time management strategies

Be disciplined with your time

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Time management tip: Review non-productive emails after hours

If you’re like most people, you volunteer for a number of non-profit organizations. That’s great. I highly recommend it. (I’m involved with the Rotary Club of New Berlin, the New Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the southeastern Wisconsin chapter of JDRF and a Milwaukee-area ham radio organization.)

Those organizations and the volunteers involved with them regularly send out emails asking for advice, help or information. I imagine you promptly respond to each message. I have. It’s difficult not to. Due to my background in customer service and sales, I tend to react to messages quickly. That’s the problem.

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Time management is all about guarding your time

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Effective time management strategies start with guarding your time If you’re like most business people, you’ve heard and read quite a bit about time management. A refresher is always useful, however. This one is brief but still helpful. First, let’s take a look at some of the most egregious time wasters. The following information comes … Read more

Time management tip: Use an agenda

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Powerful time management strategy: Use an agenda

Do you use an agenda? If not, you’re missing out a simple but powerful time management tool to make your day more efficient and productive.

If you’re like most people, you have a to do list for work. Some people list the tasks by letter with item “A” being most important, item “B” next, and so on. Others use numbers, and in descending order of importance.

One drawback is that you’re unlikely to spend quality time on each project. Reviewing the list, you instinctively tell yourself that projects A, B, and C are important (and in that order), but do you actually spend time on each?

Or, do you start on A, but fail to devote any time to the other projects? How often do you find yourself spending most of your day on your most important task, but then neglecting all the others?

The solution? Create and agenda. It is one of the more powerful time management strategies you can use. Much like you do for a meeting or conference, set an agenda for your day. Doing so will compel you to spend at least some time on each project. And as a result, you will manage your time better and enjoy a more productive day.

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