Have you felt that there is so much to do and there is never enough time. Do you feel pressured and hassled all day, every day, seven days a week.

These "Time Management Tips" will help you minimize these feelings till you succeed to control your time. These tips were distributed during an "Employees Development Course".

Time Management Tips

Forget your past!  The skills that got you where you are today may not be the skills you need to succeed tomorrow. Similarly, the way you used to spend your time may not be right for the challenge of the future.

Work Smarter, not Harder!  Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Try to accomplish, not work, as much as you can in the shortest amount of time.

Prioritize!  There is only enough time in the day to do what’s genuinely important. Divide your tasks into three categories: have to do, need to do & nice to do. Throw out the nice to do’s, begin your day with the have to do’s  and work through in diminishing order of importance.

Delegate!  With every activity, ask yourself, “is there someone else who could do this better, faster, easier or cheaper than I?” Today, there are more people than ever before, but both inside and outside an organization, who can handle all variety of tasks that people previously had to take on themselves.

Focus on outcomes, not activities!     No one cares how hard you’re working; only how much you’re accomplishing.

Look for robbers!  Watch out for co-workers, friends, vendors, family members and even much customers who rob you of time. Avoid, neglect, minimize and manage these thieves of time.

Learn to say “no” and “not now”!  Don’t be overly accessible. When people ask for your assistance solving a problem, agree to meet a later time or date. In the meantime they will likely find the answers themselves, saving your precious time.

“Quick” questions don’t mean quick answers!  Watch out for this trap and avoid falling for it.

Joy Bread!  Build variety into your day, and reward yourself for completing an important task by doing something you enjoy.

Make appointments with yourself!  If you have an important project on your plate, schedule time on your calendar to complete the task

Be a planner!  Set aside the last 15 minutes of each business day to evaluate what you’ve done today and what you plan to accomplish tomorrow. Take the time to plan and you minimize your effectiveness. Use Sunday and Thursday to work on long-term planning.

Take time off!  Give yourself the chance to dream, pray, learn, nurture yourself and relax. You will return to work refreshed and a more pleasant person to be around.

Take weekly “vacations”! Most people are the most productive right before going on vacation. Pick one day a week, and act like you are about to go on vacation. Use the time to develop a sense of urgency, to delegate and to focus.

Throw out your daytimer!  Most people’s daytimers are filled with unproductive to-dos. Instead, use a 3x5 card and write on one side the three most important things you need to do that day. Use the rest of the card to make notes as people call you. On the backside list your appointments and meetings.

Stop playing telephone tag!  Improve your timing so you’re placing calls when you’re most likely to reach people. Also, develop contacts with customers’ secretaries and assistants. Then leave careful, creative messages defining exactly what you need and your timeframe.