Too often people are overwhelmed doing non-productive work and never find the time to do the things that will make a difference and help them achieve their goals. Time management is the broad term for the systems used for planning and prioritizing activities.
Christine St. Vil, founder of Purpose Driven Media, defines time management as “the process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities.”
Conscious is the operative word.
“The purpose of time management is to help people succeed,” said LaQuasha Johnson, an electrical and systems engineer. It allows you to “assess what is important to you” and choose activities based on that criteria.
According to Belinda Moses, director, Spirit of Excellence Professionals, “we need to be more realistic with time.”
This means being aware of how we spend time and what can be accomplished during the hours not devoted to sleeping, eating, family, work, and other activities.
The process of time management involves goal setting, prioritizing activities, and taking action.
Goal Setting
The first step in goal setting is to figure out what you want to achieve. Second is to break that goal into smaller projects. Third, develop monthly, weekly, and daily plans that will get you closer to achieving your goals. And fourth, be flexible.
Life happens and things will occur that are outside of your control. As a result you will get off track. It’s not the end of the world.
Take a breath and get back on track.
Bonus tip 2: Set a date for each action step. It helps to hold you accountable, and you are more likely to achieve the goal or make considerable progress towards your goal as a result.
Bonus tip 3: Celebrate your successes along the way, whether big or small. It makes it easier to stay focused and accomplish your goals.
Bonus tip 4: Write down your lessons. If something went well, write it down so you can do it again.
And if something didn’t go well, write it down and figure out where you went wrong.
Prioritizing Activities
Note: The Urgent-Important and Not Urgent- Important activities are activities you need to do. While the Not Important- Urgent and Not Important-Not Urgent are activities that can be delegated or taken off your to-do list.
No is your most important weapon in time management. Moses makes an important observation, “People don’t value your time like you value your time.”
When you learn to say no, you have a simple and effective tool for dealing with distractions and staying focused on your priorities. St. Vil adds, “No is a complete sentence. You don’t need to explain yourself.”
Taking Action
All the planning in the world is worthless unless you follow through. Your daily, weekly, and monthly actions lead to your smaller projects being completed. As you repeat the process you move closer to accomplishing your goals.
Get an accountability partner
This person needs to be firm and call you out when you’re veering off course. But they also need to be supportive to help get you back on the path. Remember:
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