Time Management


Time Management

Managing Time More Efficiently

Do you ever feel like you are getting bogged down in work? Feel like you can never get on top of things even though you try to? Do you constantly feel like the days pass you by when all you really want them to do is slow down? You are not alone!

Whether you work, attend school or juggle the two, it is sometimes tough to achieve everything you set out to do. After all, there are only so many hours in a day and so many days in a week to get everything done. Even the most organised person can sometimes find it difficult to cope and as a consequence, fall behind in their daily tasks. But there is a simple trick to overcoming this problem and that is in the form of better time management.

Effective time management is a vital skill for any individual coping in the home, work or school environment and can be achieved by following and applying these suggestions in to your daily, weekly, monthly routines.

  • Know the big picture. Set goals, think ahead and have a clear vision of the direction you want and ideally are heading towards. Having these aims in front of you will provide you with something to work towards and will be the driving force behind your work.

  • Use your time wisely and prioritize. Don't become complacent about your work or get sidetracked on projects that aren't important or pressing. Instead devote your attention and efforts into tasks that are more demanding. This can be achieved by sorting tasks in order of importance. Constantly ask yourself, what is the best use of my time? Planning your time and how it will be best used is a far better method than just wandering aimlessly through the days.

  • To Do Lists are a great and effective way of keeping check on all you have to do. These can be broken up into daily, weekly or monthly lists depending on your routine. There is nothing more satisfying than running a red line through a completed task on a to do list! These types of lists not only enable you to check the progress of your work but they can act as reminder lists as well. Which is perfect for the days when your brain is in overload!

  • Job Sharing if and where possible, try to allocate tasks to others to lessen your workload. This doesn't mean that you should just farm off all your work onto others and take the rest of the week off! But rather, ask others to assist you where they can so you can focus your attention on to other pressing tasks.

  • Complete one task before attempting to do another. No one ever got anywhere by racing to the finish line, unless you are Cathy Freeman! Take your time and put every thought and effort into your work. There is nothing more frustrating or counter-productive than attempting to complete a number of tasks at the same time, only to find you have failed to achieve anything.

  • Avoid Procrastination. Everyone is guilty of procrastinating at certain times. It may be because they are bored of the task they are working on, or their workload may seem too enormous and impossible to tackle. But the reality is that SOMEONE still has to complete the work in the end and that someone, usually ends up being YOU! Addressing situations or completing tasks as they come to hand will save you some unnecessary stress and you will be better off because of it.


- Annemarie Failla

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