Time Management 

Time management isn’t this elusive form of Black Magic that so few understand. In fact, anyone can efficiently manage their time as long as they get organized first. Without organization, it’s difficult to see just what needs to be accomplished in the day and how important each of those things are to your long-term goals.

When you get organized with your time, you not only increase your ability to manage your daily tasks effectively, but you also increase the likelihood of putting time where it really counts: towards those long-term goals that you harbor deep down inside. If you’ve never done any goal setting in the past, now is the time to get started because it’s an absolute must-have prerequisite to effective time management.

Why is goal setting so important? 

Well, goal setting is just one part in the four-part process of effective time management. However, it helps to set the playing field because if you don’t know what you’re aiming at you could go about your days spinning your wheels being repeatedly frustrated. If you want to manage your time efficiently and achieve your hopes and your dreams in the process, then you have to make sure you’re clear and concise with what you want out of life, and subsequently, your day.

1.     Make a list of the tasks you need to accomplish and assign realistic priorities to each task. 

But before you can manage your time, you need to know what it is you must manage. A list of tasks, from the mundane to the critical, will help you get a handle on what needs to get done.

• You can further prioritize tasks within this grouping by adding a decimal place. For example, a Priority 1.0 task needs to be done immediately, whereas a Priority 1.5 task simply needs to be done by the end of day.

2.    Balance your effort. 

• Work on small portions every day of work that will be due by the end of the week, starting with the most important tasks first.

• Do today's tasks. Concentrate On what is at hand, do not allow yourself to lose focus. Then move on to the next daily task. Once today's tasks are completed, mark them as such, and proceed to tomorrow's tasks.
• When tomorrow's tasks are complete, work on the other tasks due by the end of the week, and when those are complete, work on the tasks due early next week. A small portion of each is better than one huge, laborious task and will keep your time managed more efficiently and reduce stress and eliminate burn-out.
• Make one of your final daily tasks the completion of tomorrow's task list. Each day should be ended with a new task sheet for tomorrow to keep you on track.

3.    Focus on your most productive time of day. Some people work better in the morning, and some are more focused in the evening.

4.    Rewrite and prioritize your list on a regular basis.

• Add new tasks to the list. This should be done on a daily basis, especially when you are just getting started with a time management regimen.
• Eliminate or adjust tasks that are completed, or fall in priority.
• Delegate tasks to others. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to do it all. You can be much more effective if you can delegate tasks as necessary.
• Use technology to complete tasks more quickly, efficiently or accurately. Today's mobile technology features dozens, if not hundreds of apps that will help you manage—and even accomplish—your tasks efficiently.

5.    Take a break.

  Clear your mind and refresh yourself to refocus.

• Decide beforehand on a 5, 10 or 15 minute break and stick to that decision.
• Breaks provide incentive by giving you something to look forward to having.

6.    Leave time for fun.

 While there are times when we just need to power through a large project, it's important to give yourself time to let loose. Not only will it refresh your mind, it's good for your body, too. It doesn't have to be a lot of time but make sure that you do!

7.    Sleep for 7-8 hours every night. 

Getting the proper amount of sleep will help keep you alert and energetic, able to think clearly, and function at a high level. Time analysis

Monitoring your own use of time is an effective way of improving your time management. This involves logging your activities in some detail over a given period, for instance a week. You’ll have to do this anyway if you charge for your time.

Once you’ve worked out how you spend your time, analyse your activities, such as working out which activities contributed most towards achieving your goals and which can be classified as:

• urgent and important
• urgent but not important
• important
• neither urgent nor important.

You may well find you’re spending 30% of your time on unnecessary activities. This analysis will help you decide what to delegate and what to abandon.

- Be Inspired.