I use these strategies to manage my time, both personally and professionally: I prioritize tasks based on the necessity and how critical they are to operations or people. I make sure the most important things come before everything else. I use my calendar to schedule things at work and at home. I have a separate work and personal calendar. I make lists. I have a daily list and a separate list for long term items. My daily list may include long term items, but I make one list every day. If something is not complete, I carry that over to the next day, or I reschedule that task. I look ahead to forecast and plan. I get help or delegate items that people can assist me with. I make sure I have time to take on any task that I accept. I get assignments like everyone else, but I have to watch how much extra stuff I take on.
Some obstacles I face in time management, and how I remove them: I let myself get distracted. I have to focus and decide how much time to spend on a task. I will also get up and take a break to get refocused. My mind will wander, and I won’t get work done. I can get frustrated when multi-tasking. I will schedule time in the day to do individual things. I will set self-imposed deadlines. I will force myself to eliminate time wasting activities, because I use these to avoid doing what I need to do. Sometimes, I have to close the door and dedicate time to finishing a specific activity and eliminate all distractions. I also find that sometimes the best solution is to just go ahead and do something right now, to ensure it is completed.
As simple as many of these things sound, it can be difficult to manage time to accomplish tasks. Always being prepared for an emergency call, along with the amount of distractions, whether from people, email, electronic devices, phones, or whatever else, it is important to find a way to manage time effectively.