Contacting and meeting friends is something we usually relish and look forward to. We prefer to do so on a fairly casual basis. Being merely the object of time management is not an impression we would like to give or receive. On the other hand, dealing with other people and organisations is not all pleasure and often it is something we do only because of its importance or because it is a necessity.

Unfortunately we must use the same means (letters, emails, telephone calls etc.) for both. It is better to organise ourselves to deal with everything efficiently – so that we can enjoy the pleasurable, but take as little time as possible dealing with the mundane.

The following 5 time mangement tips will help you to do so quickly and easily.

Time Management Tip 1. Decide upon a particular time and day of the week on which you and your spouse or partner will get together to look at all the things you must do and wish to do over the coming week – and to catch up on things that remain undone. Use this time to finally commit to or re-arrange pencilled in “appointments” in the diary for the next week. This would include organising what you want to do around things which have already been agreed as firm appointments for the next week. You should ensure that everything “fits” together – so that you do not unnecessarily repeat errands and trips etc. In this way you can plan to make the very best use of the time ahead. Make sure all commitments are recorded, including work, social, and children’s activities.

Time Management Tip 2. Stop opening the mail when it arrives – if you do that then you have allowed the postman to dictate when you do things, and he will not care how convenient it is! Instead open the post at a time that best fits with what else you are doing that day – and wait until you can open it together with your spouse or partner so that it can be dealt with immediately and not set aside only so the other person can read it. Allow enough time to deal with and respond to the post at that time – and open it with that intention in mind. When you do open the mail do it next to the bin or shredder and dispose of the junk mail immediately – most of it need not even be opened.

Time Management Tip 3. As with post, dedicate a certain time and amount of time to deal with emails – and make sure you properly deal with and respond to it at that time. Do not simply open mail because curiosity gets the better of you – it is a recipe for accumulating masses of emails that are not properly dealt with. This requires more discipline than with the post as emails can arrive at any time. Do not have your email program open continuously and unless you know you are waiting for an important email, turn the receipt alarm off to avoid the temptation to check emails as they arrive. If you have joined lots of forums and receive newsletters from various sources then review them regularly and unsubscribe when they no longer provide anything of interest. Doing this will de-clutter your daily time consuming in-box.

Time Management Tip 4. Use a telephone that shows the time spent on each call and look at it during the call. Some people treat telephone calls in a completely different way to face to face conversations and will talk for much longer on the telephone. It is of course difficult to bring many kinds of call to an end, and it is sometimes wholly inappropriate to do so. However there are times when telephone calls are intrusive and you should be are of how long a call is lasting and what else you might be doing.

Time Management Tip 5. File all documents that you need to keep, but look at infrequently (such as insurance policies, warranties, important receipts, software licenses etc.. ) in a series of labelled ring binders or equivalents. Make sure that you are consistent and file all related correspondence here. Annually review the contents and weed out older documents that have no further use, such as guarantees that have expired, but be careful not to dispose of documents needed to prove continuity, such as some insurance policies. Keep the file safe, but readily accessible for when post arrives or you receive or make telephone calls.

Brian Hazell.