Home
>
Time Management
>
Managing Time to Accomplish More

Managing Time to Accomplish More

Time is inelastic. Despite what some of us persist in believing, it will NOT magically expand to accommodate all we have to do. So, in order to maximize the time we have available, we have to spend it wisely.

Here's how to do that.

STRUCTURE YOUR TIME

The very first thing to do is understand the structure of your time. If you think of the time you have available as some amorphous dimension, you will fritter it away on this and that without any real consideration of what is the best use of the time available. How many times have you got to the end of your day and felt like you'd accomplished nothing even though you'd been "busy" all day.

All time is not equal. If you're a morning person, your morning time is worth more in terms of productivity than your late afternoon time.

So think of time as variable in terms of potential for accomplishment and identify your most valuable time. Do the same for your intermediate-value time and your lower-value time.

Reserve your most valuable time for your most intellectually demanding activities. Your intermediate value time should be spent on important tasks that don't require quite the same level of concentration. Finally, reserve your low-value time for activities that don't require much in the way of concentration.

Now, obviously, if you have a full-time job away from the home, the decision of how to spend your 9 to 5 hours will largely be out of your hands. So, the best you can do if you're a morning person is to try and take care of some of your intellectually demanding activities first thing in the morning, say between 5:00 am and 7:00 am. On the other hand, if you're a night owl, working a full-time job probably won't be much of a problem for you.

If you run your own business from home, however, effectively structuring your time in terms of peak, intermediate and low-concentration blocks can make a profound impact on your productivity if you use that time intelligently.

IDENTIFY WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

Now that you have some sense of how to best structure your time, you need to turn to what, exactly, you're going to spend that time on.

That means identifying what you have to do. And that means identifying what you DON'T have to do as the flipside.

When identifying what you have to fit in to your schedule, think about all areas of your life. Making time for yourself is NOT something that you get around to only if there's time left over. Making time for yourself is as much a priority as anything else.

A good way of identifying activities that should be included in your schedule is to test them against the criteria of furtherance of an objective. If the activity does nothing to further any objective, why are you even doing it?

So start by identifying objectives for your life. Consider categories such as health, finance, business/career, spiritual, family, social, intellectual and so on. Establish objectives for every area of your life that's important to you.

Everything you do should bring you closer to an objective. If it doesn't, again, why do it?

ALLOCATE YOUR ACTIVITIES

Now that you know how to best structure your time and what activities are going to lead you closer to your objectives, it's time to allocate those activities against the time you have available and in accordance with your various concentration levels.

Begin by estimating how much time each activity in your day is likely to take. Be realistic about what you can really accomplish in one day. If you overload yourself you're only going to stress out about what you're NOT doing and that makes you less effective in what you ARE doing. So pace yourself. Just don't WASTE time.

Assign your most intellectually demanding activities to your peak concentration time. This may be writing a chapter of your ebook or writing an article for the next issue of your ezine. Assign your less concentration-intensive activities to your intermediate concentration time. This may be redesigning a web page or reading and responding to email, for example. Finally, assign your truly "no concentration required" activities to your low concentration periods. If you've allocated time to exercising, this would be a good time to do a workout.

KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE

There's no reason why you can't use the same time to accomplish more than one thing. For example, I am writing this article (a high concentration activity) on my laptop while enjoying coffee in a Santa Monica cafe (a low concentration activity).

GROUP LIKE TASKS

Grouping like tasks will allow you to accomplish more in the same amount of time. It is much more efficient to run three errands while you're out and about rather than making three separate trips. Similarly, it's more time-efficient to run one large load of laundry rather than two separate, smaller loads. So give some thought to these mundane sorts of activities too. There's always a way to shave off a bit of time by grouping similar activities and doing them in one hit. Email's another prime example. Far more efficient to check and respond to mail twice a day than to read and respond to each message as and when it comes in, thereby distracting yourself from what you were doing in the first place.

By thinking about what you have to do and scheduling those tasks in conformity with your concentration levels as well as grouping like activities, you will naturally make the most effective use of the time available. Your productivity will increase proportionately.

About The Author

Elena Fawkner is editor of the award-winning A Home-Based Business Online ... practical home business ideas, resources and strategies for the work-from-home entrepreneur. http://www.ahbbo.com

whole house cleaning Highland Park ..

In The News:

Survive flight disruptions with expert travel tips: Book early morning flights, download airline apps and know your refund rights during service cuts.

Apple's iOS 26.1 update delivers major security fixes, performance boosts and enhanced privacy controls for your iPhone. Discover why updating now protects your data.

Russian hackers use fake CAPTCHA tests to spread dangerous malware targeting governments and journalists. Learn how to protect yourself from these deceptive attacks.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Miami-Dade debuts America's first autonomous police SUV with AI cameras, drone deployment and real-time crime detection in groundbreaking law enforcement pilot.

Bank impostor scams cost Americans $2.9 billion as criminals use AI voices and caller ID spoofing to steal life savings. Learn nine essential fraud protection tips.

Foreign-owned apps secretly harvest personal data from seniors, making them prime targets for scams. Learn how to protect your privacy and stop data brokers today.

Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal introduce bipartisan GUARD Act to protect minors from AI chatbots through mandatory age verification and disclosure requirements.

Ghost-tapping scammers exploit wireless technology to drain accounts through small transactions, but RFID-blocking wallets and transaction alerts can protect you.

French pilot project demonstrates wireless charging roads that can deliver over 300 kilowatts of power to EVs while driving, potentially eliminating range anxiety.

YouTube's Ghost Network spreads information-stealing malware through thousands of fake videos offering cracked software, using compromised accounts and fake engagement.

Protect your privacy by disabling your smart TV microphone. Most TVs have hidden mics that listen even when voice commands are off. Learn quick steps to stop unwanted audio capture.

SessionReaper vulnerability hits Magento and Adobe Commerce stores, compromising 250+ sites in one day. Hackers steal data and hijack shopping sessions.

Master essential parental controls and digital safety tools to protect your kids online. Learn screen time limits, location settings and privacy controls every parent needs.

Cybersecurity expert shares six essential steps to protect against dark web threats, including data removal services, password managers and antivirus software.

NVIDIA GPU space mission could revolutionize cloud services by enabling orbital data centers that make apps, games and AI tools faster and more efficient.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Microsoft warns Windows 10 users face serious security risks as 90% of ransomware attacks target unsupported systems. Learn why upgrading to Windows 11 is crucial.

Nike unveils Project Amplify, revolutionary motorized shoes developed with Dephy that add powered assistance to every step for runners and walkers.

Cybersecurity experts warn about one of the largest credential compilations ever found, urging users to check "Have I Been Pwned" and change passwords immediately.

Quick iPhone and Android battery optimization techniques help your device stay powered all day by turning off hidden features that secretly drain power in the background.

Kodiak Driver autonomous truck achieves perfect 98 safety score, matching top human fleets in groundbreaking AI evaluation by Nauto's VERA system.

New 401k catch-up contribution rules in 2026 will change taxes for high earners over 50. Learn how scammers exploit these changes and protect your retirement savings.

Kurt Knutsson's guide covers social media privacy protection through location settings, account privacy controls and two-factor authentication to prevent scams and data breaches.

Revolutionary retinal implant restores central vision in 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration, offering hope where treatments once only slowed blindness.

Managing Time to Accomplish More

Time Management