3 Time Management Tips for Busy Professionals

Time management can be a big issue for busy professionals that have many things going on in their lives. For busy professionals that truly want the best for themselves, their business and their families, time management can play a major role as to their success.

If you always feel rushed and you feel you can’t get anything completed during the day you might want to address your time management methods. If you have the feeling of not being able to focus on one thing at a time and not being able to handle distractions well, then you should take a step away from the action and relearn the basics.

Time management is a simple concept: plan and organizes your schedule to make your time as clear and productive as possible. However, as with most busy professionals, we must accept that there will be plenty adversity during the day and we have to deal with it.

If you are finding that you are pressed for free time or that you just feel too busy chasing around, here are some tips to make your time more productive and find some time for yourself.

Wake up a Little Earlier and Take Time to Take Care of Yourself

Remember you have control as to when you wake up. Consider waking up a little earlier. I find that taking the first 15-30 minutes of the day to just think does wonders for my mental outlook. Take a few minutes to have a cup of coffee or tea and write down what you need to do for the day or maybe do absolutely nothing. If you want, write down any tasks you promised your clients, family or yourself to do earlier and prioritize as to when you can complete them.

If you really want to do something great take on exercising: wake up 60 minutes earlier than your family and work out. If you feel motivated, set your wake-up device now, for tomorrow morning. Movement is a great way to start the day and it clears your mind. There is so much to be said for exercising and living a healthy lifestyle. The point is that you want to give yourself a head start. Again: you can control when you wake up.

Take Control of Incoming Demands

Family can be a very powerful distraction that can easily take your focus away. The best thing to do here is to try your best to teach your family members to ask for things one at a time and also (if age permits) show them how to do things on their own. If you are doing something very important and it’s not a life and death request from a family member, try to defer it until you complete the task. Your time can be well spent by teaching your family members to take care of a few things themselves when they ask for something.

Keep a Notebook and Pen Handy…or a Digital Version

Try to keep a notebook with yourself at all times (I  like to use “Notes” on my iPhone, as it is usually near me). As long as you are not driving or doing something dangerous, it is best to write down your random thoughts in a notebook. This way you can decide what to do with the task when you are ready to review new information. This is a good way to decide if an idea is good enough to pursue. More importantly, you can prioritize the idea.

Writing down your ideas and forgotten tasks in a notebook can be a powerful tool in dealing with distractions. If you are like me (with a mind going a mile a minute), a notepad and pen (on “Notes” on your phone) are essential to time management.

Time management is necessary for almost anyone in this super busy world we live in. However, I feel it’s even more important for busy professionals because we are responsible for keeping our families together. Our days are filled with running around for our family, working on multiple projects at the same time plus some of us try to juggle school or business. So time management skills are definitely needed and can really help.

Which one will you try first?