Increasing Time Management Skills for Achieving Goals

Effective goal setting begins and ends with time management. You
must be able to balance your time in the best way possible in order
to achieve your goals. Most of us fail to achieve goals because we
“lack the time”. That is why this section needed to be included in
this guide.

The concept of time management has been in existence for more than
100 year believe it or not. Unfortunately the term “Time management”
creates a false impression of what a person is able to do.

Time can’t be managed, time is uncontrollable and we can only manage
ourselves and our use of time. That is all that can be done. Time
management is actually self management.

For effective time management we need the ability to plan, delegate,
organize, direct and control every aspect of our lives just to find
30 minutes a day that is devoted to something productive that is
just for us.

In order for a time management process to work it is important to
know what aspects of our personal management need to be improved.
Otherwise what is the point in trying?

Below you will find some of the most frequent reasons for reducing
effectiveness in and around our lives. You might want to check the
ones which are causing to be the major obstacles to your own time
management. These are referred to as your time stealers.

Identifying your time stealers:

• Interruptions for example the telephone or TV (these are also
  distractions)
• Interruptions, for example, guests
• Meetings
• Tasks you should have had someone else do for you
• Procrastination and indecision
• Acting with out total information
• Dealing with other people’s issues or problems
• Some sort of personal crisis, for example, family member is
  sick or injured
• Unclear communication
• Inadequate knowledge
• Unclear objectives and priorities
• Lack of planning
• Stress, anxiety and fatigue
• Inability to say “No” to anybody with a request
• Personal disorganization

There are quite a few isn’t there? Fortunately there are
strategies you can use to manage your time in a better way and be
more in control and reduce stress, but you can analyze your time and
see how you may be both the cause and the solution to your time
challenges.

Below, we will look at time management issues in more detail

1. Shifting priorities and crisis management.
Management guru Peter Drucker says that “crisis management is
actually the form of management preferred by most managers.” What is
ironic is that actions taken before the crisis could have prevented
it in the first place.

2. The telephone.
Have you ever had one of those days when you just had to answer the
phone with “grand central station, how can I help you?” The
telephone can be our greatest communication tool can be our biggest
enemy to effectiveness if you don’t know how to control its hold
over you.

3. Lack of priorities / objectives.
This is probably the biggest and most important time waster. It
affects all we do both professionally and personally. Those who
accomplish the most in a day know exactly what they want to
accomplish beforehand, just ask Donald Trump.

Unfortunately too many of us think that goals and objectives are
yearly things and not daily considerations. These results in too
much time spent on the minor things and not on the things which are
important to our lives.

4. Attempting too much.
Many people today feel that they have to accomplish everything
yesterday and don’t give themselves enough time to do things
properly. This leads only to half finished projects and no feeling
of achievement as all things are done in a hurry and appear rushed
to others.

5. Drop in visitors.
The five deadliest words that rob your time are “Have you got a
minute?” Everyone does it; colleagues, the boss, your peers, and
your family and friends.
Knowing how to deal with interruptions is one of the best skills you
can learn.

6. Ineffective delegation.
Good delegation is considered a key skill in both managers and
leaders of homes and work.

The best managers have an ability to delegate work to staff and
family members to ensure it is done correctly. This is probably the
best way of building a team’s moral and reducing your own workload
at the same time.

The general rule is this; if one of your people around you can do it
80% as well as you can, and then delegate it.

7. Procrastination.
The biggest thief of time is not decision making but decision
avoidance. By reducing the amount of procrastinating you do you can
substantially increase the amount of active time available to you.

8. The inability to say “no!”
The general rule is; if people can dump their work or problems on to
your shoulders they will do it.

Some of the most stressed people around lack the skill to ‘just say
no’ for fear of upsetting people. Get over it because these people
can do it for you.

9. Meetings.
Studies have shown that the average professional person spends about
17 hours a week in meetings and about 6 hours in the planning time
and untold hours in the follow up.
There are many ways we can manage our time.

To your Success, may you reach your goals.
Gary Killops
Copyright © Gary Killops.
All rights reserved.

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