Stop Losing Hours from Your Day a Few Minutes at a Time

Posted By: Staff Editor In: Business Professional

Another day has gone by and you didn’t accomplish what you needed to do. You were busy all day and didn’t take long breaks. You even came in early and stayed late. So, why didn’t you get more done?

The best way for you to manage your time is to figure out how you’re using your time and what activities can be eliminated. You can’t add more hours to your day. So, try to make the best use of the hours you have.

Time Management Tips

1. Delegate Responsibilities. Distribute work assignments so everyone has a manageable load. Don’t take on extra work that you can’t get done just because you’re a supervisor. Even small business owners shouldn’t try to be a one-man show if you can afford to hire help or offer free internships.

2. List Daily Tasks. Decide which jobs you can fit in one day and write them down. Keep your list posted and check off each item as it gets accomplished. Seeing the list will also remind you what still needs to be done.

3. Prioritize Your Duties. Rank your tasks in order of importance from the things that have to get done that day to things that can wait.

4. Record Activities. Every 15 minutes write down what you just did. Compare your actual behavior to what is on your list of things to do. You might find that on your way back from the copier you stopped to talk about last night’s TV show for 10 minutes instead of going right back to your desk as planned.

5. Eliminate Time Wasters. When you keep track of everything you do you can see where you’re unnecessarily spending time. You can lose hours of your day a few minutes at a time doing non-work related activities at your desk like surfing the net or checking emails.

6. Limit Time per Task. Keep yourself on track. Don’t work on each duty indefinitely. Decide how much time each activity should take you and try and stick to the allotted time.

7. Reduce Down Time. Don’t let there be time when you’re not accomplishing something. While you’re waiting for a meeting to begin, bring a report that you need to read or at least check your daily time management list to see if you’re on track.

8. Set Schedule Limits. Make up rules to decrease distractions such as only check emails during your lunch break or no personal calls, texts or tweets at work.

9. Clear Away Clutter.  It’s easier to find work if excess paperwork is removed and your needed files are in their proper place.

10. Don’t Stress, Regroup. Don’t beat yourself up over not doing everything on your daily list. If you have activities that you didn’t get done one day, put them on the next day’s list and re-prioritize.

What other tips do you use to help you manage time?