With all the responsibilities you shoulder and the pace of life these days, how can you find
\nthe time to get it all done? Here are nine ways time management experts say you can dial
\nup your efficiency, and find all the time you need to succeed in business and enjoy your
\nfamily and friends.<\/p>\n
Many studies have found waking up early is tied to success. The fact is, most successful
\npeople start their days early. Virgin Group founder and chairman Richard Branson and
\nformer Disney chair Bob Iger are early risers, and nobody beats Apple CEO Tim Cook, who
\nstarts his day at 3:45 a.m.! Beginning early gives you a head start on your competitors and
\nlets you take advantage of a part of the day that\u2019s way more productive because it has
\nfewer interruptions.<\/p>\n
Organize everything\u2014your workspace, physical files, computer files, storage space. Once
\nyou get organized, stay that way. This saves you the surprising amount of time you can
\nspend wondering whether you have things, and where they might be.<\/p>\n
Establish a routine to follow each day, including a regular time for going to bed\u2014then follow
\nit! A daily structure helps you meet deadlines and stay on top of your most important tasks.<\/p>\n
Make up a schedule that includes all your tasks, appointments, and deadlines, allotting the
\ntime you think each will need. Then record the time each activity actually took. You\u2019ll
\ndiscover where you\u2019re wasting time and see how to work more efficiently going forward.<\/p>\n
Determine which activities are the most important, and do those first. As you approach a
\ntask, ask yourself if you really have to do it now. If you don\u2019t, don\u2019t begin it. Move on to
\nsomething else.<\/p>\n
There can be a ton of distraction in our lives\u2014texts, social media notifications, emails,
\nphone calls. First, give yourself a quiet place to work. Then while you\u2019re working, close your
\nemail program, put your phone on Do Not Disturb, and devote all your focus and energy to
\nwhat you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
Human beings can only do one thing at a time. What we call multitasking is actually an
\nactivity in which you keep switching between a bunch of uncompleted tasks. Research has
\ndiscovered that people who multitask get less done in the day. They waste more time
\ncontinuing to address a flurry of multiple activities than if they had stayed with a single task
\nuntil it was done.<\/p>\n
When you work fast, you make mistakes. At worst, you deliver substandard work. At best,
\nyou wind up wasting the time it takes to correct the mistakes. The answer is to concentrate on working smoothly through a task, even when you\u2019re interacting with others. You\u2019ll get a
\nlot more work done in a lot less time\u2014and it will definitely be higher quality.<\/p>\n
When you keep complaining that you don\u2019t have the time you need to do everything, you
\nend up being correct. However, if you stay positive and organized, and prioritize your tasks
\nand keep focused on them, you usually will have the time you need to get it all done!<\/p>\n