If you’ve ever found yourself going backwards and forwards multiple times when running errands or forgetting appointments or if you find it difficult to get things done because of  constant interruptions you may find these tips helpful for managing your time a little more effectively.

In order to be able to manage your time most effectively you need to identify what your highest priorities are. Whatever your highest priority is, that’s where your focus needs to be. So you’ll want to know exactly what is important to you – then anything that’s not important will be easier to identify and say no to. If you feel overwhelmed and have the sense that you never have enough time, you can be sure that you are allowing things to pull you away from whatever your  highest priorities are.

Once you’ve done that, here are some time and energy management tips that might help you stay focused and on track:

Combine tasks – this is different from multi-tasking. This is a way of using your time effectively. For example, if you have to wait for anything – such as waiting in line, waiting for your car to be serviced or waiting to pick someone up from the airport – use the time effectively. You can write a letter, catch up with some phone calls, read through magazines or materials that need your attention. You can exercise while watching television to catch up on the news, or listen to an audio program such as a podcast or tele-seminar) while you’re on the treadmill. Combine errands, rather than making separate trips for each one.

Plan ahead - when you are going to start a new project don’t just jump in and get started. Think of everything that you will need. Don’t start something unless you have all the necessary tools and information or you will find that you have to stop and start again later. For example, have you ever started baking something only to find that you are missing one crucial ingredient? Take all the ingredients out before you start, that way you’ll know if you need to run to the store to get a missing ingredient, you’ll know if you have the right size pan, etc.

Write it down – avoid the impulse to try to keep everything in your head. Write it down. Make sure you always put appointments on your calendar as soon as you make them. Keep a notebook to write down ideas, conversations and notes and things to jog your memory. Writing things down keeps your mind free and you’ll feel a lot less overwhelmed.

Eliminate interruptions – you don’t have to answer the phone every time it rings. You don’t have to allow people to interrupt you. If you’re in the middle of something it’s perfectly alright to say “I’m busy right now, can we schedule a time to talk about that…” If you honor your time you’ll find that other people will start honoring it too. Some interruptions may be unavoidable, such as if your boss wants you to do something urgently. So it’s a good idea when planning a project to allow extra time, that way you won’t feel so rushed.

Consolidate – set certain times of the day to make or return phone calls, check e-mails or see visitors. E-mail in particular can take up a lot of your time. It’s best to check e-mails at certain times of the day, rather than checking them and responding every time a new one comes in.

Maximize your energy – know when you have the most energy. If you’re a morning person, make sure you schedule the things that require the most energy in the morning. If you have a time of day when your energy is usually lower, then use that time to do things that don’t require as much energy. You’ll find your day will flow much more effectively if you don’t try to force yourself to do tasks that require high energy when your energy is naturally lower.

Pick just one of these tips to try out and you’ll see how much of a difference it can make. You really don’t need to go through life feeling chaotic, overwhelmed and constantly feeling as though you don’t have enough time and energy. Let me know which tips work best for you, and feel free to share some of your own!

Although the issue relates to time management and getting things done, it actually is about more than that. To me it’s about how you’re using your energy. What’s draining you, what’s energizing you and how does that help you to accomplish the things you want to accomplish (or not)?

There are very few people these days who would say that they don’t have a lot to do. You have certain tasks that you want to complete each day, and that would certainly keep you busy enough, but add to that the many other interruptions that present themselves during the day, things like:

• A client or customer calls and needs urgent attention
• Interruptions from co-workers/colleagues who want to ask you something, or just want to chat
• Meetings
• Phone calls from family or friends
• e-mails – do you have your e-mail software open all the time?

These are just some of the things that can stop us doing what we set out to do. And before you know it, the end of the day has arrived and you’re frantically playing catch-up.

You’ve probably tried to implement various systems and time-management methods to manage your time better, but they may have left you feeling even more overwhelmed as you try to learn and implement a new system that just feels like more work. That has certainly been true for me.

I think the answer lies in two fairly simple approaches:

Be aware of your energy patterns:
Become familiar with your energy cycles and when you feel like you are most productive. For example, if your energy is higher in the morning and that’s when you feel most productive, that may be the time that it’s best for you to do your creative work – writing, putting proposals together, working with numbers, etc. If your energy is a little lower in the afternoon, that may be the time when you sit back and make phone calls, and make time for your clients.

Recognizing your daily energy patterns is important because it helps you to really make the most of your day. You’ll find if you try this approach that you will actually accomplish so much more because you’re not fighting to do something creative that needs lots of energy during a time of the day when your energy is at its lowest.

Set boundaries on interruptions
E-mail is an interruption – particularly if you leave it on all the time and find yourself checking it frequently. It’s much better (and more productive) to schedule specific times during the day to check and respond to e-mails. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening before you leave, for example. I do know that this can be difficult to implement and we think that people will get upset when we don’t respond to their e-mails right away. But really people don’t get that upset – particularly if you tell them that you are implementing a new system to help you be more efficient and that system requires you to check and respond to e-mails just twice or three times each day. They will get used to it. If they need you urgently, they can pick up the phone.

Phone calls – let people know that you return calls between certain times of the day. Let them leave a message with what it is they need so you can be prepared when you get back to them. If it’s urgent, then perhaps you give them your cell phone number. But if they start to call you when it’s not urgent, you’ll have to set a boundary and tell them you can’t deal with it until the set time you have for returning calls.

Friends/Family/Colleague interruptions – you don’t want to cut yourself off completely and never have time for a chat, but you don’t want to do it if it’s making you feel stressed because you’re not getting things done. Again, you can set aside times for this and let people know when you’re available.

These are just some of the ways that you can start to take control of your time and your energy. Don’t try to implement them all at once though. Try implementing just one at a time and when you feel comfortable with that, then you can move on to the next one. So, for example, you could start with the e-mail and not move on to anything else until that’s working for you.

Re-claim your energy now. Try these techniques and they really can give you your energy back and help you feel more energized, productive and satisfied at the end of the day.