Job Success
Time Management
Learn to manage time effectively
Take out your "How Do I Spend My Time?" results. Follow these steps to learn to manage your time more effectively:
- Using a clean sheet of paper, list your tasks.
- Estimate how much time it takes to complete each task.
- Eliminate unnecessary tasks from your list, drawing a line through each. (Are you doing these tasks because you must or because you feel you should?) Notify others if necessary, explaining that you're currently too overwhelmed. You've already freed up a significant amount of time.
- Delegate some tasks to others. Are there tasks your spouse, children, or coworkers could be doing? Put a check mark next to tasks you'll delegate, or pass along, to others. Write name(s) next to each task. Successful delegation takes some finesse.
- Prioritize your tasks by numbering them in order of importance. If you have difficulty establishing what's most important, ask yourself what's necessary to fulfill your basic needs, what's necessary to be successful at work, and whether you have any deadlines to meet. If so, write them next to the appropriate tasks.
