Time Management Made Simple: Five Practical Tips

Try this: Place all of your reading material - as well as a pen, highlighter, and pad of sticky notes - in a folder. Bring this folder with you everywhere... on the train during your daily commute, to business meetings, to doctor's appointments. Take advantage of idle time by reading through the documents, highlighting important text, making notes in the margins, and marking them for photocopying or future reference. You'll get through that pile before you know it, without even having to set aside time to do it!

Procrastination is the avoidance of starting a task. We've all procrastinated at one time or another: concentrated on preparing for the work rather than actually doing it, performed unimportant activities rather the one we set out to do, or deciding to lie down or call a friend instead of starting the job.

Here are some strategies for conquering procrastination:

• Don't put off beginning the project because you don't have everything you need to complete it. As long as you have what you need to get started, you can gather the rest later.
• Start small. Divide the project into chunks. Reward yourself after the successful completion of each unit.
• Imagine how good you will feel when the job is done. If that doesn't work, consider the negative consequences of not doing it.

Too often, business meetings are longer than necessary and don't seem to accomplish very much. Here are some strategies for ensuring successful, productive meetings:

• Prepare and distribute an agenda prior to the meeting. This agenda should clearly define the purpose of the meeting and assign time limits to each topic.
• Confirm that the meeting room contains any necessary electronic equipment, such as a speakerphone or overhead projector. Set up and test the equipment prior to the arrival of the other attendees.
• Start the meeting on time, even if some people are running late. You will be amazed how punctual they will be next time!
• Keep people on track. If a topic exceeds its allotted time or a new issue emerges, add it to the agenda for the next meeting and move forward with the current agenda.
• At the conclusion of the meeting, summarize decisions made and actions to be taken.

Perhaps you are unable to accomplish as much as you would

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