There are several things to consider in time management. This is a food for thought blog to help you to learn how to manage your time better to live a more rewarding and more simple life.
1. Self indulgence awareness
2. Discipline
3. Priorities
4. Short term vs long term
5. Systems
6. Learning to become happy with being lazy
7. Delegation and control
8. Automation
9. 3 filing trays
10. Saying no, not now, never, and reviews.
So starting with number 1. The first thing we must realize is that we often indulge ourselves with time wasting
and that is allowed, unless there are things we need to do or should be doing.
I play this whilst talking on Skype – no loss of time – but I feel my life is more fun.
So the lesson here is to be aware of time passing through us. Everyone needs slack in their day, we cannot always be doing something we should be doing. The big lesson is to feel and find that balance between fun, family, finance, future, and fitness. (the five f’s)
As you feel that balance between the five f’s … start to be disciplined. Decide to become the best disciple of your future actions.
Number 2. Discipline :- Start by using lists, more in https://simonhamer.wordpress.com/2013/11/07/how-to-create-the-ideal-work-life-balance-post-1-keeping-lists/
and start to decide to keep records of what you need to do, now, later or not at all. Skip to 9. The 3 filing trays for more information.
Image from http://ideaspotters.blogspot.com
On to Number 3. Priorities
What are your priorities?
I fully accept they differ from person to person and you must acknowledge that these change with your age, race, gender, religion, politics and ability.
At age 15, I only had one priority. Aged 21, I finally learned another.
At age 26, I changed my priorities completely. (just smiled at this priority created nearly 30 years ago)
My point? Acknowledge that your priorities change and learn to manage your time to allow for the changes in your life, and those in your life may decide some of your most demanding priorities.
Number 4. Short term vs long term
As you manage your life remember that your life will change and that you should concentrate on all the times in your life, now, soon to come and the long term future. If you never plan forward for the long term, it may be too late to sort it out when the long term becomes the present. So one thing to throw in here, is learn how to take on help to quickly make hard decisions with advice from great mentors and advisers. Schedule meetings into your time management with professionals for things like wills, financial reviews, health checks, estate planning, school fees, university visits, and often over looked in these debt ridden times full car services.
Number 5. Systems
Lists obviously.
Some thoughts for your systems … not for me to lecture you here … but here are some thoughts to consider from a person who in my life, who had these things totally mastered.
Dad used to record all manner of things, but regularly he would review these, and decide which needed further time.
Notes in diaries, folders for projects, thoughts on scraps of paper filed within drawers and labelled.
In his last few years Dad’s meticulous records meant that everything was easy to find, easy to trace, it took Dad so much time to do it, but Dad’s priority was by then to make it so easy for the family to sort out his affairs when his time came to leave this earth. Make your decisions based upon your life.
Number 6. Learning to be happy with being lazy
Get ready, if you create real balance in your time management, you could find that your life need no longer be frenzied, over run, or pressured. http://files.sharenator.com/634081777606341745_Lazy_Definition_of_laziness-s800x600-57671-580.jpg
There is a tendency to look for things to do or just crash back into old time absorbing habits when life becomes simpler.
Here’s an example of time management from our household that saves hours.
We all have some of these (“your men”) as we call them, these are the washing machine, the slow cooker, tumble dryer, and some are lucky enough to have a dish washer. The trick here is to set these going before you do other tasks. They will be doing your jobs for you whilst you do something else you feel you need to do. Next trick, take a hard look at your appliances, can you make them do more with less time. A lot of time people are stuck in time wasting habits, because they rush to get everything done, but with a few quick reviews they can save hours. Our dishwasher does the pots on quick in 30 minutes, as opposed to 140 minutes on Eco setting.
Even if you have to do some of the pots twice you are saving time overall.
Number 7. Delegation and control
If you are intending to be a successful executive, how much time could you save by delegating tasks to others, that you can effectively control by checking their actions later. On to another list, to check on later when the action should be completed. I’m sure can think of loads of these, great examples are appointment keeping, bookkeeping, collation of facts, documents, research, deletion of emails that you have no need to see, forwarding emails to others to deal with that are below your pay grade.
Number 8. Automation
Receipts, invoicing, direct debits, list of responses to the same issue .. click button response.
Many things can be automated, and just require adding to a list to be reviewed later to ensure they are completed.
Number 9. The 3 Filing Trays
As paper, or tasks arrive, they fall into three categories …
1. Do it now, or delegate immediately. List them, then decide which needs your time first. Try to delegate everything you can immediately, they can then be “your men” working on the tasks you have decided do not need to done by you, but someone does need to do them.
2. Projects and may be needed later (label up and file) Put on lists for later action.
3. Not needed, just bin it.
Number 10. No, not now, never and reviews
Learn to say no, not now, or never to things that are going to clutter your life with excessive absorption of your time, that do not come on to your list of priorities.
Put on your list to review your systems, actions and most importantly your priorities.
Good luck
See you soon
Simon Hamer
Simon Hamer 