Time Management Tips

Wasting time clutters up our lives. Most people will claim "There just aren't enough hours in the day." But we all have the same amount of hours. Some people can make those hours work for them while others constantly feel overwhelmed and behind. Which are you? Have you studied your habits to see where you waste time? Are you consistently late everywhere you go? Why? Do you pay bills late although you have the money to pay them on time? How can you make the most of your time?

Some people don't know how to prioritize. Each night, I make a list of what I need to do the next day and I number the items in order of priority. If I need to run errands, I list the errands in the order that will save both time and gas, if possible. If I need to do housework, I think about what's the most important and what's the least important and prioritize it that way. I try to multi-task where possible. If I need to do laundry, I throw a load in while I clean the house so two things are being done at once.

Are you always 15 minutes late? If you are consistently late, you CAN be consistently early. Budget your time or get up earlier and DON'T hit that snooze button!! Being late reflects poorly on you. When you enter work or a meeting late, you're already behind; you've already missed something. If the boss has to repeat the first 15 minute schpill all over again, you've inconvenienced him and your co-workers and they'll lose respect for you. Learn to be early. Then you'll feel like you're ahead of the race rather than falling behind, and you'll have a better reputation.

Do you procrastinate with bill-paying because it takes too much time? Do you often have late notices and extra fees simply because you didn't pay a bill on time, although you had the money to do so? Get your bills set up on automatic bank drafts. It will save you time, postage or gas, and late fees or reconnect fees. Your bills will come out of your bank on their due date. With some utility companies, you'll be charged an additional deposit if you're always late.

Organize your bill paying center in such a way that paying bills is effortless. Are you hunting thru the house to locate all the bills? Find one location for them. I have a set of 3 drawers (12 x 12) that sit on the filing cabinet. As my bills and bank statements come in, they go into drawer #3. I also keep a list of the bills I have due each month and the approx amount. So if I bill doesn't come in, I know it should and can call and see what the amount is. You're responsible for the bills even if you don't get a bill. The excuse that it must have gotten lost in the mail won't fly with the companies.

I usually pay bills twice a month. I gather my bills, checkbooks, and calculator and quickly balance my checkbooks and pay the bills. Then I'm done for another two weeks. I also take care of my brother's checkbooks (personal and two business checkbooks) and my mother's checkbooks. I sit down and deal with them all at the same time and it takes me about an hour to do all of them. Most bills are on bank draft, so it's easy!

Stop using debit and credit cards. Honestly, those "cash rewards" are no rewards. Your bank and the credit card companies know you'll spend more if you pay with plastic rather than cash, so you're not really making money. Pay with cash and you'll spend less. You'll also save time by not having to sign anything. At the end of the month, you don't have to verify charges on your credit card statement or pay the bill.

Do you spend too much time on the phone, the internet, Facebook, etc? Are things not getting done because you need constant contact with everyone you know? Do you really have anything that important to say? Some people can talk on the phone for hours on end. I can't. I hate the phone and only use it for necessary calls and I keep them brief: "Are you home? Ok, I'm coming over. See ya in a minute." I like to talk in person. I have a cell phone (no home phone anymore) and I may use up 30 minutes a month. I do a lot of "chatting" by email. I type 80 wpm so I can say what I need to say quickly and go do something else. I do NOT use "chat" online. Most people type slowly so I sit and wait and wait for responses. Email is most efficient. I do not live on Facebook either. I see it as a waste of my time. I really don't care what anyone is doing 24hrs a day and I don't want to share that much of my life online either. Again, the people who are important in my life will email me or come see me.

Are you organized? Being organized saves a lot of time. Decluttering your home, storage shed, car, etc. can save time by not having to look everywhere for the thing you need right now.

Do you make shopping lists so you don't forget anything at the store? It can really save repeated trips, time and gas. The real trick is remembering to take the list with you when you shop. LOL I keep a magnetic notepad on my fridge and each time I run out of something, I add it to the list. When I'm ready to go shopping, I don't have to sit down and make a list. I just grab it off the fridge and go. I also shop at 3 a.m. (not something everyone will do but I'm often awake then). Walmart is pretty empty except for the stockboys so all those leisurely shoppers and their screaming kids aren't in my way. I have the whole store to myself and can run thru the aisles tossing things into my cart. At the checkout there's no line so I check out quickly and I'm on my way. No traffic on the roads either! I NEVER do walmart on a weekend. If I must enter Walmart during the day, I go on a slow day (Mon or Tues. before 8 a.m.).

What bad habits do you have? How can you overcome them and make the most of your time? What time management tips do you have that we could all benefit from?