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Time Management: Easier Said Than Done

June 1st, 2010 ::

Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.

Peter Drucker is a genius, and for good reason.  That’s his quote above.  A friend of mine used to work her butt off four days a week for her clients so she could take Fridays off.  (I say “used to” because she is no longer a consultant, but instead works more than full-time in a rewarding, high-stress job at a non-profit.)

Clocks

Peters nik/Flickr

I would love to work part-time or four days a week or, while we’re at it, not at all, and still earn what I earn now.  My problem is time management (I should probably read some Drucker!).  Some days I am laser focused and bang out my work, but most days I struggle.  I’ll constantly check email, Facebook, or remember that I wanted to look up something online.  I’ll stare out the window.  I’ll do busy-work that is not accomplishing anything (like writing an outline for a blog post instead of just writing it).

Instead of investigating time management best practices, strategies, tips, skills, and advice online, here is how I think I could best manage my time:

Devote chunks of the day to specific tasks.  Not a big breakthrough here, but I’ve never done it before so I’d like to see if it would work for me.  I’m thinking it should work for me because 1., I like to write tasks down and check them off as I complete them, and 2., It will keep me focused and  maybe free up time at the end of the day to goof off.  I’ll schedule time to do everything: check and respond to email; check for social media updates; work on my projects, and take breaks.

Shut down the applications I’m not using.  When I’m on email, everything else will be closed.  When I’m working on a project, the relevant documents will be open and email and IE will be closed. 

I am very curious as to what time management strategies you’ve used to stay on task and focused.  If I get enough comments, I’ll post your suggestions in an upcoming blog.

The views expressed here are the author's alone and not those of Network Solutions or its partners.

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Posted in small business | 6 Comments »

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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  • http://crikeycleaner.com.au Tweed Carpet Cleaning Service

    Great article – I think one of the keys to staying on track is to first have a goal that you want to reach – then it’s easier to stay focused on your daily tasks – well for me at least.

    There has to be purpose in what your doing and why your doing it.

    This is particualrly hard for those who work from home – it’s hard to step away from the household tasks and focus solely on the business side of things.

    I reckon you have to outsource those around the home jobs that need doing every few weeks – house cleaning – carpets – tiles – pool etc.

    Mind you – first you need to be making enough in order to hire someone – perhpas thats a goal in itself.

  • http://www.melindamassie.com Melinda Massie

    One of the things I do to stay focused is set a timer. I then work on the task at hand until the timer goes off. I’ve found that it really helps, especially with dull tasks I don’t feel like doing. Often times, I’m so focused when my time is up that I keep going.

  • http://crikeycleaner.com.au Tweed Carpet Cleaning Service

    Great article – I think one of the keys to staying on track is to first have a goal that you want to reach – then it's easier to stay focused on your daily tasks – well for me at least.

    There has to be purpose in what your doing and why your doing it.

    This is particualrly hard for those who work from home – it's hard to step away from the household tasks and focus solely on the business side of things.

    I reckon you have to outsource those around the home jobs that need doing every few weeks – house cleaning – carpets – tiles – pool etc.

    Mind you – first you need to be making enough in order to hire someone – perhpas thats a goal in itself.

  • http://crikeycleaner.com.au Tweed Carpet Cleaning Service

    Great article – I think one of the keys to staying on track is to first have a goal that you want to reach – then it's easier to stay focused on your daily tasks – well for me at least.

    There has to be purpose in what your doing and why your doing it.

    This is particualrly hard for those who work from home – it's hard to step away from the household tasks and focus solely on the business side of things.

    I reckon you have to outsource those around the home jobs that need doing every few weeks – house cleaning – carpets – tiles – pool etc.

    Mind you – first you need to be making enough in order to hire someone – perhpas thats a goal in itself.

  • http://www.melindamassie.com Melinda Massie

    One of the things I do to stay focused is set a timer. I then work on the task at hand until the timer goes off. I've found that it really helps, especially with dull tasks I don't feel like doing. Often times, I'm so focused when my time is up that I keep going.

  • http://www.melindamassie.com Melinda Massie

    One of the things I do to stay focused is set a timer. I then work on the task at hand until the timer goes off. I've found that it really helps, especially with dull tasks I don't feel like doing. Often times, I'm so focused when my time is up that I keep going.