Be careful of this misnomer! Nobody but the mystics manages time. What you can manage through will and assertiveness are tasks and other people.

In the big picture, you create a s.m.a.r.t. goal and either plan steps from where you are forward or from the goal backward, or both. In the day to day picture plan each day the night before:

  1. Make a realistic list of what you want to accomplish.
  2. Prioritize the list
    • A= important and urgent
    • B= important
    • C= urgent
    • D= maintenance
        (best approach is to focus on “B” and "D" priorities)
  3. Estimate time needed to accomplish stated objectives.
  4. Schedule most difficult task when you are at your best.
  5. Outline big tasks into doable chunks which suit your optimal working time.
  6. Keep track of interruptions; schedule and obviate
  7. Start—work for a set amount of time—finish.
  8. Record what you actually got done.
  9. Celebrate anything that went right.
  10. Plan the next day.

Power Communication has been instrumental in hundreds of people getting more done and having more fun. The training class involving 1.5 hours per week for four weeks achieves the most profound and lasting results. To schedule a class, click here.

Chance’s comprehensive workbook Cooperative Time Management can supply you with all the tools you need to organize yourself, your unit or your entire company. To order, click here.