Time Management is about organising and prioritising tasks in the most effective and efficient way, so that you can focus your time on the important rather than the urgent.
First, you need to list and categorise your tasks as either:
- Important – which help you achieve your goals
- Urgent – demanding your immediate attention and which often are distractions
Using the Eisenhower Principle will allow you to quickly put them in one of 4 categories:
1. Important and Urgent
Unforeseen tasks – crises, emergencies è keep free time every day to deal with these
Known tasks – ones you left until the last minute è plan ahead and beat procrastination
2. Important but Not Urgent
Tasks that help you achieve your personal and professional goals, and finish big projects è you should spend most of your time on these
3. Not Important but Urgent
Often tasks other people dump on you è say no to them, delegate them or do them less well (it doesn’t matter as they are not important)
4. Not Important and Not Urgent
Most likely distractions è be assertive, have clear boundaries, just ignore them, say no to them if given to you
By categorising your tasks this way, you will be able to focus on what is important, and less on the unimportant, the little hassles that can wait. You will then be able to spend more time on what will take you closer to achieving your goals.
