Managing time

Most of us have busy lives, and juggle different commitments both at home and at work. Learning to manage our time can help us to reduce our stress levels, become more effective at our jobs and make time to spend with friends and family.

The following are some time management skills to get you started. You might want to rate yourself at each skill as you read the list, and identify three things you’ll practise over the next month.

• Prioritise. Work on tasks in order of importance rather than urgency. A phone call or someone asking for help may feel urgent, but it may be more appropriate to continue concentrating on what you’re doing and let them know you’ll be free in an hour.
• Do the most difficult thing first. Most of us are likely to put our most difficult tasks off until last, but this means we have to face them when we have less energy. If you do half an hour of your ‘most difficult thing’ first, then the rest of the day will be easy!
• Learn to say no. Most of us find this difficult, but if we take on too much then we’ll just end up letting ourselves and other people down. Be realistic about your limits. There isn’t any point in taking on a new project if you know you don’t have time – instead drop one of your current projects or be honest with your manager about the time you have available.
• Avoid procrastination. If you’re putting something off, book ten minutes into your diary first thing in the morning and spend ten minutes on it, and then stop. Repeat this until the task feels easier.