Effective Time Management Skills

 Do you find that there are just not enough hours in the day? Is overtime becoming the norm for you? Do you find that you don't have time for the things that matter to you?



 For most of us the answer to these questions is 'yes', and it is not a good feeling. Maybe work is not going how you would like. Or you just do not have enough leisure time to pursue your hobbies and do the things you enjoy.

 However, don't worry just yet. There is a solution to your problems. Simply by changing the way you approach the use of your time you can find the hours to do all the things you want to, and even have some time left over. Not only will this help you manage your time more effectively, it can help you to achieve the things you really want to in life.

 Effective time management skills:  Manage yourself

 Each day has only 24 hours. This is something that you have to accept because it will not change. Time can not be changed, but the way you approach it can. This is the secret of effective time management. You must train yourself to focus on the things that really matter to you and spend your time on these things only. Everything else should be eliminated from your life.

 Making the changes necessary to manage your time effectively can be rewarding and fun, but some of these changes will take a leap of faith on your part. However, there is no need to rush, you can make the necessary changes at your own pace. If you bite off more than you can chew at the beginning there is a chance you may fail.

 Effective time management skills:  Know yourself

 To take the first step in effective time management you need to know yourself. In modern society there are so many distractions we can easily lose our focus on what we really want in our lives. For most people, this is an unfortunate fact of life.

 Therefore, the first thing you need to do before you even begin to manage your time is to get in touch with what you really want from life. You need to get in touch with yourself and discover your vision. Remember a time earlier in your life when you felt anything was possible. What were your dreams and aims when you were that age? This could help you to get in touch with your vision.  No doubt, some priorities will have changed, but many will have remained the same.

 Also ask yourself how you would like your personal and professional life to be. And think about what is possible for you and what you can really achieve. This is your vision.

 Where are you now?

 If you followed the steps above you should be able to picture your ideal life accurately. Now comes the scary part. I want you to compare this vision of your ideal life to your life as it really is now. If you are writing all of this down, the difference between the two probably will not make for very pleasant reading.

 However, no matter how wide the gap is between your ideal reality and how you live your life now, it can be bridged. You may think of effective time management as a tool that will help you to get you to meetings on time. This is not the case. Effective time management can transform your life on a much more fundamental level.

 Achieving your ideal reality will involve little changes and big changes in your life. For example, watching less television, that is a little change. A big change might be starting up your own business. However, if you put your mind to it you could achieve either of these. You need to look at how you spend your days and plan your time with a view to achieving these goals.

 Planning your day.

 To get started you should choose two goals that are important to you, one big and one small. Once you have chosen, you should decide on one small step you can take towards achieving each of these tomorrow. If you can complete the one step towards achieving each goal then you have made an excellent start.

 In truth, this is just a first step on a long journey but the point is to show that effective time management and achieving your ideal life can be achieved and the process can be rewarding. Now you need to make sure that everything you do each day is taking you towards your goals, and that you plan in such a way that you complete all of the tasks you need to do each day.

 This is why you need a clear time plan for every day. You need to have a very clear idea of what needs to be done, how long it will take, and when it is going to be done. At the beginning it can be difficult to know how long each task will take so it may be a good idea to keep a time log for a week before starting to keep a time plan. In your time log you need to write down what you do every day and how long it takes. This will show you exactly how long different tasks and activities take. When you know how long each task will take, you can plan your day much more accurately.

 The 4 Ds of time management

 To truly manage your time effectively you have to look at the tasks that need doing and decide how to handle them. So let me introduce you to the four Ds of self-management. Which are:

 *  Do it - This can not wait and needs to be taken care of now. * Delegate it - Not the best use of your time. Pass it on to someone else. * Dump it - Not important. Forget about it. * Defer it - This needs doing but not now, so it can wait.

 You should be able to file any task that arises in your average day under one of the four Ds.

 These are just some of the basics of effective time management. If you take this process in small steps it will be much easier to incorporate the necessary changes into your life. As you continue on the journey to effective time management you will find yourself more fulfilled and with more time on your hands for the things that matter to you.