7 Tips For Effective Time Management

Time management is the ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work. But this is easier said than done. There are a lot of things competing for our time and attention every minute as business owners and customer service professionals.

How do you determine what activity is worth your time? How do you make the best use of your time daily? Why is it important to manage time wisely?

Have a Priority List

A priority list is a list that contains your priority items — the measurable activities that brings you closer to achieving your personal and professional goals. Therefore, get a pen and paper or a Task Manager, write out all your daily or weekly activities and divide them into varying levels of importance.

  • Urgent and important: Do first!
  • Important, not urgent: Schedule
  • Urgent not important: Delegate
  • Not urgent not important: Don’t do!

Urgent: Urgent tasks require immediate attention. For example, customer service complaints, logistics, etc.

Important: These tasks contribute to your personal or professional long-term goals. You have to determine what is important to your business or career.

Why is it important to manage our time wisely?

  1. Prevents energy waste
  2. Relieves pressure
  3. More time for other things
  4. More opportunities
  5. Leaves time for rest
  6. Goals realization

How to Manage Time Effectively

  1. Set goals correctly. Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
  2. Prioritize wisely. Set tasks based on their importance and urgency.
  3. Set a time limit to complete a task. Decide what time to allot to different tasks and be disciplined to meet your time target.
  4. Take a break between tasks to regain strength and focus.
  5. Organize yourself. Keep a schedule of your activities.
  6. Remove non-essential tasks/activities based on your priority list above. Don’t perform tasks that can be conveniently outsourced.
  7. Plan ahead. Have a to-do list.

The implication of poor time management is waste of time, energy, and other valuable resources. What more, the pressure of constant customer complaints and never meeting deadlines might adversely affect your health and productivity. Save yourself all these woes and learn time management.

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