5 Time Management Skills

There are those days where you wish you could add an hour, two, or extra twelve to a day. No matter what, there always seem to be another task to do. Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "Either you run the day, or the day runs you." The sentiment of being controlled by this entity called The Day is felt too often either by myself or heard from others. Nonetheless, here are some ways to take back the day and not be run by it.

1. Write Out a To-Do List

It can be a sticky note or a note on your app. The important thing is to externalize that task rather than keep it in your head. I've seen that experience in the office or at home when that person walks back and forth, pauses, and then tries to remember what task they were doing. IT is by physically writing out your tasks you have a frame of reference and allows your brain to not have to remember one more thing.

2. Prioritize Your To-Do

So that list is right in front of you, now what? The next way to better help manage your time is to go through each task and label them in the order that is most important starting at 1 to least important. This allows you to see what tasks need to get done the most. Once that task is done. Take a big marker and draw a line through it. This will allow you to see that you have made progress in your day. 

3. Minimize Distractions

It is here, there, and everywhere....distractions. When managing your time and working on a task remember to minimize your distractions. Some examples could be turning off your TV while doing work, putting your phone in the other room while doing laundry, or even moving a project out of sight that is not a top priority at that time. The point is to be able to focus on the task at hand so it can be done efficiently with little distractions in order to do it in the least amount of time.

4. Be willing to say "No"

This can be a hard principle to practice. Just remember that saying No means you are also saying Yes to something else.

For example: I may say No to leading that club/meeting, but during that same time I am able ti say Yes because during that time I will be able to spend time with my children.

Just remember that you have your top priorities for the day but also in life. Make sue that you are saying Yes to those top life priorities (E.g. God, Marriage, Family). 

5.Delegate

If you have too much on your plate, it may be time to delegate. Now for those who like to be in control this will be a hard thing to do, but it will be necessary in order to keep your sanity. It could be as simple as asking your spouse/family member to help with laundry, ask a friend to lead the small group, or asking a colleague to take on a couple more clients. The art of delegation can and will save you time and sanity. 

The great thing about writing is that this is just the start of the discussion. How do you manage your time.? Do you have any additional tips to manage time more effectively? Feel free to comment below.