Julie Morgenstern is one of my favorite organizing authors. One of the longest-recognized organizing experts, Julie has a way of breaking down the process to simple steps. Taking action in easily managed steps makes a daunting task – like managing time – doable.
Her book, Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule — and Your Life takes the same principles from her signature book on organizing spaces1 and demonstrates how to apply them to the specific case of managing time:
- Analyze and Strategize – what’s going on now and what are your life goals for the future?
- Sort, Purge, Containerize – categorize your main activities, get rid of excess (busy work), and group like activities to save time in execution.
- Make a (Floor Plan) Time Map – based on your week as a manageable unit, designate specific times to perform routine actions. Ex. Pay bills on Saturday morning, do grocery shopping on Thursdays after work, make follow-up calls at 4 pm each weekday.
Of course, Julie includes real-life examples showing how time mapping works in the diverse worlds of a business executive and a working mom.
I’d suggest you check the book out from the library first. There is some work involved in priority and goal setting as in any time management course. The rewards are definitely worth the initial time investment in my opinion. You can view a copy of my time map here and make comments/suggestions. ;-)
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your site by accident, I bookmarked it.
Did you check the book out of the library yet? Wait until you find it helpful, then get your own copy and mark it up.
Franklin Dayplanner Systems have pretty much the same principles in their “Personal Productivity Pyramid”. 1) Determine your values. 2) Set long-range goals. 3) Choose intermediate objectives. 4) Assign daily tasks. Not hard, just doing it is the hard part!
Thanks for taking time to comment. Best wishes on your personal time management progress!