Time Management: How To Work Smarter Not Harder And Get More Done-Part II Creating Your Time Plan

Over the course of this five-part series I will be discussing how to get over psychological blocks to productivity and the six steps to achieving Time Management . In the previous article; Time Management : How to Work Smarter not Harder and Get More Done-Part I, I introduced the six steps to Time Management and discussed step one; clarifying your priorities for your life. In this article I am discussing steps two and three.

The Six Steps to Time Management:

I. Clarify your priorities.
II. Write out your goals with a timeline.
III. Assess your current use of time.
IV. Create your time plan.
V. Assess your plan.
VI. Continue to implement your plan.

What are Your Priorities?

Some may presume that at a certain stage in your career, whether an entrepreneur or an employee, that you must already know what your priorities and goals are. Even if this is the case it is important to reassess and affirm your priorities. I start the Time Management process with this step because there should be a connection between what your priorities are, what your goals are, and what you spend your time doing. Please note, not all of your priorities and goals will be related to your business or career. These priorities are equally important especially when it comes to work life balance but this article will focus on your goals as they relate to your career.

Step II: Write out Your Goals with a Timeline:

After you have made a list of your top three priorities for your life, step two is to write out your goals with a timeline. From this will emerge your daily tasks.If you have not already established goals you can ask yourself the following questions:

· Where do you see yourself/business in 5-10 yrs?
· Where would you like to be in a year?
· Where would you like to be in 3-6 months?
· Where would you like to be in a month?
· What do you have to do in order to reach these milestones?
· What deadlines lie ahead of you?
· What tasks must be completed to reach these deadlines?
· Write all of this down.

Step III: Assess your Current use of Time:

Now you must find out what time is really available and how you use it by observing and recording your behavior . In a small notebook or your calendar record what you do on a daily basis for one week. Be completely honest with yourself regarding how you spend your time. Don’t judge yourself but be on the look out for time wasted doing things that are unimportant. This is a very important phase so take it seriously. Record throughout the day if possible, but if not, record at the end of every day. Also note how you felt during different times of the day. When was your energy the greatest? When was it low?

Once you are armed with the answers you will get from steps two and three you will be ready to go on to create your time plan. In the next article I discuss what to do with the valuable information you gathered in steps two and three.
(You can find this five-part series on my website www.cuttsconsulting.com )

To learn more about Time Management and the other Success Coaching services that I offer please visit my website at www.cuttsconsulting.com or my expert page on this site www.selfgrowth.com