3 Proven Time Saving Strategies

Make Time For What’s Important

While I have tiled this post “Time Saving Strategies” we can’t really save time like we save money, where we set some aside to use latter if we have an emergency or need a little extra. Once time passes it is gone.

Another common mistake many people make is attempting to find more time. You can’t find more time. There has been and always will be sixty minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day. No matter how many time management methods you employ or how organized you get, you will never have more time, there will still only be 24 hours in a day.

The greatest key to time management is not managing our time but, actually learning how to better manage ourselves and what we do with the time that we have. We need to maximize the use of our time by being more disciplined.

Instead of trying to find more time or save time we need to learn how to “Make Time”. People will make time for what they think is important. So, it is critical that we are able to evaluate and define what is really important for our lives. This is not as easy as you may think.

Many people have made money, things, power, fame, and/or personal gratification more important to them than relationships, purpose, and people. No one can tell you what is important to you. You have to make that decision. I encourage you to take some time to determine what is really important to you and then make sure to focus your time on those things.

Once you begin managing yourself better and you’ve defined what is really important, you then can begin applying the following 3 time saving strategies to help you “make time for the important things in life”.

1. Delegate – this is one of the fastest and easiest ways to make time, yet it presents the greatest challenge for many of us. Quit trying to do everything yourself and quit thinking if it is going to get done right you have to do it. If you’re ever going really be able to make time for what’s really important in your life you are going to need to master this key strategy. Delegating effectively is the key to leveraging yourself. Delegation allows you to move from what you can do personally to what you can manage. So, begin by identifying the things you do on a regular bases that someone else could do just as good or nearly as good as you. Then delegate it to them. This is true for personal tasks as well as tasks at work. Start now by making a list of 10 things someone else could do and begin delegating. It will make more time for the important things in your life.

2. Consolidate – review all the routine assignments, tasks, duties and chores you do every day and each week. Are there any you can consolidate? Can they be done together at the same time or can additional things be done on the way to doing something else? Are there meetings you could consolidate? Are there things that you do every day that could be done once a week or things done every week that could be done once a month? For example instead of going to the grocery store every day go once a week. Are you reading emails more than once a day? The more things you can consolidate the more time you will make for the more important things in life.

3. Eliminate – 1) time wasters in your life. You already know what they are just eliminate as many as you can. 2) things you don’t need to do. That means “learning to say no”. Don’t take on more than you can handle or things that someone else could and should do. You do not have to do everything. 3) distractions that constantly interrupt and rob your time. This can be people or things like phone calls, emails, etc. Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom becomes just as empty as the one that is turned over and dumped. Eliminate as many of these time wasters and distractions from your day and you will make time that can be invested in the really important things of life.

Obviously there are other other things you can do to make time, but put these three proven strategies to work in your life and you will make more time for the important things in life. These are proven strategies that work. Put them to work for you. Remember time is an asset. The more wisely you invest your time the greater the return. Before you spend time on something ask yourself is there something more profitable (IMPORTANT) that I could or should be doing? I understand there are always things we need to do that we have little control over, but there are a thousands of things we do have total control and those are the things we need to delegate, consolidate, and eliminate.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV