Three Ways to Improve Your Time Management

How efficiently do you manage your day? You might be surprised at how a few simple tweaks can help you work more effectively and recoup valuable time. Here are three tips I think are important to actually taking charge of your day -- rather than letting it own you.

Take Notes. I carry a yellow notepad everywhere I go and use it to take notes, write down reminders to myself, and out down action items as they occur or as I think of them. At the end of the day, I consolidate these notes into a prioritized list of items for the next day (see the next item, Work from a To-do List). Some people tell me that's inefficient; I should take notes directly into OneNote (which I also use). But personally, I find the act of writing my notes by hand helps me focus on and internalize them more effectively. Your mileage may vary.

Work from a To-Do List. Remember those notes you should be keeping? Every night before you go home for the day, scour your notes for action items, and build a to-do list for the next day. I keep my to-dos online, where I can see them no matter what technology I am using. (Check out Doris or Task.fm, a few of my favorites.)

Make an Appointment for Your E-mail. I've said this many times before, but it's worth saying again: Don't nibble at your e-mail throughout the day. Schedule a chunk of time to deal with e-mail (or several chunks, if you need to). Multi-tasking robs you of the focus and attention you need to be efficient.

What are your favorite productivity and time management tips? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by Stewf