How To Better Manage Your Time

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wall clockWe all have busy lives.  I know I certainly do.  Between all the different media and GWA projects I’m dealing with, maneuvering family obligations, going back to school and trying to have something that resembles a social life, time management can be quite daunting sometimes.  My day usually starts at 4:30am with some type of exercise (jogging, yoga or cycling) and whines down around 10pm.

I was never really a very organized person until I started running a business, and quickly realized that I had to learn how to manage my time and resources better.  Over the last fifteen years, I have tried different techniques that have worked well for me, and I would like to share with you.

  1. Do a time audit: I like doing a time audit at least once a month.  Write down all the activities you do on a regular basis at work, home, school etc in a chart.  Are there things you could do in less time or do you need to dedicate more time to that activity?  Are there certain activities that can be done in the evening or weekends?  Can you delegate it to someone else?  Putting your activities on paper and strategizing them will give you a better perspective of how your use your time.
  2. Create a daily to-do list: Everyday I write down a list of activities that I need to get done that day, with the most important items at the top of the list.  Again, I am better at getting things done when it is written down on paper.  It is almost like creating a contract for myself, because if I don’t do things on the list, I feel guilty at the end of the day.
  3. Do the most important activities first thing in the morning: If you have daily routines that are important for you to do, do it first thing in the morning.  This is why I do my exercises really early.  Also, while Global Wire Associates officially starts business operations at 8am ET, I like to get started on important, time-sensitive client work and administrative duties before I get deluged in phone calls and emails from clients and staff.
  4. Schedule appointments with yourself for high-priority actions: If I can’t do something in the morning, I block off time in my calendar for that activities.  Most of the time this is done for family obligations.
  5. Set reminders in the calendar: I set reminders in my calendar for when certain activities are due, like paying bills and doing client follow-up.
  6. It’s better to be early than late: I hate having to work on a close deadline; I get really stressed out and end up not doing my best work.  Instead, I strive to get projects done ahead of schedule.  No client has ever complained about a project getting done early.
  7. Don’t answer the phone at certain times: I tell my clients to only call between 8am and 7pm.  After 7pm, I turn my business phone off for the day.  Unless there is a highly unlikely emergency, it can wait until the next day.  If you allow yourself to be a slave to your phone, you will never get anything done.
  8. Block out time for emails, text, and social media: It is pretty standard today that we constantly look at our mobiles or tablets for incoming communications nonstop.  I find that I never get anything done when I am on Twitter, Facebook, the blogs and reading non-business related email and texts all day long.  I block out time to do this in the evening instead.
  9. Batch similar tasks together: If I have to update one website for a client, why not update all the client websites with that same procedure at the same time. Again, it better to do it now when you are thinking about than doing it later.
  10. Delegate your work: Are there home or work activities that you can delegate to an employee, spouse, friend or your kids? I know I do this often.  You should do this too.  With that said…
  11. It’s okay to say “no”: Sometimes you want to impress clients, or be a great friend or significant other, or do good by the people you care about in your life.  But the reality here is that there is only so much time in a day, and if you don’t have the time to do something, sometimes it is best to be honest with yourself and tell others “no.”
  12. Schedule time for breaks and interruptions: Sure, you should take a tea time and lunch because we are human and we need a break sometimes.  Also, because we are human, life happens and things can go left or right unexpectedly.  Sometimes you have to stop what you are doing to deal with a sick family member or fix a client’s problem.  We always have to be ready for life interrupted.

Sometimes even with the best of intentions, we still can’t get everything done when we need it done.  However, having a plan for dealing with time management can make life a little easier.