Time Management Strategies Series

What Will You Do Today? The 2-Step Plan of Attack

By: Balance and Joy Life Coach, Sheri McGregor

Two steps form the foundation for a workday time management plan for home-based
workers and the self-employed:

• Prioritize
• Continually Plan Your Time

Prioritize
Know what you must accomplish. What will you do today? Make a list. Start with absolutes. If you get nothing else done, what top task must you complete? What’s the second most important task, the third . . . and so on. If you don’t instantly know what comes first, make a list then prioritize.

With a prioritized list, you have a plan. Prioritizing is one of the most important effective time management tools. A secondary to-do list strategy is judging how much time each activity requires. Star any items you can complete in five to ten minutes or less. Then you’re prepared to make use of small bits of freed-up time.

Plan and Re-plan Your Time
With a full day and few interruptions before you, starting at number one on and working down your prioritized list may be sensible. Often, though, many commitments of varied length and attention needs fill the day’s agenda. If just two quiet hours exist before the phone starts ringing, the children are out of bed, or you’re expected at a meeting, devote this uninterrupted time to an item among your must-do group that requires full attention. Similarly, with only a few minutes to spend before
taking children to school, beginning phone conferences or other appointments, choose what’s doable in the available time.

One of the biggest problems for the self-employed and home-based worker is incomplete tasks. Plan your time, and as much as possible, finish what you start. Before starting the next task, take a few seconds to consult your list and the day’s agenda. Which top priority will you next complete, and when?

Throughout the day, weigh available time spans against your to-do list. Some larger tasks requiring your full attention may need scheduling in smaller steps over several days. That’s where your weekly to-do list comes in (more about that in another article soon).

The two-step time management strategy to prioritize and continually plan is a solid foundation upon which to build more personalized effective time management skills.