Being a Better Manager of Your Time

 

Every day you hear people complain about the need for better time management, and when you take a close look at any one of these people, they clearly have habits (or ways of being) that are enormous time wasters. For instance, there are:

The Daydreamers: Daydreamers spend a good portion of their day wishing they had more time to do "fun" things. They tend to put off big tasks by performing smaller, more mundane items while they daydream and wish their time away. Then they end up working all night or on the weekends to meet deadlines.

The Optimists: The optimist is always underestimating the amount of time it will take to accomplish something, resulting in their constantly being over scheduled!

The Bobble Head Dolls: The bobble head doll is a compulsive "yes" person who says "yes" to everything! They don't know how to say "no" or they are afraid to say "no". Either way, the result is the same. They have more things piled on their plate than any one human-being can possibly accomplish!

The Perfectionists: The perfectionist crosses every "t" and dots every "i" nearly to a fault. While I advocate doing things right the first time, if you nit-pick, or if nothing is perfect unless it is done by you (or directed by you), your perfectionism is getting in the way of the time you have to do and have everything you say you want to do and have!

The Socialites: The socialite takes their need to connect with human-beings to an art form. While being "related" is a good thing, in and of itself, it is be a detriment when it gets in the way of the tasks at hand.

The Firefighters: The firefighter is always in a rush. Even when life and business is good, they are constantly frantic, and their forehead is bunched up in knots. Everything is a crisis... even if it isn't, and their franticness ends up draining a great deal of their time. They have simply forgotten how to slow down!

Do you see yourself in any one of these types of people?

You may actually see a bit of yourself in each one of these. Some days it may be your perfectionism that gets in the way of using time wisely, and the next day it may be daydreaming that stymies your progress.
The good news is that no matter which category you fit into, the tips for making the best of your time, and being better at time management, are all the same!

 

Related: 7 Time Management Tips That Actually Work

 

Tips for Better Time Management:

Take 10, 20, 30 minutes at the end of each day to put your plan for the next day down on paper.

Highlight the most important 3 or 4 tasks to be completed and do those tasks first. Don't allow yourself to get so bogged down in the "little" things that creep up that you run out of time for the "big" things.

Learn to say "no"

Before you say "yes" to anything, always check your own schedule and that of your family!

Be clear about your priorities; know what you want and what you don't want.

Stay organized; keeping the space around you organized will help to keep your head organized!

Take time for you!

Remember, being a better manager of your time isn't just about how to fit more into one day. It is about enjoying the time you have on this planet. It is about making the most out of the time you have so that you have time to sit back, relax and enjoy this crazy ride we call life! Our day is made up of 86,400 seconds... each one a moment in time that we can't ever recreate. Each one is unique and each one is valuable. So don't forget to make the most of those moments... to enjoy those moments... to enjoy your life.

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Clay Nelson has been coaching executives for over 30 years. Coaching from the core fact that growing people is the key to growing any business, Clay has helped countless business executives and their teams come together to not just improve their businesses, but to improve their lives.
Clay Nelson is also a well-regarded motivational and educational speaker, providing outstanding programs customized to the audiences he is speaking with. Able to speak on any number of topics within his noted specialties, Clay Nelson is known for moving audiences from the status quo to action as they create the businesses and lives they say they want to have.
For more information go to: http://www.claynelsonlifebalance.com