~by Haley Lynn Gray~
Pro time management is as much about what you do, as what you don’t do. For me, pro time management revolves around a couple of simple concepts. Learning to get more done in less time, and remain sane is the gold standard for most parents, and working adults. But how do you do it? I think that some of the time-management skills can easily be taught, and are very simple. Maybe pro time management is too simple, but sometimes it can be difficult to follow.
Pro Time Management Concepts
- Take Care of Yourself. You can’t expect to be productive if you don’t give your body the rest, fuel, or exercise it needs. It also means following up on nagging health problems, and taking care of them. You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I actually exercise several days a week, and make a point of stretching, and doing other things to help with the exercise thing, despite the fact that I spend hours a day at the keyboard. (Cleaning bathrooms counts as exercise!) I give my body sleep, but I also make a point of taking time off from work, and unplugging entirely. Last week, I went on a cruise with my family, and I did my usual hibernate for 4-5 days routine. I give my brain time to just turn “off” without reading, doing anything, or really thinking about much, other than to relax, and meditate, and spend time with my family. It is important the at the down time be true down time, not just time playing on the computer, as that doesn’t allow your body to get the same kind of deep rest.
- I focus on getting certain things done at times of the day when I’m most productive for those types of things. I also make sure that I get stuff done during first shift that needs to be done during that time frame. For instance, I find that I write best first thing in the morning, and later in the evening. So, that’s when I write performance appraisals, blog posts, and other things that require me to compose things. I have tried to listen to what my body and personality tell me, and focus on maximizing doing things when I’m most able to do them. That doesn’t mean that occasionally I slog through things, it just means that I spend less time slogging, and more time focusing on doing things when I’m most alert for that type of task.
- Set up a to-do list, but make it manageable. To-do lists are great things, in moderation. Knowing what you have to do, and how much time it will take to do those items is key. Building a long to-do list with every task known to man is overwhelming, and chances are, you’ll give up before you’re done with the list, much less even accomplishing everything on that list.
These are some of my top pro time management tips. What are your best time management tips? How do you balance things, and make sure that everything that needs to be done gets done?
Meet the Author: Haley Lynn Gray
Haley helps female entrepreneurs create a strategy plan for their businesses – so they can make enough money to spend quality time with their family, pay for their children’s dance lessons, pay bills – and not worry about where the next client is coming from.
Haley is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Leadership Girl. She helps other entrepreneurs build their businesses by sharing the benefits of her business education and experience through Business Coaching.
Whether you want to get a new business off the ground or expand an existing business, Haley can assist you.
Connect with Haley:
- Work with Haley: https://leadershipgirl.com/work-with-haley/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Leadershipgirl
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleygray
