Time Management ...

Time management is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools, and systems working together to help you get more value out of your time with the aim of improving the quality of your life.The important point is that time management is not necessarily about getting lots of stuff done, because much more important than that is making sure that you are working on the right things, the things that truly need to be done.Smart time managers know that there is much more to do than anyone could possibly accomplish. So instead of trying to do it all, smart time managers are very picky about how they spend their time.They choose to focus and spend their time doing a few vital projects that will really make a difference, rather than spending all their time doing many trivial things that don't really matter all that much.If you become a good time manager, you’ll not only get a lot more done in less time, but you’ll feel more relaxed, focused and in control of your life.You’ll be able to use your time in a much more balanced and effective way, and you’ll be able to make time for the people and activities that you love. When you get to the end of a busy day, you’ll feel a strong sense of accomplishment from everything that you actually got done.

Remember the golden rule of time management.It's not how much time you spend but how well you use it.

• Only speak in public it achieves your own personal goals.Keep social chit-chat to a minimum.
• Say what you mean in the shortest possible time.
• Keep travelling time to a minimu.
• Concentrate and check things only once.
• Don't check people's work unnecessarily.
• Don't forget or misplace things.
• Use waiting time.
• Try to do two things at the same time.
• Don't be a slave to the TV
• Think ahead and anticipate problems.
• Use technological aids but dont;t play with them.
• Get organised.
• Do things right first time.
• Listen effectively.
• Stay cool.
• Keep your mind and body in shape.
• Remember that time is money.
• Have purpose in your life.
• Set yourself specific,realistic and challenging goals.
• Take prioritise.
• Get out of bed as soon as you wake up.

The following are examples of some of the biggest time wasters:

• Worrying about it and putting it off, which leads to indecision
• Creating inefficiency by implementing first instead of analyzing first
• Unanticipated interruptions that do not pay off
• Procrastinating
• Making unrealistic time estimates
• Unnecessary errors (not enough time to do it right, but enough time to do it over)
• Crisis management
• Poor organization
• Ineffective meetings
• Micro-managing by failing to let others perform and grow
• Doing urgent rather than important tasks
• Poor planning and lack of contingency plans
• Failing to delegate
• Lacking priorities, standards, policies, and procedures

The following are examples of time savers:

• Managing the decision making process, not the decisions.
• Concentrating on doing only one task at a time.
• Establishing daily, short-term, mid-term, and long-term priorities.
• Handling correspondence expeditiously with quick, short letters and memos.
• Throwing unneeded things away.
• Establishing personal deadlines and ones for the organization.
• Not wasting other people's time.
• Ensuring all meetings have a purpose, time limit, and include only essential people.
• Getting rid of busywork.
• Maintaining accurate calendars; abide by them.
• Knowing when to stop a task, policy, or procedure.
• Delegating everything possible and empowering subordinates.
• Keeping things simple.
• Ensuring time is set aside to accomplish high priority tasks.
• Setting aside time for reflection.
• Using checklists and To-Do lists.
• Adjusting priorities as a result of new tasks.