Ask yourself:
– Am I clear about my purpose?
– Is my time spent in alignment with my purpose?
– Am I organized and methodical? Do I have effective systems in place?
– Do I manage time or does time manage me?
– Do I plan and use my most productive time to do the most productive work?
Our life is made up of the time we have. It is the most precious commodity we have – once gone never to return. Time cannot be banked – once Apr 26, 2020, is gone, it will never return again!
How do we manage the most precious commodity well?
The first step is to have clarity of your purpose, goal, and role. The next step is to spend your time around the most important things you need to do to achieve your purpose and goals.
The more you involve yourself in activities that carry the greatest meaning and value for you, the greater are your chances of experiencing real growth. This may mean giving up some of the things that you are habitually involved in. By doing fewer of these nonessential activities you free up more time for the essentials. You increasingly focus on areas that are consistent with your goals, objectives, and purpose.
If you have too many priorities, you have no priorities! Some practical and inspiring tips for you to manage time well include:
• Do the most important work first thing in the morning – as the first hour goes, so goes the day!
• Don’t shuffle papers; make quick decisions. Some people look at the same paper several times because they are not decisive.
• Avoid too many interruptions. Some interruptions are necessary for doing business but you also need to carve out some uninterrupted time to get your important work done
• Delegate effectively. Be clear in your instructions when you delegate.
• Use deadlines to create results. By creating timelines you can increase your productivity.
• Do just one thing at a time, finishing it before you move to the next thing (as far as possible). Jumping from tasks to tasks makes you lose momentum and focus.
• Be decisive. “Sit, walk or run. Just don’t wobble.” Goes an old Zen saying. That’s another way of saying. “Don’t waffle; be decisive.”
• Break large tasks into smaller steps. You chew an apple one bite at a time. Breaking big tasks into smaller chunks makes the task more manageable and allows you to get going.
• Make waiting time more productive. A lot of time during the day gets wasted in ‘wait time’. Make good use of waiting time by spending it in planning or reading important material.
• Write down your goals every morning. Writing brings clarity and clarity helps focus. By writing your goals each morning you become very clear of where your focus should be.
• Eliminate clutter. Too much clutter results in a lot of wasted time looking for things. A clean desk with good filing system not only saves time but increases effectiveness.
• Emphasize results, not activities. Just because you are busy does not mean you are effective. It is not how much time you put in, but what you do achieve that matters.
•Prepare a budget of how you want to spend your time. Keep track of where your time goes; it will help you understand and manage your time well.