Become a Great Writer

You're probably asking yourself, 'What in the world does being a writer have to do with time-management?" Well, that's a great question and I'm glad that you asked. The answer is EVERYTING! Effective time management begins with planning your time, which means writing down your plans on paper. There is power in the pen! There are literally thousands of thoughts that race through your mind throughout the course of the day. In order to focus your time on what's really important requires you to have something tangible to look at. That requires you to decide now to write down every task you will need to accomplish. This not only includes on the job tasks, but at Home stuff also. Remember, write, write, and write!

Schedule Your Priorities

Effective time-management begins with scheduling and anticipating upcoming activities and events both personally and professionally. This is where goal setting will assist you enormously in prioritizing what is on your schedule of things to do. Setting written down goals will help you to differentiate between what is urgent and vital, what can be done now and what can wait.

Invest In a Planner

I find that a daily planner is a very effective tool in helping you to become a better manager of your time. I would suggest purchasing a weekly-at-a-glance planner and then write down everything you need to accomplish in it. I like the weekly planners as opposed to the daily planers because you can open it up and have your entire week in front of you at one time. You can simply transfer your already written down goals to your planner in addition to the on-the-job tasks that you must fulfill.

Write a "To Do" List

Sometimes you may have more on your plate than you've bargained for. writing a "to do" list will help you to overcome your feelings of being overwhelmed. When you find yourself to be extremely busy or unexpected things pop up, take the time out the night before to write a "to do" list. Decide in order of priority what things you absolutely must get done and by what time. Write it down and do it.

Learn To Say "No"

This is a difficult task for some people. Some people do not want to be perceived as a non-team player or make others feel that are not important enough to do favors for. Trust me; your peace of mind is not worth sacrificing to appease others. Remember, you cannot be all things to all people and you cannot do everything that everyone asks you to do. That type of mentality will drive you to a nervous break down. Keep in mind that you are saying no to the request and not the person. Mature people can accept when you truthfully are not in a position to accept any additional projects at this time.

Learn To Delegate

There will be times in your life both on th|e job and off when you will need to enlist the assistance of others. This is simply wise decision making. When you simply have too much before you to do, consider what things you can pass on to others to do for you. Most people really do not have a problem giving a helping hand to others when the need arises. You are human and sometimes you have more to do than what is humanly possible. Utilize the services of others and by the same token, be ready to assist others in their time of need.