Achieving Objectives through Time Management

Are you a to-do list-maker? If yes, congratulations. Read on to become a To-Do List-MakingMaestro. If no, you likely will be after reading about ourNo-Stress No-Tech Super Time Management Tool, aspecial professional way of creating to-do lists. Our previous post detailed the essential steps. We learned that the No-Stress No-Tech Super Time Management Tool is like a partner that keeps you on target and accountable, realistic and thorough. You accomplish your tasks and you meet your goals. With this special approach to your to-do list, you always know where you are, where you are going, and when youwill get there. How's that for stress relief?

If you have not had the opportunity to read the previous post, do check it out. In this post, the last in our series onprofessional time management , we are going zero in on 5 executive level tips to make sure the No-Stress No-Tech Super Time Management Tool is effective for you. These Executive Tips will streamline your lists. Follow them and you will get maximumlife hackingbenefits from your to-do listmaking.

Executive Tips for the To-Do List-Making Maestro

Exec Tip 1: Keep Lists Simple & Short

Strive to make your Main To-Do List, Day List and Future Listshort and concise. I understand your probable plight: So much to do, so little time . So, initially, your to-do lists may be lengthy and complex. However, long, detailed to-do lists can discourage and demotivate you from tackling the individual items. I find about 20 items to be manageable and doable. As you draw up your lists, you'll refine your skills of prioritizing tasks and streamlining your lists. You might even delegate some tasks to others. Soon you'll discover your to-do lists and your life itself can be much simpler. Bonus: Less stress. So, remember the KISS tip: Keep It Simple and Short. Remember: Listing things wont make you a good time manager. Keep taking action on your to-do's and update your lists as necessary. Ban any procrastination! . Procrastination leads to abandonment, which lands you back to square one! Your To-Do list is a terrific time management tool to help you manage your time so that you take action with direction. View it as a virtual companion and be sure you keep it current and active.

Exec Tip 2: Be Specific on the Action

Generalities keep your tasks at a distance. Chunk them down to specifics. Then use verbs to direct yourself to get the tasks done. Example: Instead of saying,Oral presentation, say Write notecards for oral presentation. David Allen explains in his book,Getting Things Done,that projects are not tasks; projects are collections of tasks. So, chunk down your projects into action steps that you can accomplish. A seemingly insurmountable project is simply the sum of its very doable parts.

Exec Tip 3:Skip Commonplace Activities

A to-do list is actually a way to manage your time when additional activities begin to accumulate. With this in mind, dont bother adding routines like eat breakfast or drive to work. They do take time but they're already built into your schedule. So, it's actually counterproductive and time-consuming to crowd your list with them. Instead, focus on upcoming tasks that require more than the usual time for your tasks. Example:Clear desktop clutter orGo to dentist appointment.

Exec Tip 4: Hammer the Hard Tasks First

Some time managers believe in starting their day with easy work to get themselves moving. Any time I tried this, it yielded negative results: Not a great sense of accomplishment and little time or energy left for the more difficult tasks. In addition, getting back on track was challenging because the remaining items on the to-do list required a lot of time and problem-solving. You can avoid this scenario completely by balancing tough tasks and easy tasks. The first thing you should try to accomplish in your day, when your energy is high, is a difficult or time-consuming task that you are prepared to tackle. Keep working on the difficult task until youve completed all of it or at least 50% of it. This will gratify you with achieving your goal for this one difficult task. As a rule of thumb, do the difficult first and reward yourself with the easy. Put this in side boxSide tip on time: Dont let yourself start on a task, only to leave it a few minutes later because itr's difficult. The more difficult the task, the more time you need to accomplish it. So, be fair to yourself: Schedule your tasks within reasonable, workable time frames. Image source?

Exec Tip 5: Be Flexible and Adaptable

Flexibility is the most important trait that you can develop when managing your time. If you are too hard on yourself and inflexible with your schedule, you may feel overwhelmed with the demands you put on yourself. You can avoid this unnecessary frustration. You know yourself better than anyone else on the planet. Be mindful of how you feel and what youre thinking when youre planning the days ahead. It's okay to make adjustments as necessary. Take pride in steady progress and your completion of any task.

Exec Tip 6: Work with Your Organic Schedule

Every individual has a unique organic or natural working schedule. Morning people feel pumped up to work right after breakfast. Other individuals are most efficient accomplishing their tasks right after lunch. Night people like me work best in the hours before and after midnight. Your prime working time, unique to your inner clock, is the time to schedule your challenging work. Schedule your most difficult tasks to coincide with your wave of productivity. Reserve your easier tasks for the times of the day when your energy tends to be lower.

Understandable: Some people might not have the option to move their work around. How to remedy no-option time constraints: Schedule rest gaps between the difficult tasks. These recovery periods will help you function better. The Takeaway: Your list is a most important component of Time Management Best Practices. It should be your daily companion. Make your lists short and uncluttered by routines. Schedule the difficult first but be kind to yourself: Set your schedule for the tasks you feel you can accomplish and the times you are at your best to accomplish them.

Remember: Listing things wont make you a good time manager. Keep taking action on your to-do's and update your lists as necessary. Ban any procrastination! . Procrastination leads to abandonment, which lands you back to square one! Your To-Do list is a terrific time management tool to help you manage your time so that you take action with direction. View it as a virtual companion and be sure you keep it current and active.

This 3-part series on Time Management focused on time as your most important resource. The techniques are customized for you and by you. If you follow the practical steps in these 3 posts, you will are bound to enjoy greater organization in your life, confidence in your capabilities to get things done, and considerable relief from stress. You have learned techniques and tools to personalize your time management. If you have implemented the techniques already, then you have inventoried and adjusted your present use of time (Part 1). You have or soon will have created the No-Stress No-Tech Super Time Management Too a special approach to your to-do list for surefire effectiveness (Part 2). Finally, you will have fine-tuned your to-do list with five high-level Executive Tips (Part 3) on-pagejump. These Time Management techniques work. Tell us in the Comment box below if they have helped you. Wed love to hear of any of your own techniques that work for you.

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