Major Strategies for Time Management

Time management strategies are helpful to people in many lines of work. For instance, a legal secretary with dozens of calls to make as well as paperwork to file, benefits from prioritizing their work tasks. Alternatively, the owner of a trucking company is able to determine the whereabouts of all of their shipments due to an organized filing system in their office. Whether an individual has a lot of small projects or just one, time management strategies are crucial in getting a job done in an organized, timely fashion.

Task Listing

At times, a person may feel overwhelmed in thinking about the work he or she must complete at the office or at home. Often, the individual has only a vague idea of the projects that need attention. By making a task list, the person has a definite idea of what needs to be done. For example, while driving to work a bookstore owner may envision an immense amount of unfinished work waiting for them in their shop. Once they arrive at work, creating a task list may reveal that there are only six overall tasks that need to be done. In short, task listing allows a person to see the specific tasks that need to be accomplished.

• Smart Time Management Strategies
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Prioritization

This time management strategy is an extremely effective one. Once a person has made a task list, he or she can determine which tasks are the most pressing. For instance, the bookstore owner may prioritize setting up a display for an upcoming sale ahead of reorganizing the biography section. The owner gives the task of setting up a special display abou the city of Phoenix in preparation for local history month. A person who is prioritizing tasks may want to examine the details of each project. Prioritization helps prevent a person from expending time and energy on an insignificant task at the expense of an important one.

• A Look at Time Management
• Simple Ways to Manage Time Effectively (PDF)
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Organization

A lack of organization can be a leading cause of wasted time. After a person prioritizes his or her tasks, time needs to be put aside to complete the tasks. For instance, if returning phone calls to customers is a priority, then an adequate amount of time must be allotted for that task. Attending a meeting during the time allotted to make customer phone calls is not an effective use of time. An organized schedule means assigning the proper amount of time to each task in order to accomplish it in a thorough way.

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Flexibility

Flexibility is also an important ingredient in the effective use of time. For example, the owner of an art supply shop may give top priority to returning customer phone calls on Monday morning. In the middle of making phone calls, the owner receives a call from a supplier who is having problems filling an order for the art supply shop. In this case, the owner must be flexible in stopping their calls to customers to work out a solution with the supplier. After all, if the supplier doesn't deliver the goods to the art supply shop, then the shop owner is liable to lose new customer orders. The art supply shop owner was flexible when another issue came up and adjusted their task list.

• A Gathering of Time Management Ideas

Rewards

Once the tasks on a person's list are accomplished, a reward can reinforce the benefit of organized time management. For example, a student who completes the task of organizing items for a class presentation can reward themselves by going to a movie with a friend. Plus, they have the added reward of avoiding the stress of last-minute preparations for their presentation. A fun reward can be a great incentive to get organized.

• Managing Time

Pitfalls

Procrastination can sabotage any of the time management strategies noted above. When it comes to a task, people procrastinate for a number reasons. A person may envision a task as being unpleasant or difficult. Also, a person may be fearful of working on a particular project. For instance, a student may procrastinate in writing a speech for a public speaking class because of his or her fear of speaking in front of others. Organization and an eventual reward can help a person to overcome procrastination. Of course, the idea of just getting a project done and out of the way is another motivation to knock out procrastination.

• Steps to Avoid Procrastination (PDF)
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