Service Hints/ Can YOU Manage Time?

Time management is commonly defined as the management of time in order to make the most out of it. You can't manage time, it "marches on" as the saying goes. What you really manage is your activity during time, and defining outcomes and actions required is the core process required to manage what you do.

1. Make lists and daily/weekly plans and keep them in one place on your MyHoneydo space You can print them, reorganize them, add and delete items etc. It eliminates all of the little slips of paper that get lost. It also eliminates lots of clutter. By writing things down, it will reduce the stress that comes from trying to remember many obligations, activities, appointments, and to-do's. You don't have to rewrite and copy partial lists of things multiple times etc. Ten minutes of daily planning saves 60 minutes of poorly used time.
2. Just Do It! Once you make your lists, organize tasks by priority. Do the most important, hardest, or most challenging things first. You will feel much better having gotten the hard stuff done, and then you can relax a little while you handle the easier tasks. Try to end your day with easy/fun things that will leave you feeling good and help you sleep better. Procrastination is the biggest time waster and the hardest habit to break! Don't confuse activity with results!
3. Control interruptions Don't let your inboxes or cell phones control you. When you do, it puts everyone else in control of your time. It is way more productive to set a time of your choosing to deal with email, mail and messages after you have completed the high priority tasks for the day. Put a Do Not Disturb sign on your office door to get the important stuff done every morning. Your day often gets out of control by taking a call or text message you did not expect. Then at the end of the day your list of priority tasks is still undone! Remind yourself how disruptive text messaging and cell phones are to your daily plan. Remember the goal is for you to be in control!
4. Touch it Once Whether it is mail or papers on your desk, or a bunch of clutter in the family room. Don't shuffle it from place to place. You will only have to deal with it later. When you pick it up, take action to dispense with it. In other words, write a response, delegate the required action (to kids or subordinates), put it away, or dispose of it. Most clutter is from stuff that we should have dealt with the first time we touched it. Organize your space at the end of each day to begin the following day with a fresh start.
5. Say No Being busy is not a bad thing. Most of us enjoy it. What we don't enjoy is doing seemingly useless and mundane stuff. So don't do it. If it isn't important enough to put on your priorities, don't let someone else dump it on you. By the way, some of the mundane is important but not of much interest, like doing the laundry or attending a weekly conference call. Learn the difference between "Do I need to do this now?" and "Do I need to do this at all?". By the way, an IPod with a good book or your favorite music can help get you over the hump.
6. Time for Yourself Always include time for yourself each day to relax in your favorite ways. Don't forget the exercise. It really is invigorating and as we all know it mentally and physically gives us the energy to deal with everything else in our lives.