Chapter 6: Action Plan
To effectively manage your time, you have to want to do it. You must plan and schedule tasks and events ahead of time, in order to make the most of your time. When it comes to setting up an Action Plan, you are basically mapping out your life and the tasks you need to complete in order to successfully meet your goals. Follow these important steps when designing your plan:
1. Choose and set your goals. Make it clear as to what you are actually trying to accomplish and what it will take to get there. Also, be sure to include a timeframe you wish to meet this goal within and how you will identify that you have met it.
2. Once you have set your goal, you have to write down all the steps that you need to take before you …show more content…
Setting your priorities is a must. Out of your entire to-do list, you must be able to determine what is actually important, and what can wait.
2. Never forget your to-do list at home. This is especially important for the tasks you need to complete outside of the workplace. Keeping a copy of your list on your phone is a good idea, so you can look at it even if you forget your physical list at home.
3. As much as you don’t want to, try to complete your hardest task first. It might not be fun, but at least you will have it finished and out of the way for the rest of the day.
4. If you know you have a big project coming up, start working on it early. You will get more done by working on it a little each day, then trying to cram all your effort in at the last minute. Giving yourself a little extra time will make the project less stressful and allow time in case something unexpected …show more content…
Set aside a chunk of time to go through all of your email and phone messages and reply to them all at once. You also don’t need to check your email all day. Check it a few times throughout the day and shut off your notifications. If the matter is that severe and can’t wait a few hours, someone will call you.
10. Be in the moment. This can be applied to your work environment, as well as your personal life. The two should be kept separate and you should not be focusing on work while you are out of the office and you should not be distracted by your personal life while you are at work. This will lead you to accomplish much less than if you were focusing on one aspect of your life at a time.
11. Be wary of multitasking. Multitasking is definitely a well-coveted skill that not everyone has. It can be great if you are able to do it, but it can put a damper on your time management efforts if you can’t. To play it safe, try to focus on one task at a time because it will take twice as long to complete it if you are trying to complete 5 other tasks at the same time.
12. Not taking breaks is a common mistake people make when trying to manage their time. A lot of people think that if you take breaks, which is less time that you are working diligently on
To effectively manage your time, you have to want to do it. You must plan and schedule tasks and events ahead of time, in order to make the most of your time. When it comes to setting up an Action Plan, you are basically mapping out your life and the tasks you need to complete in order to successfully meet your goals. Follow these important steps when designing your plan:
1. Choose and set your goals. Make it clear as to what you are actually trying to accomplish and what it will take to get there. Also, be sure to include a timeframe you wish to meet this goal within and how you will identify that you have met it.
2. Once you have set your goal, you have to write down all the steps that you need to take before you …show more content…
Setting your priorities is a must. Out of your entire to-do list, you must be able to determine what is actually important, and what can wait.
2. Never forget your to-do list at home. This is especially important for the tasks you need to complete outside of the workplace. Keeping a copy of your list on your phone is a good idea, so you can look at it even if you forget your physical list at home.
3. As much as you don’t want to, try to complete your hardest task first. It might not be fun, but at least you will have it finished and out of the way for the rest of the day.
4. If you know you have a big project coming up, start working on it early. You will get more done by working on it a little each day, then trying to cram all your effort in at the last minute. Giving yourself a little extra time will make the project less stressful and allow time in case something unexpected …show more content…
Set aside a chunk of time to go through all of your email and phone messages and reply to them all at once. You also don’t need to check your email all day. Check it a few times throughout the day and shut off your notifications. If the matter is that severe and can’t wait a few hours, someone will call you.
10. Be in the moment. This can be applied to your work environment, as well as your personal life. The two should be kept separate and you should not be focusing on work while you are out of the office and you should not be distracted by your personal life while you are at work. This will lead you to accomplish much less than if you were focusing on one aspect of your life at a time.
11. Be wary of multitasking. Multitasking is definitely a well-coveted skill that not everyone has. It can be great if you are able to do it, but it can put a damper on your time management efforts if you can’t. To play it safe, try to focus on one task at a time because it will take twice as long to complete it if you are trying to complete 5 other tasks at the same time.
12. Not taking breaks is a common mistake people make when trying to manage their time. A lot of people think that if you take breaks, which is less time that you are working diligently on