Time Management

We live in busy times and most people lead active lives. Look at your own life for example. Does the following list look familiar? Your job, full time or even part-time, school work for six different classes, sports activities, committee projects, responsibilities at home, social life, relatives, friends, exercise, and the list could go on. What is important is that every person develops a time management system. True or False: It is crucial for everyone to develop a time management system?

A lack of a time management system can contribute to many people feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities clamoring for attention. This can lead to frustration, exhaustion, discouragement, stress, anxiety, and even failure in school or work. Which of the following is not a result of not having a time management system?

Time Management is all about making choices - choices that balance your everyday responsibilities, short-term goals, intermediate goals, long-term goals, and other activities; the urgent and the less urgent. Time management will help you control your life. Instead of being in a constant race with time, always putting out fires, you will work toward your goals and handle your everyday responsibilities in an organized and consistent manner. What is time management all about?

Create a Master To-Do List: This is the classic method for taking charge of your time. Some people pay hundreds of dollars to attend seminars in which this tip is the central strategy. It’s a classic because it does work. The true key to the strategy, though, is that once your list is made you have to get into the habit of checking your list during the day. After making a to-do list, what is the crucial next step?

Group Your Tasks Using A, B, C Grouping: The next step in learning to manage your time involves grouping your activities and tasks into three categories and then ranking them according to priority. After making a master to-do list, the next step is to group the items into an A, B, C, grouping?

A. Urgent - Must Do Things that must be done today. Examples include: Paying a car payment, a dentist appointment, turning in a paper that is due, paying your taxes on the due date. B. Very Important Things that are important and should be done soon. Examples include: Going to the bank, finishing a presentation, organizing your office. C. Important Things that are not too important but should be done. Examples include: Going to a movie, going fishing, cleaning your car. What letter does completing your homecoming assignments deserve?

Write an A, B, or C next to each item on your master to-do list. Next, write all of your A items on a separate list. Do the same for the B and C items. You end up with three lists of grouped activities grouped according to their importance. The last thing to do is to prioritize the items on each list. Each day If you complete the A items and make some progress on the B or C items each day, eventually you will finish most of the tasks you have set for yourself -- this is how you reach your personal goals. True or False: All items deserve to be on the "A" list?

Daily To-Do List: Each day you should write down the activities you need to work on or finish. A notepad app on your smartphone is a great way to keep your daily to-do list. Be realistic and only write down what you think you can actually accomplish in one day. Don’t try to be superhuman and write down 20 items -- attempting to accomplish too much will lead to anxiety and stress. Pick the items off of your A list that must be completed and select some off of your B and C lists that you can work on during the day. You should only write down as many items as you can on your "To-Do" list?

Daily To-Do List: Each day you should write down the activities you need to work on or finish. A notepad app on your smartphone is a great way to keep your daily to-do list. Be realistic and only write down what you think you can actually accomplish in one day. Don’t try to be superhuman and write down 20 items -- attempting to accomplish too much will lead to anxiety and stress. Pick the items off of your A list that must be completed and select some off of your B and C lists that you can work on during the day. You should only work on items on your "A" list each day?