If you find yourself wishing that there was more time in the day, you might want to make time management your New Year’s resolution!
Plan Ahead
One of the best ways to manage your time is to plan out your day ahead of time. This will allow you to focus on what needs to be done throughout the day and help you stay focused. It’s a great idea to plan ahead the night before you leave for work, you can spend the last 15 minutes of work organizing your office and composing a list of important tasks for the next day. If you work better in the morning, write down the 3 or 4 most important tasks that need to be addressed for the day.
Write Things Down
Making a to-do list might seem simple, but most people just don’t have one. You may have a collection of scraps of paper scattered about, Post-it Notes stuck to your computer or random scribbles in a notebook, but not a single organized list of everything you need to do all in one place. If you prefer making your to-do list online as opposed to paper, there are tons of great online tools you can use! Google Calendar is a place where you can set reminders and organize all your tasks and events in one place. Monday is another great resource that allows you to manage your tasks and even assign priority!
Prioritize Your Tasks
Determine which projects are urgent. Urgency can mean meeting a tight deadline or complying with a request from a client. It can also mean correcting a mistake before it becomes worse. Try to consider why some tasks are urgent and do what you can to reduce or avoid the pressure of urgency where possible.
Avoid Online Distractions
Social media, news, weather, shopping, and email have the potential to zap minutes, if not hours, from your workday. This year try eliminating easy access to “procrastination sites” by deleting desktop shortcuts. Logging out of these sites will also require you to enter a password for access. These steps may not prevent you from spending work time at non-work websites, but they may make you more aware of how you squander your time—and how often. Why not make this the year you find more time?
Use these time management tips to keep yourself more organized in the New Year. Make sure to revisit your time management to evaluate the changes. How well are you doing at the end of February? March? Determine which techniques are working well for you and then you can use them in your everyday routine!
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