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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.


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.