15 Time Management Tips
Here are 15 time management tips to help you better utilize your time. Time is a resource everyone has exactly the same amount of, however not everyone gets as much out of their time. Being a good steward of the time God has given us is important. Effective leaders know how to prioritize and maximize their time . “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 NKJV)
The following 15 time management tips can help you “number your days”, hours, and minutes more effectively. They will help you get more out of your time:
1. Write things down
One of the biggest time management mistakes is to try to rely on your memory to keep track of everything. Get in the habit of writing things down and creating some kind of to-do list. This will immediately make you more efficient and help keep project and tasks better organized.
2. Prioritize your list
Putting your to-do list in order of importance helps you focus on the things that are important and will produce the greatest return. Simply go through your list and rate them from 1-10.
3. Plan each day and week
At the end of each day plan your schedule for the next day and at the end of each week plan your schedule for the next week. Taking a few minutes to schedule your day and week will increase your productivity and help you become better organized.
4. Create margin in your schedule
Don’t pack things too close together. Leave yourself a buffer to be able to handle the unexpected. Life is filled with unplanned events. It can be the result of your own actions or someone else. Margin in your schedule allows you to take advantage of opportunities and handle challenges.
5. Eliminate the things that waste time. What takes you away from the important tasks and projects? The best time management tip is not how to cram more stuff in your schedule, but how to eliminate none productive time wasters. What are the interruptions and distractions that cause you to lose time? Checking email? Watching tv? Running errands? Shuffling the same papers back and forth? Internet surfing? Back tracking? You probably aren’t going to completely eliminate these, but if learn to better control time spent in theses areas you will make better use of your time.
6. Learn to say no.
Many people become overloaded with too much work because they over commit; they say yes when they really should be saying no. Learn to say no to low priority requests and you will free up time to spend on things that are more important.
7. Delegate If there are things that can be better done by others or things that are not so important, consider delegating. This takes a load off and you can focus on the important things you need do.
8. Use a time management system
Using some sort of system that can help you keep track of everything that you need to do, organize and prioritize your work, and develop sound plans to complete it. There are several free systems via the internet. An integrated system that can help tie everything together can be a great asset.
9. Identify bad habits and eliminate them
Make a list of bad habits that are stealing your time and undermining achieving your goals, and blocking your success. Now begin to systematically one at a time eliminate them. The best way to change a bad habit, is to replace it with a good habit.
10. Break big tasks into little ones
They say the hardest thing to do is “get started”. Often when facing what may seem like an overwhelming list of thing to do or some major project we can waste a lot time just trying to get started. Break them down into smaller lists and then tackle them one by one. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
11. Don’t do other people’s work
Are you in the habit of doing other people’s work because or a ‘hero’ mentality? Doing this takes up time that you may not have. Instead, focus on your own projects and goals, learn to delegate effectively, and teach others how to do their own work.
12. Get organized.
Being organized can help reduce the time spent looking for items and can help keep you on track when implementing agendas.
13. Don’t be a perfectionist
Some tasks don’t require your best effort. Sending a short email to a colleague, for example, shouldn’t take any more than a few minutes. Learn to distinguish between tasks that deserve to be done excellently and tasks that just need to be done.
14. Avoid “efficiency traps”
Being efficient doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being productive. Avoid taking on tasks that you can do with efficiency that really don’t need to be done at all. Just because you are busy and getting things done doesn’t mean you are actually accomplishing anything significant. Being “busy” does not necessarily equate to being productive.
15. Inquire of the Lord
The last tip which should be the first thing we do – ask the Lord for His help. Psalms 37:3 tells us, “the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.” If we only take the steps directed by the Lord we will be doing the right thing at the right time in the right place. In other words we will be managing our time its best use.
The time we have is very precious, lets use it wisely to the glory of God. It is extremely important that we plan and organize the best we can, but we should also be flexible in those plans and allow the Holy Spirit lead us. As you make decisions about how you manage your time remember to keep the things that matter in the long run at the top of your list. “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand.” – Psalm 31:14-15, ESV