How well do you manage your time? You may often feel like there is not enough time in a day.

Time management is really all about managing yourself. You can’t really “manage” time because there are 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and that never changes. However, you can control where and how you spend your time.

The implications of poor time management:

• Poor workflow
• Wasted time
• Loss of control
• Poor quality of work
• Poor reputation

Here are ten proven time management tips to make the most out of your time that you should learn today.

Make sure you start every day with a clear idea of what you need to do – what needs to get done that day. Consider making it a habit, at the end of each workday, go ahead and write out your “to-do” list for the next workday. That way you can hit the ground running the next morning.

Do your most important tasks in the morning. All those stressful tasks, the big bulk of your work, the hardest tasks – do them in the morning. The reason is simple. You have the most energy in the morning, so you will be able to tackle the tasks efficiently and competently. the feeling of accomplishment at getting the most important stuff done first will make the rest of the day that much better.

If you have chosen to do a task, see it through to the end – finish it. Avoid doing half work, which means abandoning your current task and doing something else entirely. Focus on the task at hand, and avoid multitasking.

Work during your peak productivity hours. These are the hours where you’re the most alert and have the most energy.

How to figure out your most productive time each day in 3 steps

Step 1: Gather your data, take a record of the day and measure your energy levels across the day

Step 2: Schedule your high (and low) energy work times. .

Step 3: Track your progress and adjust.

• Peak energy tasks – need to be done when you’re feeling alert
• Mid-level energy tasks – require some thinking but are not as important
• Low-level energy tasks – can be done when you’re feeling tired

Work during your peak productivity hours. These are the hours where you’re the most alert and have the most energy.

Set aside a block of time each week to sit down and go over the previous week and answer three questions:

1. Did I achieve what I wanted to achieve?
2. Did I personally need to be there for everything I attended?
3. Could I have achieved the same in a shorter timeframe?

This is a powerful tactic for determining whether you are really managing and spending your time wisely.

The 80/20 Rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle, says that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your actions. It’s a way to view your time usage, prioritize your chosen tasks against your most important goals. Are you focusing in on the 20 percent of activities that produce 80 percent of your desired results?

Avoid all unnecessary meetings. If there’s no agenda or the right people can’t attend, reschedule it.

How many times will you check email today?

Probably, so many times that you’ll lose track.

• Switch off email notifications.
• Check emails just two times a day.
• Don’t look at email first thing in the morning.
• Use folders to organize emails.

Some of us have a hard time saying no because we hate to miss an opportunity. And saying no always leads to a missed opportunity. But it’s not just a missed opportunity; it’s a tradeoff. Remind yourself that when you’re saying no to the request, you are simultaneously saying yes to something you value more than the request. Both are opportunities. You’re just choosing one over the other.

• Know your no. Identify what’s important to you and acknowledge what’s not.
• Say no to the request, not the person.
• Explain why.
• Practice.
• Be prepared to miss out.

Perfect is the enemy of good.

When you’re a perfectionist, nothing will ever be good enough. That means you’ll keep going back to the same task over and over again. How productive do you think your day will be as a result?

So, stop being perfect. It doesn’t exist. Do the best you can and move on.