Do you spend your time doing things you love? Do you usually get done everything you really need to do? Time management is a struggle for us on in this ever-connected, 24 hour world.

I thrive on maintaining a busy life. I enjoy being active, challenging myself, and living a full and happy life! Working full time, blogging, holding a volunteer position, being an active Toastmaster, and being part of a loving family takes a lot of effective time management.

I’m not busy just to stay busy, and I enjoy plenty of downtime in addition to all my activities. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a time management ninja, but I do well enough balancing rest and activity and doing most of the things I want to do.

Time management isn’t about how much time I have, but how I use the time I have. By making the most of my time, I get more out of life! Since I want you to enjoy an awesome life, too, I’m going to share some of my top time management tips. Are you ready?

7 Tips For Effective Time Management

Image courtesy of vpickering

1. Take care of you!

Self-care is so important, which is why you may have read one or two (or three) posts about it on this blog. When I take care of myself, and put myself first, I enjoy better health, more energy, improved concentration and focus, and I get a lot more done!

When I’m not taking care of myself I tend to get irritable and frustrated, do less of what I want and spend more time doing it. That’s no fun so I’m going to keep up with my self-care and enjoy the awesomeness that inevitably follows.

2. Take more breaks.

Yeah, you read that right. If you want to make the best use of your time, take more breaks! Not only is taking breaks an excellent way to practice self-care, it’s also a great way to improve problem-solving, inspire innovation, and refocus your brain power.

I have my work calendar set up to remind me to take breaks every work day. Taking regular breaks keeps my mind sharp and I manage my time more effectively.

3. Create routines.

I have lots of routines for everything from getting ready in the morning to organizing my to-do list. Creating a routine allows me to perform routine tasks quickly and efficiently, spending less time on the day-to-day and more time doing what I really want to do.

Routines work because I’m less likely to forget something or underestimate how long it will take me to complete a task. I can plan my day better- it’s as simple as that!

4. Group like tasks.

Okay, here’s where I’m going to share a small piece of wisdom from 18+ years in Accounting- batch processing improves speed and accuracy. Batch processing is grouping like tasks. For example, I might spend 15 minutes every few hours reading and replying to emails instead of reading and answering each email as it comes in. Or I might run several errands back-to-back instead of going back and forth from home to business to home to business and back again.

Grouping like tasks allows me to quickly knock out similar activities and conserve both mental and physical energy expended. It really works!

5. Say no.

Sometimes I just gotta say no, and that’s okay! Saying no is a good thing! Saying no tells others I’m honest and reliable, and I will follow through on my commitments. When I am truly unwilling or unable to take on a request, I can say no with respect for myself and others and follow through on all my current commitments without overloading myself. ’nuff said.

6. Organize clutter.

Okay, so not everyone is a neat freak like me, but I’ve read a whole lot of studies that show keeping clutter to a minimum improves productivity. It makes sense, doesn’t it? It’s easier to stay focused on the task at hand and find what you’re looking for when your physical space is distraction-free. Keep clutter to a minimum to better manage your time.

7. Simplify your digital life.

While we’re on the topic of clutter, that goes for not only your physical space, but your digital space as well. How many hours have you wasted mindlessly surfing the web or reading and deleting marketing emails? If you’re anything like me your digital life can get quickly out of control! Isn’t it time to simplify your digital life?

Lucky for you I’ve got some ideas on simplifying your digital life and spending your time on the stuff that matters instead of the stuff that doesn’t.

I love your comments! What other time management tips can you share? What’s your biggest obstacle to managing your time?