Tricky Time Management Skills

By Tina Blackmur of Write Creations

About five years ago, a business associate advised me – with my best interests at heart of course – that as far as time management skills was concerned – I was “all over the place”.

I look back and I know that she was right.

I was the sort of person who drove down the highway putting on my makeup as I went, trying to balance a cup of coffee and a plate of toast in the car on the way to a nine o’clock appointment.

So, what changed? I developed some simple time management skills.

As with all forms of change, they can only occur when the person who needs changing decides the time is right. And, after countless times of being late for appointments, taking too long to complete work, and generally putting myself “under the pump” I decided I had to take control of my time and my life by introducing some simple time management skills to my repertoire of talents.

Probably the most important change was getting myself to appointments on time, and I realised that getting organised the night before was imperative. Laying out my clothes, putting everything I needed in one place so that I could just get up the next morning and walk out the door, soon became a habit, with the result that I felt better, got to my appointments on time, and achieved goals I never thought possible. The simplest (yet often difficult) time management skills are to make your plan into a habit.

Another of the major time management skills I put in place, was to prioritise tasks. I cannot stress enough how much this has helped me to remain in control of my time and my life. For example, when I occasionally catch myself reliving old habits, such as lingering over unproductive emails, taking an impromptu detour into a shopping centre, or getting the urge to indulge in a quick chai latte, I know I’ve momentarily fallen “off the wagon” again.

Yep, time management skills have never been my forte, and I’m realistic enough to admit it. But I am getting better. But I know there are several things I still have to master. For instance, I could turn off my email and decide to answer it only twice a day. Emails can be such a time-waster. I get so many emails and my natural curiosity and enquiring mind find it difficult to just let an email go unread. Then there’s the telephone. It rings and I see that it’s my very good friend from Sydney, calling during the day because she is enjoying the fruits of retirement. It’s hard to resist picking up, especially since I know that at night time I will probably be too tired to return the call. These can be tough time management skills to take on board.

Recently I spoke to a businesswoman who admits that she rarely contacts her close friends, and is lucky if she sees them once or twice a year. Can it be that she doesn’t need people? No, she is simply focused on her business at the moment and has decided that a quick telephone call every so often is enough to maintain her friendships.

This is the key, of course, but it takes considerable fortitude. Think big picture. Know what time management skills work for you and which ones don’t. Plant the seed. Take control. Be aware. Understand. Learn, and concentrate on growing your business and growing your time management skills.