Time Management Help

Time Management tools involve a lot of organizational aspects that limit and control the flow of resources.

A suggested organizational method you can do to manage your time and to entail great results is by using Time Estimates.

Self help motivation source has these suggested ideas to work out where your time goes.

First you need to know where your time goes or how you would like to spend the rest of your day. If you work in an office, calculate how much time you spend in your office and at home. Time estimates will give you the idea of your workflow, your efficiency in doing work, and your time to relax and rest. For other time estimates, try considering these:

1. Time of Work – The regular workload for most people is 8 hours, more or less. You have to maximize your time and energy during this productive period. Work time should also follow regulation that is created to sustain a harmonious atmosphere for both employees and employers.
2. Personal time – This is the time in which an individual can have personal space and time for reflection. This can be either a time to contemplate or rest for a while (during coffee breaks, a prayer, or cigarette break). Personal time can be short but it is very meaningful for an individual who is seeking refuge and silence after a day of hustle and bustle. This is also a moment of reflecting the time spent on other things like work and other activities.
3. Interaction moments – These are times spent talking with colleagues, friends, relatives, and loved ones about relationships, professional matters, personal things, or anything that concerns the speaker and the listener. Usually we become unconscious on the time spent for this activity but we should be aware of the many things learned from interaction and socialization.
4. Time for Relaxation and Recreation – This is the time when you reward yourself after spending so many hours and days at work. This is a time to feel free and to enjoy the moments of life.

You can organize your time by creating a daily agenda and by checking your agenda at the end of each day to track down your schedule on a daily basis. Other suggestions include:

1. Keep an activity log in which all your activities, either major or minor, can be written down and later on, be analyzed by you. You would see that you have a remarkable capacity to do so many things or, on the opposite side, there are so many things that you have not done because of tardiness. This would also help you become more aware of your strengths and your weaknesses. You can also analyze your period of alertness and productivity through this activity log.
2. Track-down your idle moments or your periods of tardiness. For example, know what might have been the cause of the delay of finishing tasks such as writing a report or going to your appointment. This way, you would also know your weaknesses when it comes to motivation and goal setting.
3. Know your personal histories, your family history, and learning insights from the past. This way, you would recognize the importance of time and how it has affected your development as an individual or as part of your family or society.
4. You may also compare your work efficiency with the work style of others. But this should not frustrate you if you see that others leave you behind. Contrary to this, you should be motivated to excel or to improve your condition if you see that you are not working as fast or as efficient as they are.

Importance of Filing

Some people think that filing is a complete waste of time. The opposite is true. The benefits of filing far outweigh the inconveniences of engaging in such task.

The importance of filing lies in the fact that you don’t have to wade through lots of things when you’re looking for a particular item. You’ll know exactly where it is located.

Here are some super tactics for organized filing.

1. Get colorful. Buy folders of different colors, each color representing a specific category. For example: green folder is for bank accounts, blue folder is for health records, red folder is for utility receipts, and so on. You may even put labels of various colors in every folder. Let’s say in the bank accounts folder, you can put a label colored brown for one bank, then orange for the other bank.
2. Go through all your items and just keep the things you need. People sometimes keep things that they don’t even need or that they don’t find any value in. Give to your relatives or to charity your old clothes that are now too small for you to wear. This applies to your other things. Upon checking an item, just ask yourself, “Will I still find use for this thing in the future?” If the answer is “No,” then give it away or dispose of it. Then properly organize and file whatever is left.
3. Create a unique folder for each day of the month. This may be a little time-consuming at first; but once you’re done, you have a very efficient system for organizing and scheduling your tasks. The way it works: Create a folder for the 1st day of the month, 2nd day, 3rd day, and so forth. After having 31 folders (representing the maximum number of days in a given month), you are now ready to utilize this tactic. Let’s say your credit card bill arrives on the 12th of June, but it won’t be due until the 20th. You may put it in the Day 20 folder, or Day 19 (to give you some leeway). By using this method, it would be hard for you to miss out on any important date or occasion.

Deduction and Induction

There are ways to organize sets of ideas. Like in a story or a narrative, one can look for the conclusion in the end or sometimes, as most flashback stories would narrate, you can go backward. This is also true in the process of Deductive and Inductive Logic.

You could either start from Generalization to Specific details in the process of Deduction. You may create your hypothesis first like: “Earning more in three years through small business ventures with close friends is possible if…” and giving specific details like how to do it or what should be done to follow the organized pattern towards a successful conclusion.

On the other hand, Inductive Logic may involve specific details first (like what are the factors that lead to bankruptcy) to form a general conclusion or an overall analysis. In creating an organized strategy to manage time, you can also employ the deductive and inductive way of projecting ideas or concepts. To further concretize these points here are some situations, which use both deduction and induction in the process of calculating time.

Deduction:

• At the grocery, when buying things, you might consider the needs of your family, your own needs, your budget, or your general preference in choosing items. It would also be helpful if you prepare a shopping list. On the other hand, you may also think of the menu you are about to cook for the whole week and from this, you can create your shopping list. This way, you are not only saving time spent in the grocery but you may also estimate your money for such expenses.
• During business meetings or formal negotiations, the objectives agreed by both parties should be the guiding principle in knowing what to discuss and in what order. In negotiating something, goals or conclusive statements like “a successful bargaining agreement” would be the necessary end that will condition the creation of means or moves.
• In writing a book, one would have a general idea of the story and the flow of the narrative.
• In preparing for a party, one would be wary of the theme or the desired atmosphere that the organizer had thought of.

Induction:

• In some research work for an unknown knowledge or conclusion, the researcher has to look for evidences or facts that will give conclusive results.
• Planning for a grand vacation might have no conclusions yet but during the preparation or the actual trip, a person may experience a lot of different moments, which can contribute to a memorable vacation or a regrettable one.
• To make architectural plans, much specific details should be considered (though this can also be done using a general theme or conclusion). The final plan is based on the availability of the resources, the time frame on which the house or structure should be built, and other factors that are involved in the construction.
• In solving some problems, you have to know the different factors, which might have been the cause of the dilemma. There are many things to think of in solving difficult situations but these factors or details would help you create a clear picture about what might have happened and what can be done to resolve conflicts and contradictions.

The process of logical reasoning is a good strategy to create and organize plans and execute preparations that you have made. There are more ways to create strategies and these two are just the basic directions that can guide you in finishing your task. You must be creative and flexible in handling the situation and you can base the direction you are following on these two scientifically proven processes. You must intelligently choose from these directions based on carefully crafted ideas to succeed in less time and effort.

If you would like to learn more, you can visit http://www.self-help-motivation-source.com/timemanagementplan.html

Source: ArticleCity

About The Author
Marlene Challis is founder and CEO of Mc Internet Marketing. She has several business branches and websites. She can be contacted through the website, www.self-help-motivation-source.com. Feel free to republish this article provided you do not edit it in any way and include the author bio as well.