5 Time Management Mistakes You're Probably Making

 5 Time Management Mistakes You're Probably Making

"How well do you manage your time"? Like most people, you probably find it challenging to answer that question. From a productivity perspective, it's better to think about your time as an asset, rather than a burden that you must figure out how to use. Or even worse, rather than not thinking about it at all.

By taking some time to understand how you spend your time, you can begin to make significant steps toward better time management.

That does not mean successful time management is a walk in the park. On the contrary, initially it's going to take effort, requiring intention and dedication. However, once you start to see the benefits of improved time management, your motivation to keep at it will grow.

Consider these time management mistakes you might be making:

1.    Procrastination. This pattern can be one of the biggest obstacles to efficient time management of all. You know you should be typing that report, but you can’t resist checking social media one more time. Or perhaps you’ll finish it after a cup of coffee, after lunch, or after you catch up with your partner next door. We’ve all had those days. We’ve all been guilty of putting off the boring, overwhelming, or stressful tasks for another time.

But the bottom line is, procrastination ruins the day. It not only impacts your ability to manage time wisely, but it can also have negative implications to your health. A study published in the journal Psychological Science, indicated there may be a connection between the habit of procrastination and more frequently experienced feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, and frustration. In addition, the journal suggests procrastination may be linked to a variety of stress related health problems such as headaches, digestive issues, colds and flus, and insomnia.

If you're constantly putting off the completion of tasks out of dread, fear, or frustration, you're always behind schedule. You literally can't get things done on time because you never get started. And if your habit of procrastination is leading to stress-related symptoms, you are making it even harder to exercise good time management skills.

Being on time with the completion of projects is also tremendously essential to time management. Conversely, procrastination kills productivity. You become irritated and frustrated. Time seems to fly by when you're always behind. And your blood pressure rises. To work on your procrastination, categorize the things you must do.

Write down everything you must do, and then divide them into what's urgent, what's not critical, and what's optional. Do what's urgent first. Then, do what's not vital, and finally, do what's optional.

2.    A lack of personal goals. Where would you like to be in the next year, five years, or ten years? A person who lacks personal goals will likely go through life doing whatever they want. If you struggle with a lack of personal goals, you may wake up one day wondering how you got where you are or why your life doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The truth is, you haven’t been able to work towards the things closest to your heart because you haven’t allowed yourself the guidance that personal goals provide.

A lack of personal goals affects your time management because you don't have a target to reach. You end up putting in minimal effort because there's no reason to push yourself. To prevent a lack of personal goals from affecting your time management now and in the future, take some time to evaluate what you want life to look like in a year. Personally? Professionally? If you need some help, consider asking your spouse or a close friend for help. Once you have a plan, you can make small goals. Monthly, weekly, and daily goals are much more attainable, and achieving small goals will keep you motivated as you reach for the bigger ones.

3.    Dealing with distractions poorly. Distractions are bound to happen, and if you're not good at dealing with them, your time will be spent tackling urgent task after urgent task until you get to the end of the day and realize you did nothing important. The fact is, urgent doesn’t always equal important.

Have you ever found yourself working on an important assignment that is due at the end of the day when you are interrupted by a phone call? Or a partner with a problem? Then you realize your inbox is filling up or you notice you have notifications tempting you to check social media. Before you know it, the day is over, and your initial task isn’t complete.

Even the most organized person can succumb to distractions if they don’t have a strategy in place to address them. And while you’re allowing distractions to consume your time, you're preventing yourself from achieving your goals. To ensure distractions aren’t holding you back, consider silencing your phone or closing your email while working on important tasks. Help yourself stay motivated by cutting big projects into smaller chunks. Reward yourself after 60 minutes of focused work with a 15-minute social media break, a coffee run, or a short walk etc. Just make sure to discipline yourself to return your focus back to the task at hand when time is up.

4.    Failing to plan your day. You can't accomplish anything without a plan. If you're spending 10 minutes writing out what you want to achieve that day, then you'll be able to stay focused in the workplace and at home. I am personally a list person. Type A personalities do well when they can cross off tasks as they are accomplished. It helps me to stay motivated to accomplish the next task at hand. You may not need to go this far, but a few minutes at the beginning of each day to reflect on your urgent, not critical, and optional items for the day can help ensure your day doesn’t get eaten up with frivolous activities.

Keep in mind, a plan doesn't have to be complicated. If you know what you should be doing, you can accomplish those tasks. Also, you don't need to plan your day down to every minute. Similarly, you don't have to list every activity you're going to do. Simply incorporating a few important tasks into your day is better than randomly walking through your day.

5.    Obtaining appropriate training. What critical skills are necessary to successfully complete your work? What skills would you like to enhance? Do you need to improve your interview skills? Computer skills? Officer safety skills?

When you can develop skills based on industry or evidence-based practices, it can make all the difference in your ability to manage your time wisely and effectively. Take advantage of your company’s training programs. Seek personal training options. Use your one-year plan to determine how you can grow your own skills to put yourself in a better position to succeed in reaching your goals.

Look for a mentor who has accomplished what you are still seeking to achieve. This could be a partner at work, a friend, or someone in another agency. People like to share their success stories. Find someone who you respect and live life with them. Invite them to dinner. Help them with a task they need to accomplish. Observe how they interact with others, how they prioritize their day, and how they handle distractions that come their way.

Effective time management may not be easy, but it will be worth it when you are achieving goals you only dreamed of achieving yesterday.