Do you often feel overwhelmed, or as if you are spinning your wheels, or you can never finish all the things you need to do? Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis to another putting out fires. Let’s face it, we could all use help to better manage our time.
Discover 9 of the most common mistakes people make in using their time.
Mistake #1: No To Do List
Is your day full of obligations and you are running around from one thing to another causing you to forget to do something important? If so, that’s probably because you don’t have a To Do List.
Having a To Do List is a great way to stay on track. Nightly, you should have your list ready for the next day.
Mistake #2: No Goals
Do you know where you’d like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even five years from now? If not, it’s time to set some goals!
It’s wise to set three types of goals: Personal, Business and Spiritual. You should also set short-term and long-term goals. Goal setting is essential because it helps you manage how you spend your time. When you know where you want to go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there.
Mistake #3: Not Prioritizing
Once you create your to do list, you must prioritize it. This allows you to manage your tasks and keeps you on track. Some urgent task may come up from time to time and you need to tend to it. Once you take care of this urgent matter, you must get back to your to do list. Make sure you prioritize your list.
Mistake #4: Managing Distractions and Interruptions
Are you practicing the “open door policy? Don’t! Distractions and interruptions can kill productivity and working on your to do list. Close your door and be productive.
Mistake #5: Procrastination
Procrastination is when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now until later. If you have to do something, just do it. Procrastinating will weigh heavy on you.
Mistake #6: Saying “Yes” Too Often
Do you have a hard time saying “no”?? Saying no to certain things is ok. Don’t feel obligated to take on too much. You can’t be everything to everybody. You need to keep your schedule in mind and if you can’t do something, simply say, “NO, I can’t at this time.” It’s better to say “no” now than to say “yes” and disappoint them later.
Mistake #7: The Juggler – Multi-tasking
How many balls do you have up in the air? Don’t think that you can be Superman or Superwoman. Sooner or later, the balls are going to start dropping. Multi-tasking is good some of the time, but not all the time. You can accomplish things faster and more accurately if you focus on one thing at a time. You will save more time and avoid mistakes that result in re-doing tasks.
Mistake #8: Not Coming Up For Air
It’s nice to think that you can work non-stop, but that may not be the best thing for you. It’s important to take breaks and come up for air. You will be able to think much clearer when you take a mental break.
Mistake #9: Bad Schedule
We all have our favorite time to work when we are most productive. Some of us are morning people and some are night owls. When is your most productive time? Know that and take care of the most important tasks during that time. Think of your high-energy time and schedule accordingly.
Avoid these mistakes and you will become a lot more productive, have less stress and obtain balance!
[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
