{"id":234,"date":"2021-12-02T05:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.istratus.com\/blog\/?p=234"},"modified":"2022-08-18T11:50:19","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T15:50:19","slug":"time-management-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/day-planner\/time-management-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Time Management Tips for the Busy Person"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Time Management.&nbsp; How can I manage something that I never seem to have?&nbsp; Have you ever looked at your weekly calendar on Sunday evening and cringed?&nbsp; You have work deadlines, a repair person coming, kids to get to practice, a spouse who\u2019s traveling, and, to top it off,&nbsp; your mother needs a ride to the doctor.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Have you ever gotten to the end of a week and wondered what you\u2019ve really accomplished? Or wondered if what you\u2019ve accomplished really was the most important?&nbsp; As our lives get busier and more complex, managing how we spend our precious time has become increasingly important.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>You Can\u2019t Stretch Time, But You Can Make the Most of Every Minute<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Making the most of every minute does NOT mean that you never slow down to engage in your favorite activities&#8230;or to simply relax.&nbsp; In fact, by implementing time management strategies, you can actually \u201cfind\u201d time. Not only will you use your time more efficiently and effectively at work and at home, the time you \u201cfind\u201d can be used for that extra hour of reading your favorite author or walking to the park.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Get Started With Time Management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>SELF-ASSESS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>HOW IS MY TIME MANAGEMENT NOW?<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Do I procrastinate?<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>What are my time wasters?&nbsp; (social media? office chatter?)<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>During what hours do I feel most focused and productive?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>How do I keep track of my schedule, and is it working for me?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Once you\u2019ve taken a few minutes to honestly assess your current time management, you\u2019re ready to consider the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>LIVE BY THE LIST<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>List, List, List.&nbsp; Can\u2019t be stressed enough.&nbsp; The process of making a list forces you to account for all that needs to happen on any given day.&nbsp; Plus, by writing a list, you\u2019ve effectively downloaded that information from your brain. That frees up your brain&#8217;s power to get things done.&nbsp; But, be ready to edit. List making can be tricky at first.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Make a realistic list.&nbsp; Making your list too long can set you up for disappointment and frustration.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Prioritize.&nbsp; What is truly MOST important for you to accomplish today?&nbsp; This might not necessarily be the same as what is \u201ctalking\u201d to you the most and getting your attention. Top of your list should be the MOST important item for you to complete, not someone else\u2019s priority.&nbsp; The iStratus task manager is a great way to start prioritizing your to-do list.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Commit to the list.&nbsp; We all know the unexpected happens, but consistently commit to following your list in order of importance to meet priorities most effectively.&nbsp; If you\u2019ve committed and life throws you a curveball, at least you\u2019ve worked towards the top priority first even if you can\u2019t complete it.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Write it today.&nbsp; Write your list for tomorrow at the end of your day today so you enjoy your evening with a clear head. Plus, with your list written, you\u2019ll start tomorrow with your plan of action ready and waiting.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>STOP PROCRASTINATING<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We\u2019ve all done it.&nbsp; We\u2019ve worked diligently on our To Do List.&nbsp; We\u2019ve promised to dig in right away with task #1 first thing in the morning.&nbsp; Morning comes, and task #1 seems daunting. How do I get started? How am I going to finish this?&nbsp; Then it starts.&nbsp; I\u2019ll just clear my inbox first.&nbsp; Or I\u2019ll just knock off task #4 first\u2014it\u2019s quicker. STOP. &nbsp; This is where strategy #1\u2014Live by the List\u2014can save you. &nbsp; You\u2019ve prioritized. You\u2019ve committed. Feel the power of sticking to it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If task #1 is completely overwhelming, break it into more manageable sub-tasks that you can complete more quickly.&nbsp; More quickly completing that first sub-task can provide the much-needed buzz of accomplishment to spur you on to the next sub-task.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GET HELP\u2014DELEGATION IS YOUR FRIEND<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You are focused on your task #1, but there is another task distracting you.&nbsp; Successful time management doesn\u2019t mean you must do everything yourself. Nor should you. If there is someone in your sphere capable of handling the distractor task, ask for help!&nbsp; This is not a weakness, but working smart. Perhaps your co-worker can lead that meeting. Or your child can get dinner started. To truly be productive, you should consider delegating. Delegating keeps you focused and builds capacity in others.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>MULTI-TASKING IS NOT YOUR FRIEND<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve got three balls in the air\u2014you\u2019re cranking and feeling productive.&nbsp; But are you? At first glance, multi-tasking seems like the perfect solution to an over-stuffed schedule.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>However, when your brain\u2019s focus is switching among multiple tasks, you are less able to fully attend to any one task, often sacrificing quality.&nbsp; The time your brain spends to re-focus on each task as you shift among them, actually wastes time. But even worse, over time, the brains of frequent multi-taskers often become less able to filter out distractions to truly focus on one task.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>SCHEDULE\u2014THE MUST DO\u2019S AND THE WANT TO DO\u2019S<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve got a long list of Must Do\u2019s on your schedule.&nbsp; But don\u2019t forget about those routine tasks that can eat up a big chunk of time, but never make it onto your calendar. Catching up on email, returning calls, face-time with co-workers are all sneaky time users that should be scheduled into your day like any other commitment.&nbsp; If they are scheduled, you\u2019ll be less likely to address them through multi-tasking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When you schedule tasks is also important. If you are not a morning person, tackling your #1 task first thing, when you aren\u2019t your most alert and productive, might not be the best choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With those Must Do\u2019s accounted for, you can now schedule the Want to Do\u2019s.&nbsp; Whether it\u2019s extra time at the gym, lunch with mom or a movie with your spouse, if you treat it like any other time commitment and add it to your calendar, you are more likely to make it happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>USE A MASTER CALENDAR\u2014MASTER YOUR UNIVERSE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve got your work calendar, your personal calendar, your<\/strong> kids\u2019 calendars, your spouse\u2019s calendar, and <strong>maybe a parent\u2019s calendar to consider. If you must keep it all in mind when scheduling your time, then you must keep it all in one place.&nbsp; Whatever your style&#8211;the giant chalkboard in the kitchen, a day planner, or a<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/istratus.com\/\"><strong> digital calendar tool<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u2014keeping all relevant events in one place keeps you from the annoying time suck of re-scheduling tasks later.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GET REST AND EXERCISE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With all this talk of prioritizing lists and making schedules, and your actual WORK, how can you possibly have time to get enough rest and exercise?&nbsp; The fact is, you may become an expert at time management. But, if you\u2019re chronically over-tired or rarely exercise, you still won\u2019t be as effective and efficient.&nbsp; Too little sleep chips away at your ability to focus and maintain attention on tasks to bring them to successful completion.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Regular exercise (even just 10 minutes a day) improves sleep quantity and quality and increases mental alertness. Spending time exercising can help you find time as you rest better and approach each task with more clarity and focus.&nbsp; Schedule your rest and exercise on your Must Do list!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>By practicing these eight time management strategies, you\u2019ll be well on your way to becoming your most productive (and less stressed) you.&nbsp; Plus, you\u2019ll find more time for fun and relaxation. To learn more about tools to help you in your pursuit of skillful time management, visit <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/istratus.com\/\"><strong>istratus.com<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time Management.&nbsp; How can I manage something that I never seem to have?&nbsp; Have you ever looked at your weekly calendar on Sunday evening and cringed?&nbsp; You have work deadlines, a repair person coming, kids to get to practice, a spouse who\u2019s traveling, and, to top it off,&nbsp; your mother needs a ride to the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/day-planner\/time-management-tips\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Eight Time Management Tips for the Busy Person<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-day-planner","category-time-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":489,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234\/revisions\/489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/istratus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}