Time Management Tips

Before a person can manage his time properly he needs to understand exactly what time is. Most dictionaries will tell you that time is a period or point at which things occur. To put it more simply it just means time is when things happen. There are two different types of time. There is real-time and clock time. Everyone understands clock time because it has 60 seconds in each minute, 60 minutes in each hour, 24 hours in each day, and 365 days in each year.

Real-time however is a bit more difficult to understand because it is relative. A good example of this would be an upcoming vacation. If you have waited all year long for your vacation to arrive you will notice that the final few weeks seem to really drag on. It seems as if time has slowed down. On the other hand, when you are doing something that you really enjoy it appears as if time flies. The reason why this happens in these two examples is because of real-time. Therefore, the first thing that you need to understand before you can manage time properly is which time zone are you living in, clock time or real-time?

The majority of time management systems and gadgets will not work because they are specifically designed to manage clock time and clock time is irrelevant. People do not live in clock time but rather they live in real-time. During the year there will be times when time is flying by while at other times it will seem to be dragging along. To help you manage time you have to realize that real-time is mental. You are the one that creates your own real-time and since you are the creator you can also be the manager.
The first thing that you will need to eliminate is concepts such as “not having enough time” or “I ran out of time” or “this is not the right time.” These type of negative time thoughts will sabotage your goal to manage your time even before you get started. Real-time consists of three things: conversations, thoughts, and actions. Your entire life will revolve around these three things and if you follow the following techniques you will be able to better manage your time.

The first thing that you will need to do is carry a small notebook that contains a schedule. Record all of your conversations, thoughts, and activities for one complete week. At the end of the week analyze how much time you spend doing each one of these activities. This will help you to visually see how much time you are wasting on unproductive conversations, thoughts, and actions as opposed to how much time you are spending being productive.

Some people like to create to-do-lists. However, as the to-do-list grows longer and longer there comes a point where it becomes undoable. This will frustrate you to no end and rather than keeping a to-do-list you should have an appointment book to record schedule appointments. Always make an appointment with yourself and plan to spend at least half of your time engaged in activities, thoughts, and conversations that are productive. Also include a block of time for unplanned interruptions. These simple time management tips can help you to manage your real-time.