Manage Your Time & Take Back Your Life

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www.GivingGrinch.com
BudgetFree for Life!
January 2009 Mid-Month Newsletter
Editor: Shreyas Nanavati
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Website: http://givinggrinch.com/
Blog: http://givinggrinch.blogspot.com/
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Earlier this month I mentioned the addition of guest writers to share their particular expertise, with an emphasis on either money advice or a balanced life. My first featured writer focuses on the latter. I hope her tips will improve your daily life. Regards, Shreyas Nanavati


Manage Your Time & Take Back Your Life by Jackie Nees, Integrity Office Solutions

These days we are more overworked, stressed out and unhealthy than ever before. We’re so busy all the time and yet the “to do” list never seems to end. Why is this? Well one reason is because we have become accustomed to over-scheduling ourselves because we are trying to be everything to everybody. Another reason is because we are managing our time ineffectively. We are falsely lured into thinking that having the latest gadgets, tools and systems will keep us organized and things running smoothly.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love gadgets as much as the next person, but as great as they are they can be a distraction from accomplishing the actual work at hand. We feel obligated to constantly check our email, respond to text messages and grab every phone call that comes in. These activities sure do keep us busy but what do we accomplish at the end of the day? Not a whole lot. The following are some time zappers that may be keeping you from managing your time:

• Checking or writing emails
• Instant Messaging
• Texting
• Social Networking (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
• Organizing your desk
• Trying to find files on your computer

All of these things, though you may feel productive while doing them, don’t always benefit your bottom line. Here are some suggestions to help manage these activities so you can maximize your productivity and your free time.

Check Email Twice a Day
I know it’s a scary concept but it can be done. Most of the email that comes through your inbox is not so crucial that it can’t wait a few hours. Decide which times each day you will check and respond to email and stick to it. Create an auto responder in your email program that says something like, “Hello and thank you for contacting me. In an effort to increase my productivity during the day I have decided to check my email only twice per day at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. If this is an urgent message, please call my cell number at (555-5555) otherwise I will respond to your message as soon as possible.”

Stealth Yourself
If you’re a Yahoo Messenger fan like I am you know they have this really great feature called “Stealth Settings”. If you must have your messenger program running throughout the day because you need to stay in contact with a client, customer or other important contact then you can make yourself visible to that person only and appear “offline” to everyone else. This is a great way to eliminate unwanted interruptions from well meaning friends.

An Hour a Day for Social Networking
Social networking has become one of the fastest growing, most effective ways to make valuable personal and business connections. I highly recommend social networking to everyone and use it myself every day to grow my business. However, this type of networking can be very time consuming. Between setting up profiles, interacting with users and updating your status, you can see how this can take a huge amount of time out of your day. My recommendation is to limit your social networking to an hour a day by following these simple tips:

• Limit your networks to 3-4 high quality sites that you know and trust.
• Rather than updating your status on each individual network, use an application like ping.fm to update multiple networks at once.
• Respond only to direct messages or replies that involve you or that interest you.
  
• Don’t feel the need to read the updates of all of your contacts if you’re short on time.
• Choose quality over quantity when following others.
  
• Be selective about who you follow and who follows you.
  
• Follow people you know, trust or who come recommended by other people. This will help to maintain the quality of what you are reading and responding to.

If you are an avid Twitter user like I am, manage your tweets easily with TweetDeck which allows you to group all of the tweets in your network by direct message, @replies and all tweets. You can even create groups to read tweets from your favorite people (or Tweeple).

Organize Your Workspace
Having trouble finding things on your desk or on your computer? You can reclaim your work space by following a few steps:

• Designate a day once per week to organize your workspace and file paperwork.
• Create a desktop filing system consisting of an Inbox, Outbox, To Read and To File slots. Whenever something comes across your desk, put it in the appropriate slot to make sure it is handled properly.
• Keep one project at a time on your desk to avoid having to look for files or important information.
• Color-code your files according to project or client so they are easily located and easily returned to their appropriate spot.
• Create folders for your computer and keep important files on a flash drive. This serves two purposes: 1. Your files are backed up in case your computer crashes 2. You always have them with you if you need to work out of the office.
  

Play Beat the Clock
One of the most effective and inexpensive ways I have found to stay on track during the day is using a kitchen timer. I got this idea from a coaching friend of mine who recommends it to her clients. When you have a project to work on or any task for that matter, set a timer for how long you’re planning on working on it. When the buzzer rings, time’s up! This trick is fun and it helps keep you focused.

Delegate
If you are constantly wishing that you had more hours in the day to get things done, why not consider delegating? Business owners should use a Virtual Assistant (or VA) to handle the administrative, marketing or technical tasks you don’t have time for or simply don’t want to do. Virtual assistants are a growing trend in the small business world and are extremely cost effective since you only pay for the work assigned. There is no need to worry about additional costs such as salary, benefits, purchasing equipment or payroll taxes. Most virtual assistants work on an hourly or retainer basis and many are specialized in specific areas. By delegating tasks to a VA you are allowing more time in your day to work on other projects or do things you enjoy.

Learning to manage your time is a process but by doing so, you will not only have reduced stress, increased energy and more free time but you’ll also feel more in control of your work, your activities and your life.

About the Author:
Jackie Nees is a virtual assistant, freelance writer and blogger. She specializes in working with women entrepreneurs and “helping women who want it all, have it all”. Subscribe to Jackie's monthly eZine "Integrity Insights" by visiting http://www.integrityofficesolutions.com/. Her latest report “The Modern Girl’s Guide to Marketing Your Business Online” is available free when you subscribe.