• Learn to plan and get organized.  Disorganization leads to more time looking for things, trying to remember things, and just plain forgetting about things.  This leads to wasted time and usually bad consequences.  Spending the extra time to get organized and stay organized is more than paid back in your productivity. 

  You need to make planning a part of your day if it is not already.  A lot of people plan their work day, but when they get home they “play it by ear.”  Planning allows you to get more done during the day.  How many times have you thought about wanting to pick something up at the store, only to get home after shopping and remember you didn’t get that very thing?  You may have bought some things you did not intend to get, but you still forgot that one other important thing.

• Set achievable goals.  Setting goals is a form of planning, helping you visualize the task, which is the first step towards completing it.  Setting goals that are too lofty sets you up for failure.  It is fine to use that same grand goal as a long-term goal, but be sure to have intermediate or short-term goals that are attainable.  Also, it is important to make sure the goals are challenging — you won’t get satisfaction from completing a goal that is too easy.
• Schedule tasks in a calendar.  Putting your tasks on a calendar helps make them more real to you, as opposed to just an idea in your head.  More importantly, it helps you not to forget them.  Scheduling tasks begins the process of completing them.  It is part of the planning process and will help you on your way to success for that goal.
• It is OK to say “No.”  Saying no to people is important in time management.  How many times do we do something we are asked, even though it is the last thing in the world we want to be doing?  We don’t want to hurt people’s feelings, so we go along with it.  Meanwhile, whatever we had originally planned to do gets pushed off or, worse yet, forgotten.  You need to learn to tactfully say no, and explain why without making up lame excuses.  The other option is to ask them if you can do it another time, and you can actually plan on it in advance.
• Create a “To Do” list and prioritize your tasks.  Along with scheduling your tasks, it is a good idea to create a to-do list of urgent items or tasks you would like to complete.  You should prioritize this list with the most urgent things first.  Of the most urgent things, you should have the most difficult one first.  This will keep you from procrastinating and will give you a feeling of accomplishment knowing you got the most difficult, most urgent task done.  Also, when you first tackle the list you will be freshest, which will help ensure your success in completing the most urgent tasks.
• Multitask when you can.  Multitasking, or doing more than one task at one time, is a great way to be more efficient.  It is best if these tasks are not mentally demanding and can be done without really thinking about them.  Another good type of task to include is one that can be started and left unattended while the others are completed.  Multitasking should be incorporated into your planning process and when creating your to-do list.  Make a note of which tasks can be completed at the same time.  Make sure it’s not crucial to do them precisely, since your attention is divided.
• Avoid procrastination, indecision, and being a perfectionist.  These areas are lumped together because they are related.  Procrastination is one of the biggest obstacles to efficient time management.  We procrastinate because we are lazy, the task seems too daunting, we are tired, or we want the project to be so perfect that we end up not doing anything, so we just think about it.  If you are a procrastinator, you need to get into the habit of making lists and sticking to them.  Writing projects down helps clarify the task at hand and keeps you to a schedule.

  For those who are always indecisive, you need to remember that making a decision is usually better than doing nothing.  Making a mistake is OK, and even generates wisdom.

  A perfectionist will waste endless time getting the details right.  Even though the initial work was sufficient to complete the task, he or she will waste time waffling back and forth and here and there.  You need to learn to make a decision, do it, and be happy with the outcome.  As long as you did your best, walk away with confidence.  If you did your best and failed, analyze where you went wrong, make a mental note, and move on.  It sounds easier than it is, but with each task you complete this way, it will get easier.

  All three of these time-management roadblocks are related in the planning process.  Some people will procrastinate longer than it takes to actually complete the task.  They confuse planning and procrastinating.  Indecisive people change their plans so many times, the planning process becomes lengthier than the task.  Finally, the perfectionist takes too long in the planning process because they have an unrealistic end result in their head and will keep planning until it seems unattainable.  Putting off a task until the last minute can result in partial completion, a lesser-quality result, or not completing the task at all.

• Know your objectives.  Knowing the outcome of your task is an important part of the planning process.  It is easier to complete if you know ahead of time what you want completed instead of “winging it.”
• Reduce stress and fatigue.   All the planning in the world will not matter if you are tired and stressed, when all tasks seem more daunting and you begin to procrastinate. Take into account your own personality.  If you are not a “morning person,” you may not want to schedule as much at the beginning of the day.  If you are a “night person,” you might want to schedule the more mentally demanding tasks in the evening.  Try different things to see what works best for you.
• Be flexible throughout your day.  Flexibility needs to be built in to your daily schedule, because unexpected projects will come up during your day and throw off your schedule.  If too much is planned that day, the surprises will not only mess up that day, but could alter the following days as well due to the necessity of rescheduling tasks.  Allow plenty of time to complete your tasks, but not so much that very little is actually completed that day.  This may take some trial and error to see what works for you.
• Effectiveness vs. Efficiency.  Time management is about a balance between quality and quantity.  Doing a task the right way is being effective.  Identifying what is the right way to do a task is being efficient.  It is a fine line but an important one.  You should concern yourself first with the best way to do something and then with doing it right.  This may not seem correct, but if you only concerned yourself with doing it right, you may not choose the most efficient way to get there.  You want to identify the best path first and then do it.  Time management is about efficiency.
• Reward yourself when a task is done.  This last step is an important part of the process.  You need to recognize and reward your progress.  Having a sense of accomplishment will help propel you to finish the other tasks.  Have a reward in mind ahead of time, and be sure to follow through with it.  A good example might be if you finish task a, b, and c, you will watch TV for an hour.  The reward should fit the difficulty of the task.  It will help drive you to completion so you are successful.

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