Guide to Better Managing Your Time

Organize your day for more productivity

By Diane Benson Harrington, Freelance Writer, Diane Benson Harrington

1. Get a handle on all that needs to be done
2. Prioritize
3. Set limits

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn to love lists and logs

Keeping track of every task — and every minute of your day — will give you a true sense of all that's on your plate.

I recommend: See how much time everything — from phone calls to bathroom breaks — really takes by clocking all your activities and projects with software like TimeWhiz, TimeSheet or Hours (all of which are Palm compatible and can be imported into a spreadsheet or database). Programs like FranklinCovey's PlanPlus will help you plug everything into to-do lists.

Ditch the endless piles

An office full of unnamed piles here and there will only add to the confusion.

I recommend: Software solutions like The Paper Tiger and Macintosh's Spotlight can make it easy to track down anything in any document on your hard drive. Advanced Filing Systems and BinderTek have a plethora of products targeted to your needs. With products from Levenger or Hold Everything, your office can look classy instead of sterile.

Do what's most important first

If you tackle the crucial projects first, you won't find yourself as pressed for time at the end of the day.

I recommend: Prioritize your workload with the help of MindTools.com's template.

Take charge

A 24/7 open-door policy is the straightest road to time mismanagement. Close your door when you really need to concentrate, and tell your employees when you're available — and when you're not. Set specific times to do bulk activities, like returning phone calls or emails.

I recommend: Don't be afraid to use something as simple as a kitchen timer to keep you on track, whether with tasks, phone calls or meetings. Multievent timers let you stay on top of more than one thing at a time. A more sophisticated model is the Emergent Task Timer.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Choose organizers that work for you. Need everything in sight? Try vertical desktop or wall-mounted filing systems instead of file drawers. Choose labels that work best for your style of working.
• •  Delegate. A great way to carve out more time is to hand off some projects, or at least portions of projects, to others.
• •  Give projects at least 10 minutes of your time. If you can spend a few minutes writing the first paragraph or two of that report or making a list of people to call, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment — and you'll know just where to start the next time you pick up the project folder.
• •  Go five for five. Spend five minutes at the start of every day reviewing your to-do list and psyching yourself up to divide up your day well. Take five minutes at the end of every day to make a brief to-do list for the next day.