Time Management is a big subject for Success

Time Management IS Task Management at it's most basic. Time is a finite thing. There is no such thing as 'spare time'. It's an illusion. So you must manage how you use it.

But when considering task management you must also consider goal setting. You can't appropriately manage your time without having well defined goals. What are you trying to achieve?

Start with the BIG Picture. What is your life's purpose or your life time goals? Here are 3 different methods for figuring this out. Do all three. They complement each other.

Try brainstorming on your dreams. You need to really want and like what you do to follow through to your dreams.

If you're not good at what you're doing, you won't enjoy doing it. So do Question and Answer life review to find out what you are good at. Your strengths, talents, and aptitudes.

Use Visualization to refine your dreams and bring them into focus.

After you've figured out what you want in life, you must write in down. Read Goal Statement Examples to learn how to do this essential time management task.

Sometimes you need to get control of the here and now before you can focus on the big picture. In this case you may want to start at the other end with "To Do" lists and prioritizing. Or maybe "SMART" goals for immediate goals for an immediate payoff. (SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time limited) They sound great, but I've never used this method, so I won't get into it.

You engage in Time Management in order to reach your goals. After you determine your goals you move to task management. This is creating a system to get things done, both the routine stuff like grocery shopping and the goal stuff like making phone calls to get financing for your new business. It maybe a set of 'To Do' lists.

Perhaps you'd like GTD. This is the method of managing to-do lists espoused by David Allen in "Getting Things Done". It is what I use and recommend.

You need to ask yourself many questions on what is important to you and come up with answers. Here's some suggestions to help you Manage Priorities. Without priorities focused on your gaols, you can check a lot of items off your to-do list without doing anything toward a goal.

• Discover and set your goals.
• Write down your goals.
• Keep a task or 'to do' list of everything you want to do.
• Review your goals and prioritize your tasks daily.

Task Management is Time Management.

If you are having difficulty reaching your goals you may have problems believing you can achieve your goals. In that case read Finding Your Blocking Beliefs to help you get past that barrier.

Here's a great website to help you learn how to meditate for a healthy heart and connect with your priorities.

Comments:

Wasting Time

Comment by Mark from USA
i like to waste my life and need help managing my time

Mark,
I assume you mean you spend a lot of time doing things that you are not a priority or part of your goals. There are a lot of reasons this happen. I'll touch on a few of the most common.

Not Interested / activity distasteful.
This could be something like doing homework, exercising, cleaning the bathroom. In that case you need to find some benefit you get out of the activity that you can appreciate. When I don't want to exercise I think of my mother who passed away at age 65 with a body of a 90 year old. I don't want to be like that, so that image gets me up and moving.

Depressed
If everything just seems like too much effort, seek professional help. See my article on Depression

Overwhelmed
If the project seems too big and you just don't know where to start. Break it in to small, more manageable pieces.

A Blocking Belief
You have some hidden belief like "I'll screw it up anyway" or "Rich people are evil, so it's better to be poor" See my article on Blocking Belief

In order to determine what the problem is, carefully observe what you say to yourself at the moment of decision. When you want to do something and can't get yourself to move.
- Natalie