As the end of the year approaches, you may find yourself rushing around, feeling you'll never get everything done. That often does happen, even when it's not holiday season. We live in a world in which there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Even with a "to-do" list, it's difficult to be organized and to anticipate the inevitable interruptions. It is frustrating to end a day with not one item crossed off the list.

Imagine being in control of your time! Imagine ending a day energized, with time left over to do the things you love to do. After all, at the end of your life, would you look back and say, "I wish I had spent more time at the office?" It's more likely you'd be saying, "I wish I had more time to do the things I love the most."

Here are some strategies to open up more time for you.

1. Track your time. You can't manage your time if you don't know where it's going. Start by logging what you do at work each day for a week. Write down the time you begin and end an activity. Include everything, even the time you take for a coffee break.
2. Analyze your time. Notice what you spend most of your time doing. Create categories, with number (1) representing where you spend most of your time, number (2) next, and so forth. You may be surprised to see how much of your day gets taken up dealing with non business-related issues.
3. Set your priorities. List the most important items from your activity time log and list them on a separate sheet of paper in the following categories: Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, and Future. Think about what items are most important and select the category. Your goal is to accomplish 2-3 items each day, depending on the size of the task. Revise your categories at the end of each day as you plan for the next day.
4. Create your daily routine. Now that you know what's using up your precious time, you're ready to create a new daily routine. Organize your day according to your energy flow. If your energy is high earlier the day, then making calls to clients first thing may work best for you. If there is a task that requires close concentration, schedule a break in the middle. Under-schedule yourself, if possible, so that you don't feel pressured all the time and are able to finish projects as planned. Eliminate non-related tasks during business hours.
5. Set boundaries. In the course of your workday, there are likely to be interruptions. It may seem at times that things are out of your control and it's impossible to get your work done. However, you have a say in the matter. You can set boundaries with co-workers by letting them know when you can be interrupted and when you can't. When taking phone calls, plan to complete the call in 10 minutes. If possible, let people know at the onset how much time you have to speak, or schedule a time to call them back. People are more understanding than you think when you communicate authentically.
6. Spend time with yourself. Your most important priority is YOU! The first thing that drops off the list when we're busy is taking care of ourselves. Block off on your calendar when you're going to the gym, as if it's a business meeting. Take time each day away from your work, and schedule something special to do for yourself at the end of the week. For the holidays, give yourself the gift of time. When you take care of yourself, you'll have more to give to your work, your family, and your own life.

Assignment:

• Step 1--Track your time for the next week.
• Step 2--Determine where you spend most of your time.
• Step 3--Prioritize and categorize your tasks. Determine what you must get done first.
• Step 4--Create a daily time sheet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enter your priority items on the time sheet. If you think it will take an hour to accomplish a task, add an extra 30 minutes to allow for interruptions.
• Step 5--Set boundaries by communicating to people the amount of time you can spend with them, or schedule another time to meet or speak.
• Step 6--Take out your calendar right now and schedule some time off so you can enjoy the holidays with friends and family. There's no better gift to give to yourself!

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