subject: How To Upgrade Your Time Management Skills [print this page] Time Management skills are not something that humans are born with. Even people who seem just naturally organized probably developed this ability over many years and were not born with it. The fact is, everyone can improve their time management skills. It does take some effort on your part to make changes in your everyday behavior. If you learn how to start and finish essential tasks and stick to a schedule, you will have mastered the most important time management skills. If you are serious about improving your time management abilities, the tips that we will discuss here will make it easier for you.
Take care of the most urgent tasks of the day first. Otherwise, these tasks will be hovering over you while you do less important things. When you start off doing less important things, there is also the risk that you won't even have time to finish the really important ones. If something important takes more time than you anticipated, it's better to take longer with it than to have to rush the job at the last minute. This also has to do with being able to prioritize your work. The most important things get done first and should always be at the top of your to-do list.
Learn how to say no. One of the biggest reasons that people have trouble managing their time is because they don't say no to people. If people are always calling on you for favors, it's hard to get your own work done on schedule. Unless you actually have time to spare, don't be afraid to tell people that you just can't help them out today. This doesn't mean you should say no to everything. It simply means that you should learn not to feel guilty saying no to the things that unnecessarily take you away from your own work.
One skill you really need to develop to get better at time management is delegating tasks. Trying to do everything yourself is just not good. Delegating out the small tasks that are not as important will free up a lot of your day for the tasks that are very important. You won't be so bogged down in details, so you can think about your larger goals. If you spend too much time on trivial tasks, they can be a real distraction. Of course, delegation is something that lots of people have trouble doing. You will just have to learn to get over this.
Developing time management abilities takes time and effort. Almost everyone has a tendency to waste time on occasion. We all get distracted. We all have days that "get away from" us. What's important is that you keep trying. The more you try to stay on task, the easier it will become. You will one day realize that getting things done is natural to you. It won't even take any special effort. Then your time management abilities will have reached a new level.
