When flight attendants are debriefing passengers on what to do in the event of an emergency, they always tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping another person. View time in a similar way—you can’t really be of help to others if you are over committed, exhausted, and even testy because you don’t manage your time. You need oxygen!

Here’s 3 key time management survival tips:

#1  Combine. It’s a good idea to keep your business and your personal commitments on one calendar. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or personal—all of it comprises your life.

#2  Be realistic. Start by thinking about what you’re doing and how long it really takes. Beginning your sentences with “if” is usually an indicator that you’re about to kid yourself. “If traffic isn’t bad, I can make it in 10 minutes.” “If I don’t linger over coffee, I can probably finish breakfast with my best friend in 30 minutes and still make that meeting.” Just accept that traffic will be terrible, you’ll love chatting, and plan for the extra time—it will do wonders for your blood pressure.

#3  “Wiggle.” Wiggle room is essential, and I recommend setting aside an hour a day. I like to end my day with an unscheduled hour, so if appointments or projects run long, I have time to wrap things up without having to spend the evening at work.

Check back next week for 3 more tips that make life more sane!

Tags: Business Coaching, Career Coaching, General, Time Management

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 10:21 pm and is filed under Business Coaching, Career Coaching, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.