Effective time management is a factor that all successful people have in common. It may be called structure, setting yourself to the task, or a game plan.
No matter what the word or term you use, just as long as you take it seriously, and put it into practice, you can create a basic game plan.
Structure and time-management may come easy for you, if they have been a regular part of your life. If you are not use to it, now is the time to implement them into your everyday life.
It’s important to be organized and have a schedule. We all know how important this is, but it’s not always easy. You have to have a plan, and you have to stick with it.
When you’re creating a game plan, keep things simple at first. You can use an electronic planner or a simple pen and paper. This way, you’ll be able to keep track of what you need to do.
Set an Overall Goal for What You Want
A goal is a general idea of what you want to achieve. It’s good to have a goal in mind, but you must set a realistic one that you can actually accomplish.
If you set an overall goal for what you want, you will be more likely to achieve it. If you don’t set a goal, then you are less likely to achieve it.
Develop an Action Plan for Your Goal
An action plan is a way to break down what you need to do in order to achieve your goal into small steps. If you don’t have an action plan, you are probably going to get discouraged when you don’t see any results right away.
The 4-step process for creating a game plan.
Step 1: Define the goal: What do you want to achieve? This could be a specific goal or it could be a general goal.
Step 2: Identify the Obstacles: What are the things that will prevent you from achieving your goal? This could be external or internal.
Step 3: Plan How to Overcome the Obstacles: What are the steps you need to take in order to overcome the obstacles?
Step 4: Implement the Plan: Once you have a plan, implement the plan.
Schedule Your Time According to You Game Plan
It is important to schedule your time according to your game plan so you are more likely to finish. This will help you to avoid procrastination. Procrastination leads to the failure of your goals.
Step 1: Create a schedule: Create a schedule for your week, day, and/or hour. You can use a calendar, a whiteboard, a notebook, or anything else that works for you. Think about your deadline for each of your tasks.
Step 2: Review your schedule: Review your schedule daily. Check your schedule to make sure you’re on track.
Step 3: Be honest with yourself: When you schedule your time, be honest with yourself. If you don’t complete a task on your schedule, be honest with yourself. Don’t procrastinate.
Step 4: Use your time wisely: If you’re not using your time wisely, you’re wasting your time.
If You Have Difficulty Getting Started with Your Game Plan
The first thing to do is to set aside some time. Set aside an hour or so and then go at it.
If you don’t have an hour, start with 15 minutes. You will be amazed how much you can get done in just 15 minutes.
If you do this once a week, you will soon find that you have a lot more time than you thought. This is a simple and effective way to increase the number of hours in a day.
With a game-plan, you may find yourself getting more done each day than you usually accomplish in a week.
Not only will you be more productive, but achieving each goal will come much easier. You will soon appreciate this all-important factor in your success.
Productivity for Busy Professional Series
You can go to the main page of this productivity series here, all professional articles here, or other articles below:
- What should you do first
- Create a Game Plan
- Tasks for Your Goal
- Reduce Your Distractions to Focus
- Take Care of Yourself
- Exercise Self-Discipline
- You Can Do the Impossible
- Increasing Your Motivation
- Don’t Let Setbacks Get You Down!
- Be Goal-Oriented
- Organization to Productivity
- Don’t Let Setbacks Get You Down!
- Be Goal-Oriented
- Organization to Productivity
- When You Need to Delegate for Productivity
- Avoiding Burnout
- Supplies are a Factor when it comes to productivity
- A Positive mindset to stay productive
- Resisting negativity
- Productivity with You Coworkers
- Reward Yourself for Your productivity accomplishments
- Resist Overextending Yourself
- Destress
- Setting and Ranking Your Priorities
- Communication Skills
- Productive Strategies are Appropriate Everywhere!
Cathy Gray
Cathy Gray is a natural adventurer in her personal and professional life. She adapts to overcome while maintaining an infectious laugh that will make you smile.
Professionally, Cathy currently works for an industrial hose and hydraulics company. While she was a green-horn in the hose business, she spearheaded the company’s eCommerce site from the ground up from a blank canvas to live and selling within 6 months. She continues to grow the company’s online and digital presence while increasing sales year over year.
Articles
My articles categorized into 3 areas: adventures, professional, and inspirations.
I also have a few guides:
Goal Setting Guide
Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right eCommerce Platform
Productivity Strategies for Busy Professionals
Professional
Professionally, I do marketing, websites, and ecommerce, with a background in operations and graphic design.
Adventure
Topics include but not limited to: hiking, caving, weekend excursions, food, places, and/or general randomness.
inspiration
General inspiration that has helped me get through the darker times in life the last few years. And it has evolved to spread it.
Cathy is a dynamic one-person powerhouse overseeing marketing and ecommerce operations in Marietta, GA where she is a is a pivotal member for a prominent industrial industrial hose, hydraulic, and rubber solutions provider.
Beyond the workplace, she finds solace and inspiration in adventurous and exhilarating pursuits like skydiving and caving to roughing it weekend camping trips with friends and family.
With a unique blend of professional expertise and a zest for life’s adventures, Cathy is committed to driving success both in and out of the office. And of course with that cup of coffee in hand!