The Best Time Management Tools

Time Management is about what you decide and then do. Time itself cannot be changed, but the way you manage it can be. How you do it depends on the quality of your skills and the relevance of your tools.

Anything you do is much easier if you use tools - the right tools at that. So which time management tools will actually help you to manage your time efficiently and effectively?

Different people like different tools, but whatever you use, make sure they're simple to use, easy to get to and bound to work.

Of the two time management tools that I want to focus on here, one is well known, but often poorly used. The other is far less common, but hugely effective for those who know how to use it. Both have the potential to transform how you live and work:

1. Pen and paper. Keep these with you and you've got a 'capture tool' handy whenever you want to capture thoughts, ideas, numbers, addresses, reminders, or any other information.

Use the best quality pen and paper that you can. This will encourage you to use them more. To that end, make sure they are small enough to be truly portable, and sturdy enough to cope with the demands of everyday use. By the way, 'paper' could be mean a small notebook or memo pad.

In terms of the three criteria mentioned earlier - simplicity, accessibility and reliability - a decent pen and paper pad win hands down.

2. Do-diary. This combines a to-do list with a diary. Instead of scheduling appointments you schedule tasks to do on a particular date. The only 'rule' as such is that you schedule tasks for tomorrow or beyond rather than adding to today's list (which you wrote yesterday!) as you go along.

The great thing about this type of diary is that you can remind yourself to do things on certain days. For example, you may know the date of someone's birthday. Use your Do-diary to 'do' what needs to be done to ensure the card gets there on time; in this case, buy, write and send the card, perhaps a week before. Is the birthday on the 18th? In your Do-diary put it in on the 11th.

Go out and buy yourself a decent pen, sturdy notepad and simple diary, or create your own, as I do. Use these two time management tools and, simply put, you'll get more good stuff done. That's what it boils down to!


Source: http://ezinearticles.com/