It seems that we never have enough time to do all of the things we want to do. Well, stop wanting and start managing! The 24-hour day has gotten us through our lives so far and, if we manage that time well, it will continue to get us through. There are several factors to do it successfully. Let's do some analysis.

The first thing to do is get organized. Just like anything, the clearer the picture you have of a task, the easier it is to accomplish. You can begin by making a list of short-term and long-term goals, prioritize them, and break them down into workable steps. The more specific you are in breaking down your goals, the easier they are to accomplish.

Once your goals are in place, keep a daily planner to keep you on track for both long and short-term goals. Make sure there are small and large tasks on your list. This 'to-do' list should be handy at all times. When you are at a standstill in your day, reference it to keep you on track. As you work with your daily planner, check things off as you do them. You will be amazed at the sense of accomplishment you feel as you chip away at them. You will get new ideas and reschedule yourself often; this is good, but make sure that you adjust your goals accordingly.

If you find that you are having trouble accomplishing the goals of your daily planner, consider rescheduling the time of day you are doing things. Determine the best times of the day to achieve specific tasks. For example, do the most grueling tasks in the morning so they don't haunt you and draw your focus away from other tasks. Save the more fun things for the time of day when you have a tendency to slow down, for example, after lunch. If you still have trouble staying on track, you need to rethink your goals, they are obviously not motivating you.

The decision to 'put off until tomorrow' can be destructive to time management. Too often this results in putting out fires and backtracking rather than moving forward positively. Try my "just one more thing" practice. When you have done everything on that you can do on your list for the day, do just one more.

Finally, don't use personal time for business goals or business time for personal goals, keep yourself on an even keel. If you are making progress in both areas, your focus will be better focus for each and you will avoid the "I should be…" state of mind that can throw you off track.

Improving your time management skills can make significant differences in your life. In your old age, you won't be one of those people saying "I wish I would have…". Good luck and happy organizing!

by Sally Meier