Time management is not something that I believe you can totally master, there are just too many things in life that will get in the way. You can however, gain a serious measure of control over this highly valuable commodity.

Time is more valuable than money because you can get more money, but you can’t get more time. There are only 24 hours in each day, so managing them is a life-long challenge for many, yours truly included.

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. I once belonged to a chess club (many years ago), playing several games weekly at rotating locations. The thought of those times brings much laughter.

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?  Just  seems strange to have to do that.

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 – Remember this, the whole idea is to change your behavior and become more disciplined with how you spend your time. This will lead to a higher level of productivity.

2. Obtain a time management tool – Get a Daytimer, PDA, smartphone or software package to assist you in keeping important appointments. Know where you are going and what you will do in the allotted time you’ve set aside. Even Outlook, as quirky as it can be sometimes, has an excellent event calendar where you can set reminders and keep notes.

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

4. Recognize repeat offenders – Email maintenance and other online activities eat up huge chunks of time. Keep these tasks on a strict time limit. The same applies to that chatty co-worker, let them know that you are busy right now 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 may well chase that time the rest of the day. Tasks that obviously require more time than you have available should be strictly managed. Do not spend additional time on these types of tasks, 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 is, you need not do everything yourself. This can free up some of your time and keep your level of stress to a minimum.

7. Learn to say no - Inevitably, someone along the course of your travels will want you to do something that is not on your schedule. 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 big 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. Place some downtime on your planner – “All work and no play” is not just an old saying. You must avoid burn-out from too much work. Get the proper amount of rest, eat healthy and get a little exercise. Spend time with the family. All of these activities allow you to recharge the batteries so to speak, and position you to return to your mission refreshed.

As mentioned above, 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 point.

I sincerely hope that these tips provide you with a means of developing some techniques for success.

Additionally, I hope you had time to read them.

What time management tips and tricks to you employ?