As January comes to a close, many of us find ourselves struggling to stick to our New Year's resolutions that were so fresh in our minds and full of promise just a few short weeks ago. Unfortunately, the defeat of a resolution so early in the New Year is typically a result of lack of time and commitment.
Luckily, February is National Time Management Month, offering a few helpful hints to manage your time and keep yourself on track for the upcoming year.
National Time Management Month is highly promoted in the corporate world, as possessing efficient time management skills is very important for professional productivity and success.
However, proper time management can also help individuals in their everyday life.
From the time we wake in the morning our day is dictated by the clock.
When we eat, sleep, work and participate in leisure activities all require a particular time slot in our day.
With the addition of any other special projects and activities, these time slots quickly fill, causing unwanted stress and fatigue.
When our precious commodity of time is managed well, not only can we complete necessary tasks, it also becomes easier to relax and enjoy our busy lives.
The completion of tasks at hand also allows us to set goals for the future and continue to grow and expand our horizons.
Getting started on the road to well managed time is actually easier than you may think.
Experts recommend keeping the 5 P’s in mind when trying to get mentally organized: prioritize, plan, procrastination, productivity, and positivity.
The best way to start to improve your time management is to prioritize and organize your tasks into categories based on importance and urgency.
Whether it is academic assignments, family commitments, social engagements, or employment responsibilities, assigning each task a priority and category will help you keep yourself on a schedule to accomplish each task in a timely manner.
Next, create a plan of action for completing tasks before you actually start the task.
Use the aid of calendars, planners or online apps to create a realistic schedule, and then stick to it!
To avoid stress, try to start tasks earlier than scheduled whenever possible. Completing a task earlier than scheduled will not only provide the satisfaction of completion, but it will also build your confidence.
Procrastination is a major problem for many of us when trying to complete a difficult task.
Identify and avoid behavior that may waste time or delay a task’s completion.
Stay clear of your phone, social media and television to stay focused. You may need to even avoid speaking with certain people that may tend to distract you while you are working on a particular project or assignment until it is completed.
Although you always want to avoid distractions that will prevent or prolong completion of any given task or project, you do want to plan on taking regular, structured breaks from your work.
Taking regular short breaks can keep you refreshed and motivated, allowing you to complete your task in a certain allotted time frame.
Once you remove the distractions, raise your productivity by utilizing your time efficiently and effectively to accomplish your goals.
Be sure to have all of the tools, supplies, information and/or research needed for a particular task in hand before starting.
Keep in mind to be as productive as possible; sometimes we all need to know when to ask for help.
Learn to delegate errands to friends and family when possible.
When taking on a large project such as an academic assignment or a DIY project, seek the help of experts.
Librarians and teachers are always willing to share their expertise and guidance when it comes to school assignments.
At work, don’t be afraid to reach out to colleagues that may have more experience or have a different skill set to help solve an obstacle standing in the way of completing your job at hand.
For those involved with a DIY project around the house, there are plenty of expert tutorials available online for topics such as tile work, door installation, and painting techniques as well as different household maintenance projects. You can also ask the advice of your local retailer such as a paint store or plumbing supply company.
It is time efficient to recognize when a task may be beyond your skill level. It may be more productive to let a professional handle tasks that may be out of your own wheel house.
The final step to good time management is to stay positive.
Positive thinking will have a pro-active impact on you and your time management, resulting in a positive outcome.
There are no age limits for learning time management skills.
Regardless of the old saying, you actually can teach an “old dog” new time management skills, and with determination and practice, they will soon become second nature.
Children who learn time management skills at a young age often retain these skills throughout their life and become more independent and productive as they grow.
This February, don’t say goodbye to those New Year’s resolutions just yet.
Follow the 5 P’s of time management and experience a more productive and stress free 2024. Sharpening your time management skills may get this year’s resolutions back on track, as well as make your daily life more manageable for years to come.
