I can hear many of you stammering, “What about social media and communications?  What about checking emails and Facebook and Twitter and…”

It’s okay.  I didn’t forget.

My recommendation is to be very careful about these types of tasks because “just checking my Facebook account” can quickly lead to “wasting copious amounts of time on Facebook”.  Even if you’re not inclined to surf the Internet aimlessly, it can happen to the best of us and you can get behind the proverbial 8-ball really quickly.

The answer?  Take control of the situation.  Schedule a few times (perhaps whole 15-minute blocks) throughout your day to address emails, check social media sites, etc.  That way, you won’t be tempted to open your email every five seconds, which can lead to interrupted thoughts and wasted time.

The End Result

Follow your new time planning system for the next three weeks and every day you’ll become more and more efficient.  You may even discover large chunks of time that are just waiting for you to enjoy!  Or you may find that you’re over-extended and absolutely need to delegate some of your responsibilities.  It’s all okay and is part of the learning process.

Remember – the pyramids were built one block at a time.  A great life and a great career are built one task (or even one part of a task) at a time.  Your job as a time manager is to deliberately and creatively organize the concentrated time periods you need to get your key jobs done well and on schedule.

Happy time managing!

Ready to get started?  Below are the first steps to becoming a time planner:

1. Get a really good calendar, use your Outlook (or other email) calendar, or create one yourself using your regular software package.  Your calendar should contain squares big enough to accommodate tasks and should block out time in no greater than 15-minute increments.
2. Divide your current to-do list into two columns.  One column will be all the items that are pretty much preset, such as regular Monday morning meetings with your team.  The other column will contain “floating” responsibilities.  For example, you may occasionally need to attend networking events, but the times and days won’t be consistent.
3. Take all the predictable items from your first column and begin to plot them into your calendar.  Estimate the time needed based on past experiences, knowing that you can always make adjustments.  These will be your “fixed” responsibilities, so it’s best to place them during times of the day where you generally won’t be side-tracked.  For instance, don’t put them into your lunch hour period if you often go out to lunch with colleagues or clients because you’ll compromise your ability to stay on track for the day.  (Hint:  Many people like to do the “fixed” items first thing the morning or last thing in the day, when distractions and emergencies tend to be at a minimum.)
4. At this point, your calendar has probably started to fill up, which is very good!  And that means you can begin to section off “blocks” that will contain your “floating” and one-time duties.  As you section off blocks of time, take your responsibilities from the second column and place them into the available time blocks.  Be reasonable.  If you have to make a phone call to a chatty customer, you might want to give yourself 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes (unless, of course, you’re determined to keep the conversation to 15 minutes, which is a subject for a future post!)
5. You now have a “game plan” with open periods that can accommodate new tasks (and that includes personal ones, like running at the gym or playing with your kids in the backyard) as they pop up.  Feel a sense of relaxation yet?  If you do, you aren’t alone.  Many people find it refreshing to have a map of what their journey (from a time perspective) is going to be.

At this point, you have a solid calendar with your weekly responsibilities.  Each evening, go over the next day’s plan and add anything new that needs to be accomplished (don’t forget to include personal items like buying a birthday gift, going to the grocery store, etc.)

Whew… you’re done… congratulations!

The number of hours in the day doesn’t change. So why does it seem as if some days result in significant achievements while others are practically “write-offs”? It all boils down to how you plan your time.

Becoming a time planner can be one of the most powerful personal productivity tools in your arsenal. Doing so allows you to quickly and effectively:

• Consolidate your one-time and continuing responsibilities;
• Create blocks of time for concentrated, distraction-free work;
• Accomplish tasks that have been on your “to do” list for far too long;
• Shorten your work day (thus allowing more time for friends, family and self); and
• Feel a sense of freedom and power that’s been eluding you.

Who wouldn’t want such incredible results?

But there is a caveat to becoming a time planner – you must be willing to change your habits. That means you’ll need to take the following steps seriously and agree to try them for no less than the next 21 days. However, I think you can do it, especially after you discover how much independence can be produced!