3 Ways To Do More With Less Time

We live in a world where more is expected of us every day.

First there were fax machines, now email and cell phones. Our number of communications daily from various sources is extreme.

How can we get to all of it in a timely fashion and still get 8 hours of sleep?

Here are three time reducing strategies that are easy to implement:

1. Schedule. Like it or not in today's world if you want to achieve greater levels of success you must learn to use a schedule. You can use a Palm Pilot, a journal or a Daytimer. I use the Franklin-Covey Planning software for windows. It pops up when I turn on my computer and it is compatible with my Palm Pilot so that I can sync at night when I leave my office.

Now, having a schedule isn't half as important as using a schedule. It doesn't work if you don't use it? everyday.

I keep track of appointments, make a To Do list and then as I work on projects I enter them in so that I can make a journal of my day. Later, this will help me remember how much time I spent on tasks for billing purposes. I schedule in exercise time and I schedule in personal development time for reading and writing.

Once you get started, you'll find it easier and easier to use. The amount of time saved by spending the time to keep your schedule can be enormous. It helps to eliminate the clutter we create on our desks and in our minds when trying to remember all the things we need to do.

It can also help to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Many times we say 'yes' when something is not really in alignment with our goals. The act of making time for it and getting on the schedule will cause you to evaluate its importance. This can be a tremendous time saver.

2. Systems. Systems are a key component in time management. I have a system for everything! Systems do not have to be complicated but they help to keep you on track and save time. For instance, I use a 'system' for my after-work time. When I leave the office my evening everyday is pre-planned. I drive home, I change, I make dinner, I watch one hour of TV, I work two hours, and I go to bed? A system.

I follow the same system every single day. It removes wasted time trying to decide what I'm going to do with my time. Setting up systems for checking email or taking calls can be a real time saver. If you have tasks that you do regularly, think about ways to systemize them. Sometimes setting up forms or check lists, creating schedules or flow charts, delegating, just about anything can be turned into a time saving system.

3. Lists. Keep lists. You can keep the lists in your schedule but you need to get into the habit of making a list for tasks and systems. Checklists save time because you don't have to think about what comes next. The amount of time I save by using a calculator instead of figuring in my head is enormous?. Using lists is very much the same.

By removing the "think" time you streamline processes and save brain energy for more important things. I have a grocery list prepared in Excel, I print it off before I head to the store and buy only what I need. No time wasted wandering the aisles.

I have a checklist for updating my weblog and writing my newsletter. I have templates for the newsletter and I have time scheduled to do both.

Many times a little time spent upfront can be a huge savings later. When I find myself doing a task that I've done before and feel like its taking too long, I sit down systemize and make a checklist and suddenly I've found 15 or 20 minutes.

Tired of watching others succeed? Discover how to achieve a more prosperous life. Yolanda A. Facio is the author of an incredible new ebook that guarantees you a more successful and productive life. Click Here Now => http://www.newrulesforsuccess.com

More success tips can be found at http://www.strategy-3.com

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

It's Not The Same Old Routine
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around the house. This can cause major frustration because many of us don't do them efficiently, and most of us fail to complete our entire list of chores! You may take comfort in comment from a commiserating colleague: "A creative mind always has more ideas than the physical body is able to carry out.

Find The Time -- Before Its Too Late!
People always seem to be in such a hurry, everywhere I go. Always rushing to get to the next thing, as if someone is holding a stopwatch over their head, timing them to the second.

Having Time on Your Side
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can do to effectively manage your day, week, month or year is to get clear on what it is you want to achieve. When you lose track of your goals or fail to plan appropriately, you end up spinning in circles and nothing gets accomplished.

How To Make Your Job Easier
The techies could do a lot more to make our life at work easier and more pleasant.Take the telephone, for example.

Time is Money?
Not 1 in 10 people can tell you where money comes from, what it is and what it is good for, let alone how and why we get it.The most common error that most people make is to equate money with wealth.

How To Pack 48 Hours Into Your Day
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most of us have been there.

Mercury Retrograde and Time Management
The concept of Mercury Retrograde is very well known even among non-Astrologers.It is an excellent example of the use of Astrology as a planning tool.

How to Put Housework on Autopilot!
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Austin, Texas. It was beautiful and refreshing.

More Time Wanted? Deal with Your Time-wasters Now!
Ever feel that you spend too much time shoring up the performance of some of your people? More time with one or two than with some of the others.And doesn't that just drain you? So think about those employees and how they are draining you and damaging the energy you have.

31 Ways to Get An Extra Hour Out of Each Day
How can you get an extra hour out of each day? For many small business owners this is a daily challenge. I myself have often wished that there were 27 hours in the day.

Time Management Is Key
Having a home based business can be overwhelming. When you work at home, there is a lot to do for both your home based business, your home and you family.

Effective Email and Verses Voicemail
Time management consultant Stephen Young claims that the average time consumed by an unplanned telephone call is 12 minutes, verses 7 minutes for a planned call. This represents five-minute savings every time you jot down some notes before dialing a number.

Making Headway on a Slow Day: 9 Ways to Turn Down-Time into Productivity Time
If you work from home, you know the kind of day I mean. You made the calls.

Top Ten Motivators
Setting goals is the easy part -- but sticking with them over the long run can be a major challenge! Some people think that motivation requires will-power and dedication. Actually, staying motivated is all about setting up an environment that is conducive to you accomplishing your goals.

Self Improvement and Prioritising
The ability to be able to set priorities and deal with our most important tasks first is an essential skill for self improvement and achieving results. We are all busy and there are many demands on our time and it is very easy to be distracted by other people and events.

The Power of Limited Time
The most powerful resource that we have is time. Everything we do is time-dependent and changes forever with the passage of time.

Do You Put a Value on Your Time?
As a small business owner, does the following paragraph sound familiar to you??"Other than doing the technical 'fix-its' with my computer?I do it all! I have found that this keeps me very limited in growing my business and taking on new clients. I wish I had someone to help but how can I justify hiring someone when I can do the work myself?when I have the time?"This is a very common issue for many small business owners.

Time Management is Cause Control
Recently I've experienced a barrage of time wasters. Everything you can imagine, most of them unexpected, many of them self inflicted.

Managing Worry: Productivity Tips for High Achievers Who Worry
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and energy worrying about your finances, your children, your career, world politics? Worry can be a highly useful, brilliantly engineered cue to action or a useless and destructive energy drain. The challenge is to decide which it is, on a case-by-case basis, and manage yourself accordingly.

6 Time Management Tips for Moms
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having enough time to accomplish all your needed tasks and not being organized. Having good organization and management skills is absolutely imperative to your business.