10 Ways to Create More Time

Since gaining more money or more staff may be out of your control, focus on gaining more time--creating better ways to allocate the time you already have. These 10 guidelines will help you better manage your time:

1. Keep a log. In order to manage your time, you must first know how you spend it. Keep a log for a week to identify the ways you use your time.



2. Recognise your "prime time." Identify your best time and use it to carry out your most important or difficult tasks.



3. Do tomorrow's planning tonight. This allows you to start off working first thing the next morning without having to decide what to do first.



4. Ask yourself "Why am I doing what I'm doing right now?" Asking yourself this question can help you refocus your attention where it's most beneficial.



5. Handle each piece of paper once. This can be a difficult habit to get into, but it can save you a lot of time.



6. Plan your work, then work your plan. Don't spend your time making a plan unless you actually intend to put it to use.



7. Delegate whenever possible. Don't fall into the trap of feeling you have to do everything since no one else can do it as well as you do. Not only is this not true, you're causing yourself additional stress by trying to do it all.



8. Delegate wisely. It's poor planning--and unfair to your employees--to delegate tasks to them that they don't have the skills, time, authority or resources to do.



9. Identify your high pay-off items. Spend most of your time and energy on those items with the biggest return.



10. Concentrate on results, not on being busy. While you may work hard and go home exhausted after a long day at work, at the end of the day, consider what you actually accomplished.

SkillPath offers a wide variety of courses on topics important to you. To gain more valuable insights, train with us! See our list of upcoming programmes to find one in your area and enrol today!

Read more articles in the eNewsletter archives...