The Eight Most Important Tips You Must Know To Manage Your Time So You Get More Time For Yourself

"No." That's it! THE single most powerful time management tool you have. And it's in your control too.

It can be hard to say "No" to your boss, your spouse or your child but there are different ways to say "No" or to decline a request without being rude or abrupt.

For example when your boss gives you another last minute task try this. "Thanks for asking me to help you on Project X. I would be happy to help you as long as I can give you great work and delivered on time. I know that is important to you. At the moment I am doing Project A for you. Which do you think is more important for me to finish for you?"

You have been very polite. You have confirmed that you want to give good quality work and that you can be relied upon to deliver it when you say you will. And you have put the stress of the decision on your manager.

This is easy to do when you are clear on your values - what is important to you.

Then you can make a clear set of goals for all areas of your life. And once you've done that, then you're in a much stronger position to politely and appropriately say "no" to potential time-stealers, interruptors and less relevant activities.

2. Every week, block in a few important non-urgent actions.

For most people, the majority of the stuff they do is urgent because someone just asked them to do it. But, is it IMPORTANT? Usually those are bigger tasks you're putting off until you 'have time'. Almost certainly they can be broken down into small chunks which are easier to understand and you can realistically start on and ...... achieve something!

3. Keep asking yourself, "What is my highest priority right now?"

This is a great focusing question. When we use it as a constant background mantra or self-question we find it easier to stay on task with the activities that really will make a difference.

4.'How Can I Do This Task More Efficiently?'
Become a 'walking question mark'. There are always better ways to do things. Every time you do a task, look for a shortcut, some way to trim a few seconds or a minute or two off the task. They mount up to a surprising total over a week.

If you save 2 minutes an hour, that is EIGHT days in a working year. Just think how much you could get done or how many more sales you could make in eight days.

5. Block in regular sanity gaps.
What point is there in being wonderfully efficient if we don't take time to enjoy your wonderful life and the amazing world we live in? I've been down the trail of burn-out - it's not a pretty look.

When did you last take a complete weekend off - no email, no business calls, no responsibilities other than the people you're with? Or just say, "I'm going to have time for myself."

You defrag your computer to help it run better. Take regular time off to defrag your brain. You'll come back fresher and you'll also produce better results (just like your computer!)

Give your conscious and sub-conscious time to talk to each other - you'll be amazed at the results.

6. Manage your energy well and time looks after itself.

As I work around the world I'm hearing the phrase 'personal energy management' more and more. Think of your energy levels as your filter or indicator as to whether you're doing the right things.

They're also a clue - if something isn't flowing smoothly there is almost always an opportunity to either change activity or invest more energy into improving things.

A good filter question: 'What's blocking my energy here? What can I do about it?'

7. Eliminate clutter in all areas of your life not just your desk.

When you walk into a clean tidy environment, how do you feel? More energy. More alert. Happier to be there. The more you're connected to that environment, the more impact it will have on you. Someone else's messy and untidy space may or may not have an obvious effect on you, but I'll guarantee that you'll virtually never want to linger.

Keep running a "clutter filter" on yourself. Ask, "Do I really need this?"

Think back how you feel when you clear the piles of junk in your garage, do the spring cleaning or sort out your desk. When you declutter your life you feel cleansed don't you. Make it part of your daily routine and it's never a 'big' job.

8. Don't make email the first thing of the day.

If you get hooked into email first thing in the day, it takes over. In fact, it's an addictive medium. You lose control of your day. You end up with other people directing your day instead of you doing what's important to your overall success.

Spend time on the most important tasks for the day, and (unless it's truly vital that you include an email check first thing) don't come to email until at least mid-morning, and then only for a defined chunk of time. Have two or three email slots through the day and you'll keep on top of most of it. Every now and then you may need a catch up, but in truth, if people are relying on email as the medium for urgent information they're using it wrongly.