Put more time into every day

Having too many of those days that are just too short to get everything done? The 'to do' list gets longer and there's no end in sight. You're not alone in feeling like this, and here's what can be done about it.

Start by making a list of everything that you do on a regular basis. Some will be daily events, some need doing each week, some only once a month. Be as complete as you possibly can - whether it's a personal appointment for a haircut or a regular game of golf on Saturday. This list also includes general areas like the time you spend at your desk taking care of the mundane details of the business. Break it down into as much detail as possible, but even if it's just 'being there' put it on the list.

Next, assign an amount of time for each activity on the list. Time with the family, time at the office, time for socialising - these are all things you've done before so you should be able to estimate how long each activity takes. If in doubt, overestimate and don't assume things will get better. (They will, but not yet.) Don't forget to include travel time.

Now examine your list and see what's there that you can eliminate. How important is that TV show you watch every Tuesday night? Look for things that can be delegated to others at work. It may also be time to add a new person to your team if the workload has reached the point of saturation. Maybe an outside contractor or other supplier can take part of the load off of your shoulders and not break the bank.

The work you've done up to this point has been setting the stage for better time management. In effect you've started to structure your daily life by making sure there's time for everything you do in each day. Now you can start refining the list. There are several time management processes you can apply to the list, and these are some of the most important:

If there is anything on the list that you're not really equipped to handle, particularly related to your management role, engage outside help to get it done.
Arrange the daily list with the most important tasks first. Get them out of the way and attack them at your peak energy level.
Anything that has a related deadline should be scheduled for completion well in advance of the time it's due. This is another stress-reducer and keeps you on top of things.
Schedule more breaks in the busier parts of the day so you can keep at it until the most critical tasks are out of the way.
Be sure you have some flexibility in the schedule. There will always be times when you have to do things you haven't planned for.
Analyse each task and evaluate the possibility of doing it another way that will save time.
Are there things on the list that can be done by others? Then have them done by others.
Deliberately allow more time for relaxation and time with the family. This will force you to be more efficient and economical with the time you spend on your business.

Our business, social and family lives all seem to have built in conflicts that mean one, two or all three of them are a lot less satisfying than we'd like. But there are always going to be just 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week, and we have to sleep sometime. This is why it's so important to learn how to manage time better, and with just a little planning and thought you can budget for more time in every day.

For more information contact your RAN ONE business professionals at
Academy of Business Excellence Limited