Effective Time Management System for Tasks
Job duties and work tasks for some people can cause stress and far too much concern than is needed. Completing your task list effectively is quite simply about finding a system which works for you and then making it a habit to use it constantly.
I get asked on many occasions how I manage to keep up with all my tasks, projects, business ventures, appointments, errands, trip planning and calls to make, and then still find time to disappear for six weeks every couple of months. Most people who ask me use multiple pieces of paper, post it notes and the back of their hands for jotting down to-do notes.
My system is easy, but you have to be strict and constant. What takes me one hour each day would take most people a full day. Being effective with your time is the only way you will be able to become a Rat Race Winner. The majority of business owners have the mindset that by working for themselves they have actually escaped the Race… WRONG! If you are self employed and work more than ten hours per week then you are still part of The Rat Race.
Leaving The Rat Race means that you have multiple streams of income and you are then free from work to experience everything life has to offer. What it doesn’t mean is you have your own business and work ten or more hours a week, fifty weeks per year! If this is the case you are still an employee; difference being you work for yourself.
By using effective systems and automation, you can then step back from your business and finally be free.
By the way; to become a ‘Business Owner’ and not an employee (whether it be for your own Company or someone else’s) you must be able to leave your business for a minimum of one year and it is basically unaffected by your non-involvement.
My Long Journey Of Task System Invention
When I first started in business I considered myself to be ultra organised and efficient. I used to have a notepad for writing every task for the day. As I worked through them in no order, I would highlight completed tasks and anything outstanding would be continued and wrote down again on tomorrow’s task. This would then repeat each day. By most peoples standard this method if still a better method, and if you currently have a similar system I applaud you; now take it to the next level…
As my duties and tasks increased I found that it was taking one whole hour each day to maintain just the Task List. Eventually when my total working hours each week topped out at seventy hours; to save my sanity and reduce sleep deprivation I heavily researched the art of time management.
My next system included the use of small pocket sized cards. They were sectioned off into different categories with these titles:
- At a Computer
- At Home
- At Office
- Calls To Make
- Errands
- Learning Goals
- Long Term Projects
- Meetings
- Reference Material
- Waiting For
I would then segregate all my tasks into the appropriate headings. I then worked through and completed each task using the ‘Batch’ method. For example, if I was sat at a computer, I would flip over to the ‘At Computer’ section and work through every task, once completed I would put a strike through. If I was then out on appointments or sales calls I would flip to the ‘Errands’ section to see what materials needed collecting or what items needed collecting from suppliers.
I used this system for about a year and found it has several major flaws. Firstly it was impossible to back-up, if I lost the cards it had the potential to send my world in mayhem and I would definitely experience some serious pulling of my hair! Secondly after months of completed tasks the pack of cards grew to a size where it began to draw people’s eyes to my lower regions when it was in my pocket. And the final flaw was I had to manually check each day for tasks which had completion dead lines.
Never the less this system still vastly increased my efficiency and reduced my hours back down to forty hours per week.
Similar Posts:
- Task Time Management System Using A PDA
- How To Handle The Paperwork Mountain
- Using The SMART Mnemonic To Help Set Goals
- How To Plan And Set Goals
- Effective and Efficient Filing System
Task Time Management System Using A PDA
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