Can’t meet deadlines? Feel like there are so many things to do yet so little time? Feeling very stressed and yet as if you have not done much after a whole day’s work?

You just might be suffering from lack of time management. Time management is a skill that can be learned through time and constant practice… as long as you are determined to acquire it. And I assure you, if you will take this advice seriously, you will like the result and never look back. In fact, it might even be the key to your personal and professional success!

How do you go about it?

First, know your priorities. Make a list of your life’s priorities from the most important  to the least important – both in the personal and professional facets of your life.

Second, from your list of priorities, make a long term plan, say, what you want to achieve for one year.  

Third, make a shorter plan of, say, six months or a third of a year – based on your long-term plan.

Fourth, make a daily planner – where you will make a daily commitment towards the achievement of your medium and long-term goals. 

Additional guides in making your effort effective:

1)    Never lose sight of your goal- or your long-term plans. If possible, have a visual aid of those plans pinned on your board or pasted on your desk.

2)    Focus on your efforts to realize your plans. Overcome procrastination. It is like an acid that slowly eats up your resolve to do what you need to do, if you give in to procrastination little by little.

3)    Make a matrix of your plans and your developments, and remember to refer to it from time to time.

4)    Evaluate / assess after every short-term plan and see where you have gone so far. And make another short-term plan for the next short-term goal.

5)    Be flexible yet firm in setting and working out your plans. For sure, there are people and circumstances which will force you to make adjustments on your list of priorities for the month or for the day. If somebody makes a request which you think you cannot accommodate and which is not that important anyway, learn to say ‘no’, and stand by your decision.

6)    Reward yourself for every success that you’ve done in the process of implementing your plans. Say, a visit to the hairdresser or a foot spa or an ice cream if you think you have done something in the pursuit of your plans and you deserve a little ‘pat in the back’.

7)    Think positive! Great men have said that nothing is ever achieved with negative thoughts and ideas.      

There are uncountable times where I put off doing all the tasks till the last minute. Things like homework, projects, revision, have always been things I have to force myself to do. Though I have scored many ‘A’s in my exams, I’m just a human like you do.

Today I have a special guest with me. Lisa Fior is a high school teacher who won the “Best Teacher Award” in her school. Last year, 95% of her students were able to graduate from high school. Below is what she have for you. She is going to share with you some tips on how you can conquer procrastination by planning.

Do you always find yourself having tons of school work at the last minute? Does the phrase “exams are around the corner” unfailingly give you panic attacks?

If you answered in the affirmative to any of the questions mentioned above, then you are undeniably guilty of wasting a precious resource— time.

Like most students, you may get a rush out of beating the clock and submitting your homework, although sloppily done, on time.

This chronic battle waged during crunch time invariably leads to the ubiquitous raccoon eyes and zits popping uncontrollably all over your face.

And as you continue to cope with the nerve wracking pressure of accomplishing so much in so little time, our once gentle personality mutates into a hideous monster.

While there may be no getting around job orders, here re some essential tips of managing your time efficiently:

1. Write a to-do list.

Keep a record of all your tasks such as school assignments, presentations and household chores. There is something about the written word that makes it harder to ignore. This list is also an easy way for you to keep track of what needs to be done and when the due dates are.

2. Prioritize.

Once all the tasks are listed already, prioritize them according to their sense of urgency. Arrange the tasks whether they are due in the next few days, weeks or months. It only makes sense that a presentation due tomorrow will be given more importance than one that is due a month from now.

3. Act. Do not procrastinate.

All your dreams, plans and goals are worthless if you don’t act on them. Your ideals, no matter how lofty, will not come to fruition if you remain rooted to where you are. While it is true that you have a tendency, like the rest of nature, to follow the line of least resistance in surviving this challenging world, you can evolve and turn out to be way stronger than you once were.

Say goodbye to stalls. Stop making alibis. Kick those enumerable excuses that hinders you from becoming a better person. Act now.

4. Tackle the toughest assignments first.

When you have two or more projects to finish, try to accomplish the more difficult one first before proceeding to the next. In that way, your mind will be clearer and you will get through it more quickly.

5. Remove distractions.

In order to maximize your time, you should remain focused on your tasks. This means that you have to minimize, if not totally remove, all the distractions surrounding you. Turn off the television, lower down the volume of the beat blaring from the radio, tell your little siblings to stop screaming at each other and keep your mobile phone outside your reach. Do not try sneaking at your incoming text messages and tell your parents that you won’t be receiving any calls for a few hours.

6. Use rewards to mark your progress.

A tireless 24/7 machine you are most definitely not, so don’t forget to indulge in life’s little pleasures. You can set a contract with yourself that after finishing a certain work, you can pamper yourself with a manicure or a short stroll around your neighborhood. For harder tasks, you can always treat yourself to your favourite restaurant.

Always remember that every project ticked off that list brings you one step closer to a more manageable schedule