The Top Time Management Tools

Time management seems at first to be a modern concept, but really it isn't. The first step in time management is keeping track of it, and so every time-keeping device going back to the dawn of recorded history is a time management system. Even Stonehedge! Stonehedge was originally built to track the seasonal equinox and solstice cycles so farmers knew when to plant their crops. Even a sundial counts.

Time management tools can be broken down into four generations:

First generation ones are clock and alarms. Yes, your alarm clock, that vile thing you slap into silence every morning, is one. Extensions of this concept are digital devices which can sound alarms when a task is done.

Second generation tools are calendars and appointment books. These can be both paper and digital. The digital version is infinitely more useful, because you can set reminders for deadlines and errands. Calendar tool software runs the gamut from PDAs to laptop and desktop accessories. A calendar tool should come by default with just about any operating system sold - there's even plug-in apps for phones now.

Third-generation tools are planners, organizers, and controllers. These are done more on an industrial scale - for instance, software an office would use for dispatching mobile units and keeping shifts covered. However, a simple thing like a software to-do list or a desktop notes application uses the same concept on a personal scale.

Fourth-generation tools are the personal skills you use to combine the above three categories and use them wisely and effectively. In some cases, this can also involve timers and control systems. Some tech professionals use a time-tracking system to be able to bill clients by the hour. Anything you use personally, even tying a ribbon around your finger to remind you of an appointment, counts here too.

One of the chief problems with time management is that people tend to spend too much time playing with this stuff. If you're spending more time making a to-do list than you are getting the things on it done, that's too much fiddling. The key to effective time management tool usage is to only undertake a new system if its needed. Try using the device or software for awhile and see if you get some results with it. Wait a couple of weeks to let the "honeymoon" period pass, and see if it's really helping you.

Above all, the key is discipline. With good discipline and focus, you are your own best time manager.

Time Management Tips

In our increasingly busy society, we find ourselves barely able to fit everything we want to do into a day. If you feel like your days are slipping by without getting enough done, here are some time management hints from the experts:

1. Build your vocabulary. That surprised you, didn't it? The fact is, we spend a large part of each day just trying to communicate with other people. Knowing more words and being more glib in conversation is the key to rapid, efficient communication.

2. Cut out low-quality entertainment. While many other time management gurus will say you should stop playing and start working, the reality is that your brain needs a rest and you're only human. So instead, try condensing your entertainment time into a small block of high-quality time. That will be either shutting off the TV or quit browsing the Internet, but at the same time consider working a crossword puzzle or playing chess with a friend. The key here is stimulating, interactive entertainment instead of long hours of media grazing.

3. Read everywhere. Over every meal, on your morning subway commute, and in every office while you're waiting to keep an appointment. Just about every kind of work requires you to absorb information, so put those down hours to work.

4. Reward yourself for meeting goals. Instead of consuming a coffee while at your desk, deliberately deny yourself the coffee until you finish your spreadsheet. Then reward yourself with a coffee break. Even if a whole task is too long to wait, break it up into smaller tasks so you can get by on smaller rewards.

5. Streamline your gadgets. This is a non-obvious one, but think about how much time you spend looking for a phone number because you haven't updated your mobile's address book, or how much time you spend waiting for something to download over a network. Devote some time to using your gadgets more efficiently, and it will pay off.

6. Pay other people to handle the little stuff. In other words, delegate. You might have gotten into the habit of mowing your own grass, shoveling your own snow, or doing your own laundry. It might seem ludicrous to pay somebody else $25 for what you can do yourself for free, but the landscaping company can come out and buzz that grass in ten minutes flat with their big riding mower, while it would have taken you two hours with your push mower. Then you could have gotten an extra two hours of work done and earned back the $25 plus change!

7. Get up early. The old saying goes, "Work in the morning may easily be done that all the long day may hardly be won." In the early morning hours, there are fewer distractions and your mind is sharper and naturally more focused. Stay disciplined and you'll get used to it - but do also go to bed at a sensible hour as well!

8. Close out distractions. In today's media-frenzy world, you have to be assertive about your time. Don't be afraid to ask your co-worker to turn down that radio, shut off his annoying phone that he refuses to answer, and learn when the office comedian comes around so you can dodge him and his stack of stale, printed-out cartoons.

9. Take a walk. Exercise will give you energy. Especially in the information age, we have a tendency to live indoors on a computer. Your body and brain need fresh air and sunshine (or even a little rain!) to feel refreshed and healthy.

10. Live by the ten-minute rule. The ten-minute rule: pick the ugliest, hairiest task that you have looming over you - the one you dread above all. Now say "I'm going to work on this for just ten minutes and then stop." Actually, you'll usually find about half the time that when your ten minutes are up, you'll keep working on it a little longer, because you have momentum going!