Here are steps 5 & 6 in my Time Management series - enjoy!

Step 5: Learn to Prioritize: This is where you get to be ruthless and get away with it. Learn to cut out what is not important and make a list of only those things that need to be done this day or this week. Now, go through the list and prioritize: Does it really need to be done or is it busy work? Is it something you need to take care of personally or is it something you can delegate to someone else?

Learn to distinguish between business priorities/time and personal/family priorities/time. This is a bigger challenge for those who work from home and have a busy household. That stack of ironing may seem to be calling you from the laundry room but it is not. It can wait until after hours or better yet hire someone to do it for you. Chances are being productive for an additional hour will allow you to earn more than enough money to pay someone to do it for you.

If you are a student, that premiere of the new television series may seem like an absolute must but in the long run, if you need to be studying the instructor doesn’t care. Find someone who has a PVR or ask for the series on DVD for a gift. Better yet, if you plan your study time properly, you will likely have the time to watch that one episode. That’s the gift of planning your time!


Step 6: Learn to Delegate: What is it you do on a daily basis that can be done by someone else? Or what projects to you have to have prep work or research done that someone else could do for you. A University student likely has the need for a few extra dollars. For ongoing tasks like newsletters, direct response letters, etc a copywriter may save the day. For phone calls, updates and product management a virtual assistant can be worth their weight in gold.

Did you find this posting helpful or do you have suggestions of other ways to cut down on daily routines? Drop us a line –we would love to hear from you.