Do you ever sit and wonder where your time went? I'm certain you have, as have we all have at some point in our lives. Just sitting there looking back at a series of wasted time and opportunities and generally just wondering where the lost time went. Had we had planned, organized, worked hard, and set goals, we would be looking back wondering contented with what we had achieved to date, and currently working efficiently on our current and future objectives.

Understanding how to manage time is essential in all of our business, school and home relations; plus everyday life. But understanding where to get started in managing your time and 'uncluttering' the chaos that is your current life can be hard to do and needs the implementation of a plan of action that is adaptable to suit our circumstances.

If you were to ask a survey of 100 people today what they lack; apart from money what do you think a popular answer would be? You got it, TIME. We cannot increase the number of hours in a day, we have 24 hours and that is it. Physiologically, we all need to eat, sleep and relax during that time. So how can you be smarter when it comes to managing your time?

Know your expectations

Every single person i know is employed in an organisation, where they have a job and a set of responsibilities. Yet still many people are unclear what their key objectives are, and what is actually expected of them. If you are unable to identify these resposibilities/expectations, you will never be able to manage your time effectively.

Plan

Chances are that in any given day, there will be routine tasks that you must do. Such as briefing staff, correspondence and attending meetings. There will be other activities that are more longer term. Make sure you set out a plan of what you will achieve and link it back to your responsibilities/expectations.

Administer time limits

Start setting up tasks that you have to complete in your diary in the same way you block out meetings in your diary. This will limit the amount of time that you spend on a particular activity. When the allotted time is up for each task just stop and move on to your next task.

Don't misjudge a large task list size with being burdened

It is so easy to think that because you have a massive to-do-list that you are necesarrily being productive. You may well be but on the other hand you might just be filling your time with activities that are not priorities and are therefore not allowing you to achieve your set tasks.

Manage interruptions

Interacting with colleagues is an important part of work for most people. It is essential that this does not translate into a series of interruptions that stop you from getting anything completed.

Make use of technology

In many e-mail systems you can set up rules to make your handling of your e-mails more efficient. If this means nothing to you, find out or make a point of finding a personal organiser to help you.

Only attend meetings you have to

We all have a tendency to go to meetings because we feel that we might miss something or it adds to our burdened egos. Review the meetings you attend and ask yourself if they are relevant, and more importantly if they contribute to you achieving your daily set tasks. If they don't, either delegate or drop them.

Consider virtual meetings

Many organisations have people in different locations. It can be costly in terms of time to bring them to a central location. Virtual telephone meetings or webinars can offer an alternative that is both cost, and maybe more importantly time efficient.

When it comes down to it, improving your time management skills is an ongoing process. By taking some of the above simple steps now, you can start to see progress immediately.