February 25th
This morning, we welcome our newest guest blogger, Kate Marshall of K’s Notebook, who’s here with some advice on time management…
“Time management.” I was in a workshop recently where the instructor posited that “time management” is a misnomer—the phrase should really be “life management.” Granted, that was the purpose of the workshop: how to manage big priorities in one’s life and then fit the smaller, less important tasks in (and yes, I am paraphrasing a great deal).
The workshop made me take a second look at how I plan my days, weeks, and months. Lately, my system has revolved around Microsoft Outlook for my work calendar (not my choice) and a Quo Vadis daily planner. I came out of the workshop with a Franklin-Covey binder and agenda pages. Each day is on a two-day spread. So I’ve been evaluating that as well. Supposedly it takes 21 days to break an old habit or start a new one. Guess that gives me until March 13 or so to play with planners.
Regardless of which agenda I ultimately use (and I’ve certainly tried many, many brands), I’ve found that I prefer a system that’s mostly paper-based: day planners, calendars, etc. This is probably related to the facts that:
* I’ve kept a paper journal since 1992
* I’ve used fountain pens since 1993
So I’ve been adapting the Quo Vadis and Franklin-Covey planners to my needs, which revolve around the mighty To-Do list. Make a list of tasks. Cross off each completed task. Repeat. It’s not always perfect (what is?) but it works.
The day-to-day tasks can be overwhelming at times. Believe me, I know. But no matter what system one employs, you have to keep the larger priorities in mind. For me, they include family, friends, a blank notebook, and a fresh cup of coffee. Small tasks have their place. But don’t let them consume you (because they will, if given half a chance).
September 24th
In general, I think I’m a fairly efficient person, but I often find I fit the tasks I have to do to fill the time that’s available. Like many writers, I can be very productive when I’m on deadline or juggling multiple assignments. It’s when my workload’s light that things start to go downhill, as I take little breaks to catch up on blog reading, clean the house or re-organize my desk, and put off what little work I need to do until the very last moment.
Many different theories have been put forth to explain procrastination—that procrastinators are perfectionists, for example, or that they lack self-confidence. I wonder if it’s not also because we’re subliminally addicted to stress, since we know that’s one sure way to actually get the job done. If I feel like I’ve been wasting too much time at the end of the day, I start to get stressed, and then I tend to sit down and actually finish the work.
At any rate, the answer is as simple as it is hard to implement: prioritize your tasks, then do them (I also like Karen’s suggestion of using an hourglass to keep track of time). If you’ve got time left over at the end of the day, work ahead—or kick back with a book or a glass of wine and enjoy yourself.
June 4th
In college, as they say, you learn the skills you need for the rest of your life… here are some great time management tips for students that were brought to our attention by a reader:
• Write things down. With so much going on it’s hard to remember every little thing you have to do — unless you write it down of course. Get a student planner or a notebook to take down all your important engagements, assignments and more.
• Stay organized. You’ll save yourself loads of time later by staying organized from the get-go. Instead of having to hunt around for notes, assignments and misplaced papers, keeping them all in one place makes studying and doing homework easier and less stressful.
• Focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking may seem like a good idea, but really you’ll get more done by focusing your energy on one task at a time. Once you’ve finished one thing you can check it off your list and move onto the next.
You can read the full list at this website… I dare say some of it’s useful to us non-students, too!
