ALT-6 Time Management Strategies
Time management is a necessity of our technologically advanced era. If you have different interests, people, responsibilities, and events vying for your attention, it's tough to make it all happen as frequently or as fast as you'd like, even with calendars and phones at your fingertips. When you add family care, home and vehicle maintenance, grocery shopping, health concerns, eating, sleeping, exercise, and other daily activities to this list, you have one extremely full schedule. Consider working out a strategy so you can reach your goals expeditiously and with as little stress as possible.
Professional satisfaction
For many, the biggest chunk of time is spent at the job. Working at a disappointing day job is a nuisance, plain and simple. Today's modern employee is expected to devote at least 40 hours a week to the job, whether or not he or she deems it worthy of his or her time.
According to a January 2007 survey from Harris Interactive, Inc., 20% of workers feel "very passionate" about their jobs. This basically says that only one out of five of us care enough to put forth our very best effort.
Imagine how much more efficient and friendly our private and governmental workforces would be if we were all paid for doing the activities we truly enjoyed, instead working the jobs we merely tolerate. Many workplaces do offer flextime, overtime, time off, and cash bonuses, but sometimes all the benefits in the world will not help if we are working a job that, deep down, really does not satisfy.
Therefore, even though many of us give our jobs their due attention and effort, others of us would much prefer to earn our income at a job or entrepreneurial venture that we actually enjoy; we know that we'd be more productive, well-rested, and much happier.
Personal projects
It seems that one personal project or another always gets pushed to the bottom of the list, there to wait for days, weeks, or even months until we, with a proverbial machete in our fist, hack our way through the overgrown jungle of our lives to reach it. We feel a bit guilty, so we devote lots of time and energy to this previously ignored project. Meanwhile, the fast-growing foliage continues, limiting our time before we remember another needy project. It's a vicious cycle.
Exactly what types of projects do we leave by the wayside? The list is endless: writing a novel, starting a home-based business, creating a web site, buying a new appliance, going on more dates, traveling to Aruba, finishing the basement, taking a cooking class, etc. Every person will have a different priority.
Some actually find themselves enjoying a new project or pastime so much that they don't make enough time for a previous hobby that they still love. The problem then becomes finding a reasonable balance of time to be able to enjoy both, and yet still meet the daily responsibilities listed above.
Strategy: Prioritize necessities and luxuries
The "needs" and the "wants" are both vital, but even within these two classifications, our activities should be prioritized by importance and frequency. For instance, grocery shopping and car maintenance are both necessities, but we'll need to eat breakfast more often than we'll need to visit to Jiffy Lube.
With the "wants," your priorities become much more personalized, for luxuries are usually not as time-sensitive as necessities. Maybe you and a friend discover that there's a concert and a ball game on the same evening, but your friend is totally ambivalent, leaving you to make the choice. Neither is truly necessary, so your decision will be based on how you want to spend your time.
Naturally, time-sensitive projects are important and should be at or near the top of your list. This is also true for promises that you've made, to yourself as well as to others. If your schedule changes, give the changes (i.e. due date, proposed results, participants, location, cancellation, etc.) to others who need to know. No one likes to be left in the dark.
Strategy: List your priorities
Making a "To Do" list, even if it only contains one item, is actually a good way to kick-start a prioritization mind set. You have more chance of remembering something just from the small effort of writing it down. If you are the "plugged in" type, send yourself a message (text, email, voice, etc.) from work to home or wherever you can take action. Remember, though, that you must follow through when you see/hear the message later. Do not procrastinate!
Whether you admit it or not, you know yourself better than anyone else knows you. Therefore, you know best what process will successfully help your brain prioritize the diverse areas of your life. You can get so much more done with a little reminder now and then.
