I NEED MORE TIME!

By: Renita L. Russell

Since more time isn’t coming let’s learn how to spend the time that we do have in order to increase our productivity and reduce our stress.

There’s Only 24 Hours

1. Figure out where you are actually wasting your time. Many of us think we are working hard, but often times we get caught in little distractions that end up taking all of our time.

Nobody wants time to run out before the work is done.

Time Inventory

Take a day or even a week to record your daily activities.

Write down how much time you spend doing tasks.

DO NOT count preparing for a task as doing a task.

Write down how much time you spend checking email, facebook, texting, making calls. Even if these are work related they can stand in the way of your productivity.

2. Once you know what eats away at your time set goals to stop them. It may be hard to stop them all at once so start with maybe stopping one a week.

Set attainable time management goals.

3. From software to a day planner, find something that helps you plan out your time.

There are tools available to help.

4. Not everything on your To Do List needs to be done right away. Take the time to prioritize.

Seriously, does that have to be done now?

What’s Important?

What needs to be done and will take the most time to complete? Designate time to complete portions of the project each day instead of neglecting other duties.

What needs to be done and can be done quickly? Those items can be saved for the end of the day.

Be prepared for the unexpected!

5. Allocate an amount of time for each task and stick to it. It’s easy to stuck on a task and not complete anything else.

Set time limits and stick to them.

Resources

Malmsio, H. M. (2010, February 9). Time Management - Fun Games. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Time- Management- - - Fun- Games&id=3728967 S, S. (2010, February 9).

Procrastination - There's Always Tomorrow Till Deadline. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Procrastination- - - Theres- Always- Tomorrow- Till- Deadline&id=3731739