Great List for all of us overloaded overworked never-finishers. But good priority and good articles and blogs you link; Lifehacker is a classic.
Best advice I can give; is working when no one else does; it gives the tranquillity needed for getting things done, although it usually means less sleep.
Enjoying your work very much, always a pleasure to read.

Good, highly useful posting. You could have ended with one final great tip …

Stop procrastinating by reading this blog and get on with your work!

This is great advice for all the multi-taskers out there. While I don't have a clean inbox for email, I do create daily/weekly "to do" lists to keep me on track. It has helped me remember and prioritize all of the projects I need to complete. It also gives me a great sense of accomplishment (and relief) as I check off each item. That way I can sleep better and enjoy my weekends and free time more without having work issues hanging over my head. Now if I could only fix my over-flowing inbox…

Kip Havel
Spherion Corporation

Useful post!

As my small business really started to grow, I found myself overwhelmed by all the tasks I needed to do, and I had a lot of trouble organizing them according to priority. I started to use Zoho Planner, which allows you to categorize tasks by pages, which I use for client categorization, and by urgency. This tool is great (and free!) and has really helped me organize my life. I wrote [a review of Zoho Planner a few days ago on my blog.](http://www.illuminea.com/blog/small-business/cool-tool-zoho-planner-%e2%80%93-every-to-do-has-its-place/)

Like most of these tip-articles, there is *some* good information here, but…it completely misses the point that different people's minds work in different ways and what works best for some people does not work best for all people.

Also, "Check your email on a schedule" does not work if, by delaying your answers to people, you are being a bottleneck. Fast response can be important.

Best is if you can find a balance between doing the most important things but not letting everything squelch to a stand-still.

I agree with the above. Scheduling email doesn't work for most. I have 0 unread items in my inbox because I process them as soon as I get them. Most inboxes I see on people's computers have hundreds of unread email. When will they ever read it? Are the emails even still relevant?

These are great tips! When my email pings all too often I drop whatever I'm doing to check it. I find your advise to schedule checking email throughout the day to be a good thing. All too often I respond to emails quickly without fully thinking through my response. This creates more work for me and more time lost.

after coming back from a vacation I try and archive all the unread emails into one folder and then email everyone that emailed me (in a BCC) and ask if they can re-send their question if its still relevant.

I also use the rules a ton — where I'm CC'd it goes to a CC folder while anytime i'm not in the To: or CC: it goes to an Announcements folder (our company is addicted to these).

Re: 9. Organize your to-do list every day.

I haven't personally tried Tasktoy. However, I would highly recommend My Life Organized.

http://www.mylifeorganized.net/

I've been using it for over 6 months and have noticed a significant boost in my productivity.

I agree with all of these except the keystrokes one. Sorry, but I feel like that is pure bunk. Actually having to think about something like that is so marginal in the face of everything else that I don't think I'd even give it the benefit of the old "add up over time" argument.

Your google searches should be exactly as long as they need to be, and if they're longer or shorter, who cares? It's not like you need to be perfect on the first try. Every successive google search I do costs me maybe another five seconds. I'll gladly tack five seconds on to the end of the day in exchange for not having to worry about how many keys I might be pressing and if I could have gotten by with fewer.

Thank you for the great advice!
One manager once told us that the difference between efficient people and non-efficient was the things they chose not to do, and not the things they do.
In an era of overwhelming information, I think it is most true.

Really great summary — liked the positive tone and variety of voices in the article.

For me, handling the most important task first thing in the morning is the habit I could benefit from most. I once heard a variation on this (not sure where) that recommended scheduling the task you were least happy with first since that was a sure way to beat procrastination.

I've written a small software program called Idea Cruncher for managing my to-do list. I carry the list with me on a keychain drive — I like the idea of straightening out the to-do list at home before bed so that you're ready to start turning the crank right away in the morning.

Thanks for the article!

Thanks for the link to tasktoys. seems like a great program for keeping up with my endless list of things to get done.

Very useful post! Especially if you have to pick up the pace for some reason.

Good article!

My current boss has a different observation on "Time Management". He says "One cannot manage tme, you can only manage yourself".

I also find it a good idea to prioritize my tasks every day, and reprioritize everytime a task completes. Also, if I attempt to handle more than 5-6 tasks a day, I'm overwhelmed.

multitasking is bad.

My boss must never get to read this! :P

hi all. nice blog. its very ineresting article.

The site looks great ! Thanks for all your help ( past, present and future !)

Nice article.
Bad time management is a result of bad planning. If you take a few minutes to plan, time-management falls into place!

Penelope, thanks for the useful information.

Probably one of the best, most useful blog posts I've ever read. I'm so glad I came across your blog, via Yahoo … I read it for a couple of days, then went right to the bookstore and got your book … I read almost the first quarter of the book just waiting while my friends drank coffee!

For me, the most useful points here are #1, #3, and #10. I also liked the del.icio.us advice … been meaning to do it for months, but once you pointed out how it can help me manage my time … well, I finally got signed up.

Thanks for what you're doing … you're helping a lot of people!

Nothing wrong with these tips, but I think that time management tips are only so useful, and without the fundamentals of time management (the meat and potatoes,) a professional will struggle with just tips.

I have taken a stab at coming up with the fundamentals — see http://www.changethis.com/proposals/1064

I don't know if this set is the right one, but I do think that it does exist, and that a new culture needs to be created that causes us to put juicy time management tips in context.

Just an idea

Francis

This is ardent embassy for all the multi-taskers out there. While I don’t subduct a clean inbox for email, I do extrude daily/weekly “to do” lists to keep me on short of funds. It has helped me remember and prioritize all of the projects I grinding poverty to complete. It similarly gives me a clothed with authority purl of ascertainment (and cure) as I check off all and sundry item. That way I can sleep better and appreciate my weekends and free years collateral exclusive of having stand issues drop over my butt. Now if I could sole fix my over-flowing inbox

plz give management tips on my mail id if possible

Great post! I think you have some terrific insight into how to improve productivity. When planning to manage time more effieciently I lean towards the Covey quandrant philosophy, and not only prioritize using many of your tips above but alsoi by the urgency and importance of the task. Sometimes distractions come in the flavor neccessity, but often enough they are less urgent than the person/group that is doing the distracting realizes.

Also, just because your employer or boss requests, it does not make it urgent. Prioritize by what is of greatest need or most time sensitive. If your boss, employee, customer does not comply, share with them you current workload (at a high level, do not whine) and ask them what they see as less of a priority.

All the best in 2008,

Karl Goldfield

The topic we read was regarding 10 tips to time management in a multi-tasking world. As a infamous multitasker, it was refreshing to see that there were other ways to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time, yet remain efficient. It is another way to look at things and well worth trying, especially as a new teacher. Multi-tasking with tasks is easier than multi-tasking with kids. Therefore, setting aside time to do administrative duties, lessons and instructions, and other things throughout the day, without having to do more than one task at a time may create a more effective classroom environment, while giving me the satisfaction of feeling like I have accomplished everything that needed to be done in that day.

useful tips. thanks for your sharing.

I have one product called Ultimate Time Control Guide. It is a easy to follow, step-by-step system show you how to manage your time.

My M.I.T. : to open the numerous web-forums in which I participate !

ROTFLMAO !!

Thanks for the post it was very helpful.

Thanks for sharing some good tips. I agree that to maximize our time we should plan our day on certain items that we want to get done.

Thank you for sharing some great ideas on time management. I will try to use some of these.

John

Thank you for your thoughtful entry on time management. It was helpful to think about good time management as a marketable and highly valued skill set rather than merely a good habit. My mental health blog also has a more general entry on time management I hope you will enjoy at http://kctherapist.blogspot.com/.

Tracy Ochester,

http://kctherapist.blogspot.com/ doesn't work :

"URL unfound on bogspot.com server"

This research focuses on vendor capabilities within the context of retail workforce management. Industry interest is expected to grow as Web- based solutions mature and leading retailers use technology- optimized workforces to improve store productivity and deliver a differentiated value proposition. (This research is only available to Gartner clients who subscribe to the Retail Industry Advisory Service).

The topic we read was regarding 10 tips to time management in a multi-tasking world. As a infamous multitasker, it was refreshing to see that there were other ways to get a lot of things done in a short amount of time, yet remain efficient. It is another way to look at things and well worth trying, especially as a new teacher. Multi-tasking with tasks is easier than multi-tasking with kids. Therefore, setting aside time to do administrative duties, lessons and instructions, and other things throughout the day, without having to do more than one task at a time may create a more effective classroom environment, while giving me the satisfaction of feeling like I have accomplished everything that needed to be done in that day.

Thanks for the article. Regarding link management sites such as del.icio.us. I've been working with iGoogle for a while. In there, I can create gadgets that contain the links. I'll create several of these gadgets and create organized links. So, whenever I need to go back to a topic, I'll go back to one of these links.

Another thing with the iGoogle gadgets. I've created a set of bookmarks that are prioritized, organized based on my morning tasks. Let's say I have to do 5 things every morning. I'll set up those links in priority and not stray. For me those things are 1. enter my timesheet, 2. create bills/invoices, 3. check email, 4. organize tasks.

I like the "dare to be slow idea." I take it to mean that we should take time to consider what we are doing, rather than jumping in feet first.

I remember as a young professional being willing to drop everything to deal with emergencies, believing that I had the energy and will-power to come back later and do it all!

Now, I know that I will never execute all the ideas that happen to float into my head — there are just too many, and my list of ideas is sure to be interrupted by my death at some point in time.

Taking things slowly means considering the demands on my time carefully, and choosing rather than reacting. To do well, I need to understand what my choices are…

What we need as professionals is some idea of the underlying fundamentals of time management, which can only help us to make better choices. I recently wrote a 21 page manifesto to this effect, describing the fundamentals of time management that are not being taught — available for free at http://changethis.com/45.04.NewTime

Great post. For all you interims out there, see our top ten tips on how to succeed as an interim manager.

below average tips…….not good enough …
19 years boy like me have better…..

The Tips for time management have addressed the most practical problems facing a modern professional working in an organization of any size.

Fantastic post Penelope,

11) I think make the most of your downtime–either with quality R & R, time with friends, or using your commute time to read or organize yourself.

12) Use an RSS reader to help you navigate the web (but don't overdo it. Create an information diet and try to stick to it)

Cheers!

Hi,
Iam from Afghanistan.Please tell me What are four "M' of Time Management.

Its gives very good information about the time management

I'm glad about that you've mentioned how deadly multitasking is. If there is one thing I HATE doing, it's multitasking. It's not that I can't multi-task or handle the pressure, it's just that I feel like I can never get anything completed well when all I'm doing is really juggling and touching each problem briefly until I move onto the next thing. That is no way to work, yet it seems to be the way corporate thinks things should get done. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Time management is to do your work as per proper schedule but if sometime you are saving your time please donot sit idle keep yourself busy in some other work as rightly said empty mind devils workshop; if you are doing your work in time you will get sccess.

Penelope,
Fantastic information. Email is just a time management killer. Prioritization is key, and I love the sound of "dare to be slow". It's all about learning what's most important, tackling that head on and then moving along.

I appreciate you.
Dali Burgado

Your post is so good that I cant even read all of it! I'm tempted to go do something but I know this spurt is long lived. Do you know a permanent cure for chronic inattentiveness? Ugh.

short lived* typo