Time management is that elusive skill that we can never seem to totally master. With 86,400 seconds in every day one would think we would be better at this than we generally are, but the many challenges of life cause us to make continual adjustments.

What a valuable commodity that time. It is in fact, more valuable than money because you can get more money, but you can never get more time.

So we are left to figure this thing out and make the best use of it as we move through the journey of life.

What happened along the road of life anyhow?

There was a time when I came in from work around 4:30pm and had the entire evening to do as I pleased with the remainder of the evening. The thought of those times brings much laughter now, as I recall actually looking for something to do.

You hear it all the time, how people have become so busy that the struggle to reserve periods of time for themselves and their families is never-ending. How many times have you been invited to a social function and had to check your calendar like a Rock Star to see if you can attend?

It somehow just seems strange to have to do that, but to avoid over committing and creating conflicts we had better.

The question becomes, are we managing time or is time managing us?

It really boils down to what we choose to accomplish during the day-to-day course of living and yes, something always gets in the way.

The following tips may serve you well, if you have TIME to put them into practice.

1. Develop a time management plan – Change your behavior and become more disciplined about your activities and with how you spend your time. This will lead to a higher level of productivity.

2. Obtain a time management tool – We need help so get an organizer of some sort, a PDA, or make better use of your smartphone. Know where you are going and what you will do in the allotted time you have, keeping an eye on your watch to stay on schedule.

3. Identify how you are wasting time - Life has many distractions to productivity and we all fall prey to them. It is a matter of keeping them to a minimum. Perform a time and motion study on yourself, writing down your actual activities for a day or two. You may find that you’re wasting more time than you realize.

4. Recognize repeat offenders – Identify those things that eat up huge chunks of time, but can be adjusted or eliminated totally. This applies to that chatty co-worker as well, let them know that you are busy and must maintain your schedule.

5. Set time limits – It is very easy to ruin the remainder of your daily schedule by staying in one place too long. Lose 20 minutes in the morning and you will look for it the remainder of the day. Things requiring more time than you have available should be strictly managed. Do not spend additional time on them, move on to the next.

6. Outsource – Identify things on your task list that can be delegated to someone else to complete. No matter how small your business, you do not need to do everything yourself. This can free up large blocks of time and keep your level of stress to a minimum.

7. Learn to say no – We often struggle with this but it is okay to say no at times. Be honest, if you do not have the time, stop adjusting your schedule for every request. Consider the importance of your goals and the impact of not accomplishing what you have set out to do. Weigh that request against your mission. This often produces an easy decision.

8. Maintain your focus – Avoid distractions and continually focus on the ultimate goal. The smaller tasks are what will get you to where you want to be, but you cannot allow a lack of focus to derail your plans.

9. Set realistic goals – Keep things in perspective and avoid unrealistic goals that will frustrate you and send you down the path to failure. Goals should be challenging but not beyond what you can reasonable obtain with some persistent work ethic.

10. Schedule some downtime – This is very important, you need time to recharge and avoid burnout. Get the proper amount of rest, eat healthy and get a little exercise and spend quality time with your family.

Remember, you will never fully master time but you can become highly efficient while trying. Above all, never lose sight of why you are doing what you are doing. The end result should serve as your motivation for staying on course.

Try a few of these and observe the difference in your daily life. Mix and match techniques to develop a time management plan that fits you perfectly and moves you along your path to success.

Are there any time management tips that you can add to this list?

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