Always running out of time? Wished the day had an extra hour so you can do it all and do it right? Time management skills can make a world of difference and help you achieve things you once thought impossible.  

Spend time planning your daily routine

This is one of those rare instances when spending time will actually save you time. If you are well-prepared, you can cut the time spent on everyday tasks by up to fifteen percent. That could free up to 2.5 hours every day! Some people work well with calendars or planning books, others prefer electronic agendas. The important thing is to find a method that works for you, and then stick to it.

Allow time for delays and interruptions

They happen. If you have children to play with or a dog you have to walk, plan them into your time. Have a set of easy short tasks on hand that you can tackle anytime you’re interrupted or delayed. Long phone conversation? Sort junk mail while you’re talking. Waiting in your car for the kids to get off school? Write checks to pay your bills and stuff them in envelopes. 

Prioritize

If your to-do list is too long, you’ll have a hard time achieving anything. Either keep two lists (one for items you must do today and one for things you’d like to do but are not essential) or write only one but put items in order of importance. No skipping tasks. If the job is too large, break it down into more doable tasks. “Clean the house” is a large job that you couldn’t probably complete even if you had a whole day to go at it. Instead, write down “dust bookshelves” or “wash curtains.” This also allows you to separate vital jobs from the many time-consuming trivial ones.

Let go of the idea of perfection

Perfectionists waste a lot of time in minor details that probably won’t make a difference. Do your best but do it in the shortest amount of time possible. Do your floors really have to be immaculate? Again, this goes back to prioritizing. If you still have a lot of items in your to-do list, shining the floor obsessively is probably a waste of time. Just clean it and get on with it.