“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” -Mark Twain
Are you like me? A procrastinator?
I have a very busy life and many plates in the air. I want to do so many other things but run out of time. I know this issue has everything to do with time management, and I tend to live on my own time.
I looked up a definition of time management, and the following is the result:
Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between different activities. Get it right, and you'll work smarter, not harder, to get more done in less time – even when time is tight, and pressures are high. The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well.
REALLY, organize and plan!! I know that is the correct process; I don’t always do it. I researched different time management programs. All sites I viewed discussed the difference between urgent and important. I liked the information I read on the following site: skillsyouneed.com/timemanagement.hthl.
The difference between urgent and important
· Urgent tasks demand immediate attention, but whether you give them the attention may or may not matter.
· Important tasks matter, and not doing them may have serious consequences for you or others.
For example:
· Answering the phone is urgent. If you don’t do it, the caller will hang up, and you won’t know why they called, which might be important. But, on the other hand, it may also be an automated voice trying to sell you something.
· Going to the dentist regularly is important. If you don’t, you may get gum disease or other problems. But it’s not urgent. If you leave it too long, however, it may become urgent because you may get a toothache
· Picking your children up from school is both urgent and important. If you are not there at the right time, they will be waiting in the playground or the classroom, worrying about where you are. You may also inconvenience others, such as teachers waiting with your children for you to arrive.
· Reading funny emails or checking Facebook is neither urgent nor important. So why is it the first thing that you do each day?
This distinction between urgent and important is the key to prioritizing your time and workload, whether at work, at home, or studying. It enables you to work out what to do first and what can be left either until later or not done at all.
Using a grid like the priority matrix below can help you to organize your tasks into their appropriate categories:
· Look at the less urgent but still important tasks. Decide what you will do about them, and then schedule a time to do them or consider delegating them to someone else.
· Delegate the urgent but easier/less important tasks.
· Now eliminate the non-urgent and non-important tasks.
· Finally, do the work. Start your “Do Now” list. When you finish it, move on to the scheduled work or tasks.
If there are more tasks that you can manage in any quadrant, it is time to a) do some, b) delegate some, or c) eliminate some. Regular pruning of your matrix will ensure you focus on what matters and keep work flowing.
It is best to use the priority matrix to review your tasks daily. Each day ask yourself:
· Which of my tasks needs to be done within the next 48 hours? – Those are ‘Urgent” tasks.
· Of the urgent tasks, which ones are more important? – It is a good idea to list your tasks in order of importance rather than giving them an absolute ‘important/not important’ distinction.
· Of the non-urgent tasks, which ones are more important? Again, list them in order rather than giving them an absolute distinction.
Now use the answers to these questions to allocate your tasks to the boxes in the priority matrix following these rules.
· Each box should contain no more than about seven or eight tasks
· Start with the “Do Now” Box
· Do not put off urgent or essential things just because they are unpleasant.
Read more at: htps://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/time-management.html I hope you read something today to help you be more productive and complete the needed tasks! Well, I am off to look at my list of things to do!
Have a great and productive day!
