Do Something About Time Management And Create A Schedule

time management with tardis, miketflanagan.com

“If you don’t manage your time, your time will manage you”

 

Do you know who said that?

 

Well, actually, it was me – although I didn’t really say it, because I wrote it right here.

 

Time management is the main topic of this post, although you’ll see further on that I am not exactly practicing what I am preaching about at the moment. The reason for this seemingly hypocritical statement is because of the breakdown I suffered in August 2010, of which I have previously written about in this blog. Also check out my About Page.

 

Now, a couple of days ago I created a blog post, which was the first since February 2016.

 

So, why such a long hiatus, as it is now getting on for six months since that February post?

 

Well, that’s a question I really don’t have a simple and straight answer for. I could say that I’ve got nothing to write about; I don’t like writing; I couldn’t be bothered because I’m a lazy so-and-so.

 

Each response could be an answer; an excuse; a reason.

 

But the real answer is that I simply do not know why I do things or don’t do things and I guess it’s just all part-and-parcel of the slow breakdown recovery process, that has actually started to reveal some answers six years after the event. That hiatus-breaking post is somewhat of a milestone as far as recovery goes – check it out here.

 

Writing has not really ever been that much of a problem for me as things do start to flow after a short time, but it still remains something that I sort-of have a love/hate relationship with. It has been worse since the breakdown and I guess a lot of that comes from part of the responsibilities in my previous job, where I had to write responses to tenders, bids and other documents which always seemed to have tight delivery schedules and meant – more often than not – working through the night and weekends to hit deadlines.

 

It’s something that really invokes bad memories for me and has become one of my hurdles to overcome. To do it, I close my eyes and meditate for a short time, getting into a relaxed state and telling myself that there is no deadline or target and no failure for late delivery – because there is no late delivery!

 

Once I get through that, I’m OK.

 

That recent post has broken my blogging drought and I’ll be posting more regularly, but I have to avoid creating anything that remotely resembles a schedule, deadline or target. Which probably does put me at a disadvantage, especially when other bloggers I know use various systems for mapping and scheduling every hour of every day of every week.

 

Not doing it myself is also why I indicated in the opening paragraphs that I may seem hypocritical, but my own current avoidance at doing it is strongly connected with my condition. Taking a broader view, I definitely agree that it is an efficient thing to do, as you know where you are and what needs to be done at any given time on any given day.

 

I’ve personally used various processes for doing this over the years, which have included manual paper-based systems as well as stand-alone and networked software programs and enterprise-wide dedicated project management systems.

 

This is because I was responsible for all technical aspects and budgeting for several projects at any given time. Managing and controlling available time is essential for every executive level employee in today’s corporate world, as one missed meeting or deadline could jeopardize multi-million dollar contracts.

 

Some Tips For A Time Management Schedule

Before doing anything else, make sure you set up a nice clean and organized working environment. Spending time finding things or becoming distracted by something on your desk or on your computer screen all results in wasting a lot of your time. So the first thing you should do is to clear away anything you don’t need.

 

  • Clear away anything on your desk or on your screen that are not required for your tasks.
  • Shutdown any programs or websites, such as email and Facebook, that can suck away your time.
  • Create a list of tasks to be done, either handwritten or on your computer.
  • Always audit what you have or have not achieved at end of each day, identify why things were not done.
  • Prepare a fresh list at the end of each day for the following morning and carry over the tasks outstanding from that day. 
  • Do the small tasks first. Seeing a large number of tasks done will give a great sense of achievement at the end of each day.
  • Close the door or put up a sign showing that you don’t want to be disturbed for a couple of hours.
  • If you have any phone calls to make, schedule them back-to-back.
  • Choose a time of the day to check emails and Facebook. Do it at the same time each and every day and set a time limit.
  • Take regular breaks away from your computer, so that you can come back refreshed.

 

These are the type of things I used to do in my old job and also started doing when I first began my Internet business. But I found it to be too stressful and overwhelming to be confronted with a task list, even though I created it for myself!

 

So, until I can start to become more comfortable with planning and scheduling my time again, I will just continue to do things the way I am doing them now. But, for everyone else I would definitely recommend using some form of scheduled time-management system.

 

Any good mentor will always advocate the use of such a system and it’s a good idea to get into the habit of scheduling your time right from the day you start your own Internet based business.

 

And if you are looking at starting an on-line business of your own, you’ll already know from some of my previous posts that I am an iPro partner member. I’ve made no secret of it and without bias, I can honestly recommend the Business Commission Blueprint as the training to start you off with your own on-line business.

 

Alternatively, if you’ve already had some success with Affiliate Marketing, may I suggest that you take a look at the Affiliate Club.

Mike

time management infographic

 

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Mike Flanagan
In 2014, I retired from Senior Technical Executive post with a top level, global IT systems and solutions corporation. Freelanced in the late 1990's in my own IT consultancy business & rejoined the corporate world 2005. Now decided to go into business again, this time online with an Internet Marketing Company I call CS Marketing (the CS stands for Corporate Survivor). I help others interested in online business and use the technical and business skills gained throughout my professional career.