Time Management Begins With A To-Do List

Time. What a precious commodity nowadays. Sometimes we try to make things so difficult, but does time management have to be difficult? The reality is that you cannot manage time, because time keeps ticking and never stops. It waits for no one. So when we talk about time management and time management skills we are really talking about managing ourselves and what we do with our time. So how do we manage ourselves to make the best use of our time? And what are some basic ways we can manage ourselves in order to do just that?

Time Management Starts With A To-Do List

One of the most effective ways to manage ourselves is by having a to-do list. Creating a “to do list” every day is an effective way to manage ourselves. Many experts agree that making a ‘to do list’ the night before is very effective in the sense that your sub conscious mind can work on ways to accomplish your daily goals during your sleep. Plus making the list itself will not have to be a priority and you can get started right away on accomplishing those daily tasks that spur us on to greater success.

Another effective self-management tool is prioritizing your to-do list, putting the most important tasks first. In the event that you cannot achieve every task, because things do happen, at least you can get the most important things accomplished. Then you can arrange the other tasks for the next day and in turn prioritize those.

One of the most important, but seemingly harder tools to use for most of us is simply the little word “No.” You must learn to turn down requests to do things that are unimportant to you or prevent you from accomplishing the goals you set for yourself. You may feel bad about saying “No,” but if you do not you will just resent the time that was stolen from you and maybe; the person who asked you to do it.

So these are just a few basic time management or in reality self-management techniques you can begin to implement right away. Create a to-do list, prioritize the tasks, and most importantly, learn to say “No” to those things that rob you of time and prevent you from reaching your daily goals. You will be glad you did in the long run.