How often have we heard people moan that they don’t have enough time to complete all the numerous tasks that they have to do? And how often have we seen the same people wasting away hours on trivial pursuits? Yes, it is true that time and tide wait for no man, but there is a way to beat time at its own game if you’re a good manager and a better performer. Time is of the essence to anyone, more so if you’re the kind who takes on more than one role at the same time. If you’re always late or behind schedule, if you never seem to be able to find the time to do the things that absolutely must be done, here’s how you can set yourself on the path to managing time better with these time-tested tips:  

• Create more time: If you’re wise enough, you can create time out of thin air. It’s simple – all you have to do is get up 30 minutes earlier and go to bed 30 minutes later than you usually do to get a whole hour of time in which you can do so much.
• Prioritize your work: If you’re swamped with work, make a list of all that you must do that day, and then prioritize them in their order of importance. Get down to doing those tasks that cannot be delayed any longer first and tackle the rest as and when you finish the others.
• Delegate: There’s no rule that says you have to be superman or superwoman and do all your work yourself. Delegate tasks that others can do as well as you or those that don’t require your unique skills. You’d be surprised at the amount of time that’s left for you to carry out your work.
• Set a schedule: Based on the work you have for the day, set a schedule depending on the length of time each task is expected to take. Set mini deadlines for each task and one final deadline for all the day’s assignments.
• Follow the schedule: The hardest part of setting a schedule is following it, but without this part, there’s absolutely no use of setting a schedule. Focus on meeting your mini deadlines first, and if one is not met for some reason or the other, increase your speed for the next task so that you make up for lost time.
• Use every minute wisely: In order to be able to keep up and meet the deadlines you set for yourself, you must use every minute wisely and avoid wasting time.   
• Allow time for interruptions: When setting your schedule and deadlines, factor in a certain time period for distractions and interruptions that you know will eat into your time. They may be phone calls, colleagues interrupting you with a request or stopping by to say hello, or children needing attention. As long as you make time for these distractions, it’s easy to stay within your deadline.
• Identify those activities that waste your time: There are certain activities unique to each of us that make us waste precious time – I tend to wander into unrelated websites in the course of my research and linger on if I find anything that catches my interest. It’s necessary to know and be aware that this kind of deviation is mostly the reason why we don’t stay ahead of schedule and end up delaying important tasks.

Holly invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12@gmail.com.