Do you ever find yourself wishing there were more hours in day, because there is “never enough time” to get everything done? Do you sometimes feel that you are juggling too many obligations over course of a day? At same time, do you ever feel amazed at how some people seem to accomplish so much in exact same amount of time allotted to us all?Just as fundamental key to becoming wealthy is proper money management (managing your earning, saving, investing and spending), key to succeeding in accomplishing all goals you have set for yourself is effective time management.
Recently, reporter John Stossel of ABC’s 20/20 television newsmagazine exploded myth that Americans have less free time now than previous generations did. Once he learned how to manage his time better, he found he was able to write a book (Give Me a Break).
Surprisingly enough, however, perhaps most important reason for learning to manage time more effectively is to safeguard one’s health.
Studies have shown that frustration engendered by difficulties in coping with our many daily interruptions – telephone calls, e-mails, unexpected visitors, unplanned meetings, sudden emergencies, etc. – leads to increased levels of stress. The effects of this stress can be gastric and digestive distress, as well as intense fatigue and exhaustion.
Moreover, brain research has found that stress-related fatigue is linked more to anxiety about NOT having completed what we wanted to complete than to acute form of stress generated by crises that occasionally come up. Hence, supreme importance of time management.
Managing Communications
You can cut down amount of time wasted on telephone by avoiding being placed on hold. If someone is unavailable right away, find out best time to call back, or leave your number. If you need to make regular calls, try to schedule them in advance according to mutually agreed times.
If a receptionist, secretary or assistant answers your incoming calls, train them to screen calls and refer them to others. Have your staff take messages for you when you do not want to be disturbed, and try to delegate returning some of phone calls to others.
If you take call, let caller know your time constraints. Always keep a pen and pad by phone. If you get a call asking for information you don't have immediately to hand, don't look for it: arrange to call back later.
You can reduce cellphone interruptions by not giving number out to too many people, and not including it on your business card or e-mail signature, unless it really is too difficult to reach you by other means.
Avoid taking business calls on your carphone. Any time you think you are saving by driving and talking at same time will evaporate if you become distracted enough to miss a turn or a highway exit. Even more is lost by having to reconstruct call later, or perhaps repeating much of same conversation, because you were unable to take notes during original call.