don’t have the time or energy to do it yourself, delegate! Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/time-management-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-uk-edition.html Accessed 3/2/2014 Last reviewed: February 2014