Benefits of Time Management

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One of our contributors shares her experience with the benefits of time management

Managing time? Isn’t that like herding kittens? Well, yes and no. Obviously we all get the same 24 hours a day, no more, no less, for some indeterminate number of years, months, and days. Some of us just let the days run out, without managing them, and do just fine. Others, like me, see some value in time management.

I’m pretty busy with work, family, church, friends, and other commitments. I need to keep track of it all and time management allows me to do that. So I see several benefits.

Getting Things Done

If I use my time well, I find I can get more things done. I set priorities, so the most important things get done first. I multi-task when it’s appropriate, so I get two things done at once. And I set my goals before I go to bed and when I get up, so I have two chances to remember all the things I want to accomplish.

Feeling Good about Myself

Every time I check something off my list, or send an invoice to a publisher when a job is done, or get a check in the mail, I get a rush of satisfaction. I like that and, like any good trained rat, I will do what it takes to get more satisfaction.

Bending Instead of Breaking

You know it’s going to happen. Some crisis is going to appear and all your lists and goals and priorities get put on hold. By managing my time, I find that I am much more able to be flexible when it all falls apart. Because I don’t wait until the last minute to start a job, I can often send a client at least the parts that are done when I ask for the extension. Because I allow some wiggle room in my schedule, I can often push things off for a day or two if I have to.

Having Time for Myself

I build time for myself and my family into my schedule. There are times and days I absolutely do not work. That time is already scheduled for me and for those I love. I also schedule time for myself and for my family that is not inviolate. I can work then, if I absolutely have to, but if I don’t, we get to have more fun. This adds to my wiggle room if something goes wrong. It also creates a sense of spaciousness in my week that I really enjoy. I seldom feel rushed or hurried and that makes me easier to live with.

Sometimes I don’t bother to do my usual planning routines. This usually happens when I’m already overbooked, and I figure I don’t have time to plan. Don’t fall into this trap. You need to plan. I need to plan. Even ten minutes of planning can turn the whole day around. So, if you haven’t made a plan for today, what are you doing reading this? Make a plan!

Benefits of Time Management - contributed by Susan L.

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