Frank Murphy

Ten Essential Time Management Tips
Over the past six years, I’ve picked up a lot of time management tips. Some of them have been helpful and, frankly, some have been useless. Here, I’ve compiled the ten that have served me best. And yes, I’m sure you’ll have heard some of them before ... but are you actually doing them?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re self-employed, employed or a student: over the past six years, I’ve been an undergraduate student, a full-time employee, a part-time postgraduate student, and a freelancer – and these tips work for all those situations!

1. Three Important Things
This is the “big rocks first” technique of scheduling your three most important tasks into your day and letting everything else flow around them.

In case you’ve not come across the “rocks” analogy before, it goes like this:

You’re given a jar, three large rocks, a handful of pebbles and some sand. If you pour the sand and pebbles into the jar first, there won’t be room to force the rocks into it – but if you put the rocks in first, the pebbles can flow around the rocks, then the sand can be poured in to fill the gaps.

2. Always Carry a Notepad
How often have you been stuck waiting for a train or standing in line at the bank with absolutely nothing to do? Keep a notepad in your pocket or purse and you’ll always be able to do some productive work: whether it’s an outline for your next project, a list of ideas for new products, or a few notes for an article or short story.

If you have a PDA or phone that you can type on, try using that instead of a notepad – you can transfer your notes to your computer.

3. Make Checklists
Do you ever find yourself procrastinating on big projects – or spinning your wheels without much idea of what needs to be done next? For almost any project, a checklist is a good way to keep on track. You might keep checklists like:
* Books and articles to read for your next essay
* Steps to take whenever you take on a new client
* Office procedures, such as closing up at night
Checklists are particularly important for tasks which you do on a regular basis: they’ll save you the time of trying to figure out exactly what it is you need to in order to set up a new website or launch a new product. Breaking down a big project into individual tasks is also a great way to avoid procrastination.
Ten Essential Time Management Tips continued - by Dumb Little Man