I’ve selected some of the best time management tips I’ve come upon and ones which I think are easier to follow, guaranteed to work and can be done by almost anybody.

1. Create a list for yourself. You have probably heard this one before – but do you do have a list? Order your to-do list from the most important/urgent tasks down to the low priority ones. Simply writing your to-do list down will help you prioritize the tasks in your life, you may find there are some things that just aren’t important enough to you to make the list. The key is to actually follow through – and do the things on your list!

2. Having a routine is your secret weapon to successful time management. A strong routine will keep you focused, balanced and on track. And it means your list will stay organized too!

3. Recognize importance over urgency. According to an article, importance leads to achievement of goals while urgency is more for the achievement of someone else’s needs or an uncomfortable situation. Importance should always prevail. Since your aim is to target goals that gives you the greatest gains.

4. Identify your time wasters. Doesn’t matter if it is playing online games, chatting on the phone, facebook, worrying, daydreaming, internet time – all these things make you less productive.

5. Do a “time audit” on yourself. This is a personal thing, and a kind of self-assessment. You may want to use a time management log to track how you spend your time and when you work the best. Once you have established when your most productive work is done, do your most challenging work at that time.

I had a teacher who once said to me that there was no such thing as “Time Management”, as we are all given the same amount of time each day – 24 hours. We can’t change that. A better term would be “Task Management”. I’ve never forgotten about that ever since.

Time management tips can help us to manage our time better and if we manage our time wisely we get our work done. We also improve our productivity and we get to more time to enjoy the things we want to do at the same time!

Find out more about importance of time management. Rachel got her particulars together from a variety of resources including these time management tips.

Do the Jobs You Are Dreading First.

By doing the toughest jobs first you will have a sense of accomplishment. It will also make you feel good about yourself and make any further jobs seem easy.

When making a to-do list, make sure you follow everything you’ve written chronologically by listing the most important things to be done on top and ticking them off as you go along. Not only will this be more organized but it will be easier for you to follow and focus on what’s next rather than choosing what you think you should do on the list.

Don’t Wait for The Right Time and to Be In The Right Mood.

If you keep waiting around for the right time, you are going to be disappointed. The right time never comes! Work is work, and the sooner you accept that the sooner your productivity will increase.

Stop Being a Perfectionist.

Self-esteem is closely tied into a job done well. Some people take things to the extreme however and are constantly delaying tasks because they feel that they cannot do the job perfectly. This will not help with overcoming procrastination!

Often a perfectionist will beat themselves up over trying to get a job done perfectly. Pressuring themselves with unrealistic deadlines and viewing the outcome of their work negatively. This puts a mental barrier in peoples minds – stopping them from getting the task done. Perfectionism actually results in poor work because of their obsession with messing up!

Perfectionists are not the peak performers. This is because perfectionists spend all their time worrying about messing up rather than actually getting the job done!

If you are a perfectionist. Don’t panic! Take baby steps. Create a realistic action plan for your days. Start your day early so that you don’t feel pressured and can work with a relaxed attitude. An added bonus to starting early is you will have time to check for any errors and review your work.

Get Momentum Going.

If you are sitting down unsure how to start your next task, stand up. This alone can make a lot of difference to your procrastination. Doing something physical is recommended to help increase efficiency.

Clean up your desk. Go for a walk around the block. Do some other small task. This will help create momentum and get you going. The great thing about momentum is that once it is going it is hard to stop! Getting up and doing something will help pump you up to get into that task you have been procrastinating about!

Procrastination is not just something we chose to do from time to time. Some people actually suffer from it leading to chronic depression from lack of self-worth. If you are trying to overcome this, be realistic in your goals. Forget about getting a quick-fix. The only way to be successful in getting rid of this behavior is to develop a routine that works for you.

Michelle is behind a site about time management skills. You can learn more about overcoming procrastination, personal time management, the importance of time management and a lot more!