The Five Best Ways to Getting Things Done and Getting More Done in Less Time

Time seems to escape us at the points in our lives when we need time the most. Whether you are a student, homemaker, business owner or 9-5er, you can always use more time. Treating time as we should treat money is the first step toward better time management. But to really find more time in your day, you have to consider time even more valuable than money. Here’s how:

Budget the time allotted for the task.

Ever notice how the time it takes to complete a task seems to fill whatever amount of time you have to get it done? It seems quite the crazy thing, but if you give yourself all day to clean the house, chances are it will take you all day to get the job done. Conversely, if you were to give yourself two hours to tackle a list of household chores you could probably breeze through them in that exact amount of time. Start budgeting your time by setting a limit on how much time you’ll spend on any given project, task or activity. If you feel you’ve frittered too much time away at video games, start setting the timer. Too much TV? Plan your television time by looking at the week’s programming schedule, picking a few shows to watch, then watch only those shows and turn off the set the rest of the week.

Do your most important work during the best and most productive part of your day.

Are you at your best at 10 a.m. but at your worst at 3 p.m.? If so, you then know how to decide which tasks to do during each of those time periods. The best rule of thumb is to match the job and what it requires of you, to the time period that is best suited to get the best results. If the task is extremely important for your career and there’s a lot riding on the output, then that’s the work you do at your most productive and most alert time period. Washing the dishes can be done when you’re less alert, less up to task and maybe winding down for the day.

Make a list of the five things you can do each day that will bring you the greatest future reward and do them each day first and do them during your most productive hours.

Is your to do list a mile long and you feel each day you’re not only getting little done, you’re no where near reaching your goals? If so, then pare down that list and make each day a “top five” day. Sure, you have to keep the house clean, wash clothes and dishes, but to get the most out of your day and your most productive times, center on the five things that will reap the greatest reward. You know what they are, now you need to get them on the list and do them. Every day.

Change the way you think about time.

You can think about time as money, but actually, time is more valuable than money. Consider this: you can always make more money. You cannot, however, buy more time. Now, if you’re truly rich you can hire other people and buy their time and have them accomplish things for you, but let’s assume that you’re not Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. You have 24 hours to each day – use them well.

Re-evaluate your priorities and goals.

If you’re continually in a loop of not having the time to get the things done that you should get done and need to complete, then it may be time to review your priorities (what’s most important in your life? Does your schedule each day of where you allot that time reflect those priorities?) and take another look at your goals (where are you going and where do you want to end up?). If you are spending time on things and projects that are not priorities and are not helping you achieve your goals, then it’s time to make some decisions about how you spend your time. It may be time to start saying “no” more often than “yes.”

Time-management and time budgeting is difficult for most people. Those who do have this under control can accomplish great things and they do it in the same amount of hours that everyone else has. It how you use the time that counts rather than a problem of needing more.