Effective Time Management Methods You Can Apply in Your Life

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Time management is a perennial quest for me, and sometimes I fail.

Today I got nothing done.

Well, I did take a nap and go to a meeting, but the things that pay the bills are still lurking somewhere in my office.

Why?

Because I forgot everything I know about time and life management.

Effective Time Management Methods

I started my day in a bit of a tiff. I’d been up late working, I slept in too late, my spouse wouldn’t return my phone calls. My emotions got in my way, and I went on autopilot. Never a good plan for me. I lost sight of my priorities and did the wrong things.

Generally, I take a few minutes at the beginning of the day to review what needs to be done and prioritize my work. But when my emotional life gets in the way, or when I’m tired, I tend to just flounder around. That tells me three things: I need to get enough sleep, I need to work on keeping my feelings out of my office, and I need to remember how important those few minutes of prioritizing really are.

2. Evaluating Other’s Roles

A family member has been trying to do something necessary for the common good and was very frustrated with it. It happens to be something I’m really good at and enjoy doing.

So I sat her down and offered her a deal.

I’d do the thing that was making her insane, if she’d take over some household chores so I’d have time to do her job. Her sigh of relief was audible, and I’m off laundry and kitchen duty. A win-win situation for both of us.

The thing she was trying to do will bring money into the house. My doing the laundry and cooking needs to be done but doesn’t add to the bottom line. She was afraid that by not making money doing something she hates, she’d be letting the rest of us down. I’d rather have her happy and productive, than snarly. And if she’s willing to swap jobs with me, cool. We’re both happy now.

Note from the Editor: Do you happen to have tasks to swap with others? You can focus on what you are passionate about in life and outsource the rest! Tim Ferris’ The 4-Hour Workweek is a good read on how to live a life of passion by outsourcing activities

3. Delegating

I was supposed to go to the grocery store today. We’ve been out of food all weekend, eating the dregs of the pantry, so the grocery shopping really needed to be done. But I was tired, and out of sorts, and trying to pull my act together. I was approaching evil when I realized that other people live here, and eat here, and they all can read. I handed one of them a list and said, “Go!”

She went. We now have a house full of groceries.

I could have gone and come back crabbier than ever. Instead, I took a short nap while she was shopping and woke up much nicer to live with. I think mothers, especially, need to remember that we can let someone else do things, too.

We often try to prove we are superwomen: working, caring for kids, keeping the house running. Instead of living by the old adage “If you want something done right, do it yourself” we should try living by “If you want something done right, teach someone else to do it.”

4. Taking Care of Myself

Probably the biggest lesson in today’s failure was how important it is that I keep myself rested and healthy so little irritations don’t get a chance to blossom into full-blown bitchiness. I’ve gotten better over the years, but today was a reminder that I’ve still got some work to do.

I didn’t need to work all night last night. That was a poor choice and got my whole day off wrong. I paid for it in poor productivity, some bad planning, and some disharmony in the household. Maybe this needs to happen sometimes so I’m reminded why managing my time and my life is so necessary. But it would be nice if I got it, once and for all.

Note from the Editor: You will get MORE out of your day if you make time to rest or exercise rather than working non-stop. Stephen Covey calls this “sharpening the saw”. One of the most effective time management methods you can use is sharpening the saw. So don't forget to sharpen the saw!

Effective Time Management Methods You Can Apply in Your Life- Written by Susan L.

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