Weekly Course on Time Management – Week 19 – Time Management Practices of Successful People – Part 2

Let’s begin from where we left off.

In last week’s course on time management, I shared the three most critical time-management practices that successful people worldwide follow. This week, I continue with some more time-management practices that will help you to manage your time effectively.

Take Breaks

Although this time-management technique might seem absurd to you, it really works. If you think working continuously is a great way to increase productivity and get more done, you are wrong. The right approach is to take scheduled breaks throughout your workday. The technique is equally useful for people who work in the office and stay-at-home moms. As Tina Willis, the owner of Tina Willis Law, suggests, “taking a break is key to performing your best during the workday.” She further adds, “When I am not in court or attending a hearing, I take a break each day (a midmorning) and go for a run or exercise,” which means that she starts her workday in the morning, take a break to go for a run and get back to work upon return.

Another successful author and entrepreneur Arianna Huffington makes sure she takes breaks during the day, particularly for meals. She says, “Even if you take a 20 minutes break to do that (lunch), it’s more recharging than eating lunch while working.”

Taking breaks recharges you and boosts your productivity and decreases stress, which helps you to spend the day better.

Prioritize

It’s not just enough to have a to-do list and to stick to it. Most things on your to-do list will demand your attention. So what’s more important is to know what matters. As you come up with your to-do list, spend some time prioritizing which tasks need to be done today. Think of the things “that are most important” and then ask yourself if you are devoting enough time to the things that matter?

Once you recognize your priorities, it will be easier for you to focus on tasks that require the most attention. And that could mean that some activities may need to fall off your schedule. But that’s alright as long as you stick to the most important things.

Delegate

You may be great at something like video editing and special effects, but what about content writing? Not so good.

Don’t worry.

We all have weaknesses. You may excel at something but not so much for the other. Don’t let your weakness hinder your way to success. Instead, try delegating things you are not so good at.

And even if it’s something you are good at, you don’t always have to manage everything yourself. Some areas of life are best to pass off to focus more on what is most important.

Know When to Say No

“No is the new yes!”

Yes, that’s right. While humans have a natural tendency to help others, let’s not forget that everyone lives in a world of scarcity. With limited resources, including time, you must learn to say No because the more you say yes, the busier you will be, and you will end up with lesser time for things that require your time and attention. As Warren Buffet rightly said, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that the latter say no to almost everything.”

Give it a try and see if it works for you!

Final Words

There is a lot more to time-management practices. If you get into the details, you can find out about the micro-details of how successful people manage their days, but on a broader level, these are the seven practices they work around and make the most of their time. So the next time you feel lazy, refer back to the busy bee weekly courses on time management and make the most of the time you have for your homeschool (and your life).

Ashley Yeo