Time management is a struggle for most of us. There are so many things pulling for our attention, distractions everywhere we look, and often an unrealistic number of things on our to-do list. It’s impossible to do it all, but these time management tips will definitely help you make the most of your time.
#1: Track Your Time
The first step to implementing any time management strategy is to know how you’re currently spending your time. Track your time with LOTS of detail for the next week. If you’re like most women who do this for the first time, you’ll likely be surprised by how you’re spending your time vs. how you think you’re spending it.
#2: Identify YOUR Time Wasters
As you track your time, be mindful of how you waste time. It could be through emails, scrolling social media, watching TV, talking on the phone, house cleaning, running errands, trying to get everything perfect, etc. Don’t confuse a time waster with intentional downtime. Intentional downtime is a scheduled part of your plan and is vital to your health and wellbeing. A time waster on the other hand is anything that distracts you from the most important thing you need to be doing.
#3: Create an Ideal Schedule
An ideal schedule is a lot like a financial budget. It’s your opportunity to tell your time where to go BEFORE you actually use it. An ideal schedule is what will allow you to invest your time in what is most important for you. Your ideal schedule should include personal things (like exercise, date nights, meal prep, me time, quiet time, lunch with friends, family time, etc.) and business things (like 1:1 appointments, parties, networking events, marketing, projects, prospecting, email/social media, meetings, etc.).
#4: Schedule Non-Negotiable Appointments with Yourself
It can be so easy to fill our time with other people’s needs or appointments, so make sure that your Ideal Schedule includes non-negotiable appointments with yourself. This appointment is as important as a meeting with someone you greatly admire. Often this appointment with yourself is something that will allow you to work on the most important things. If this appointment isn’t scheduled, then it will rarely happen and it’s one that is key to your growth.
#5: Anticipate Interruptions
Life happens. Whether it’s illness, death, your website crashing, an important document not saving, an urgent email, someone else missing their deadline, etc. Anticipate that there will be interruptions. Don’t jam pack your schedule, so that there is no time for interruptions. Create intentional white space in your schedule, so that you’re not thrown off by the unexpected.
#6: Plan Your Week
Set aside a non-negotiable appointment with yourself at the end of each week to review the past week and prepare for the upcoming week.
Identify your goals for the upcoming week. What will make the week a success? Schedule non-negotiable appointments with yourself to work on the necessary projects. Use your iBloom Planner to brainstorm project tasks and then identify what day you’ll complete each to-do.
#7: Estimate
Estimate how long each project will take to complete. For instance, if you have a blog to write. Estimate how long you think it will take to complete the blog- writing, editing, creating the graphic, posting, and promoting it. Write your estimate for each project next to the to-do in your iBloom Planner. We often underestimate how long it will take to complete something, so this is a key time management step.
#8: Use a Timer
Get a cheap kitchen timer or use the timer on your phone to track how long it actually takes you to complete each project. I like to play a game with myself where I try to beat the clock by finishing the task before the timer buzzes, then I do something fun to reward myself.
#9: Evaluate
Once you track how long it actually takes you to complete each task, go back to your to-do list in your iBloom Planner and compare it to your estimated time. Be sure to write the actual time next to the estimate. This information will be helpful as you’re planning future weeks. You’ll have a better understanding of how long it actually takes to complete specific projects which will allow you to better estimate your time.
#10: Minimize Distractions
I used to pride myself on the fact that I was great at multi-tasking. However, the reality is, I’m not. Yes, I can do it, but it’s not my BEST work. My best work comes when I eliminate distractions {turn off email, silence my phone, close all unneeded computer windows, etc.} and get laser focused on the task at hand. I intentionally schedule a couple of 60-minute Blitz’s throughout my day where I eliminate distractions and laser focus on that particular project or task. It’s amazing what I’m able to accomplish in those uninterrupted blocks of time.
Although it’s not possible to do it all, these time management tips have helped me intentionally focus my time and accomplish the most important things.
We’d love to learn from you! What time management tip would you give a busy woman?
