Pareto was an economist who theorized that 80 percent of all problems result from 20 percent of all causes. This may seem like a complex theory which is too difficult to apply to such a thing as time management, but the Pareto 80-20 rule, as it has come to be termed, can be very beneficial when applied to problem solving in any form.
One of the first steps in learning to effectively utilize time is to identify repeated patterns in your daily schedule that may be interfering with productivity.
In looking over daily records of your time you may notice certain blocks of time which are not being used to their fullest. Once having identified these blocks of time, you can begin to make changes in your daily routine.
Pareto’s 80-20 rule basically means that if you can identify and change only 20 percent of the causes of problems in your current time management system, you can subsequently fix 80 percent of those problems.
An example of this would be to identify only two 15 minute blocks of time in your normal day when you find that you are being the least productive. By changing the way you currently use these 2 small blocks of time, theoretically you should be able to increase your productivity by up to 80 percent.
Better time management does not mean giving up all free time, or all the time you currently spend relaxing, or enjoying your life. Instead it helps you set priorities for managing time, eliminate wasted time, and gain more control over how you use this valuable resource.
Learning time management skills often requires the setting of long, medium and short term goals. When evaluating the number of goals to be completed, planning when, exactly how you will meet your specific goals is one of the most important steps in the process.
One example of a long term goal might be to build a home of your own. Simply setting this goal is not nearly enough. If you really hope to accomplish your goal you must have a detailed plan in place to help you achieve it.
Effective time management skills include setting deadlines for when you will meet your entire goals, as well as thinking through all of the small steps that you will need to take along the way. This is the planning process and it requires that you make commitments to yourself, in order to meet your long term goals.
If your goal is to build a house within the next two years, then the next step is to detail all of things you will need to do in order to accomplish that goal.
It is also important to set shorter deadlines for each phase of this process. In this case some of the things you might to need to accomplish in order to fulfill your goal, and the deadlines you might apply could be find a piece of land on which to build by December; blueprints for the home complete by March; hire contractors by June; purchase materials by July etc… In this way you break down complicated, long term goals into smaller, more manageable pieces.
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