Time Management Crucial to Reducing Stress

If you are like millions of other employees around the country, you may believe that there are not enough hours in a single workday. At times, you may feel overwhelmed by your workload, unsure about  your career path and anxious about creating a proper work-life balance.

You are not alone. Many people work too many hours and don't have enough leisure time because they can't effectively manage their time. With proper time management, however, you will be able to accomplish more than you ever thought possible.

By developing techniques and strategies to manage your work time effectively, you will reduce the pressures of your job and create more free time for yourself and your family.

By following these simple guidelines, you will be able to use your time efficiently, so that you can work to the best of your abilities and devote more time to the people you care about.

Organize your office

Your office can be a big factor in your mismanagement of time. A well-organized and correctly outfitted office will help you spend your time more efficiently on the tasks you truly need to accomplish, with less stress. Make sure that your work area is comfortably equipped with the  following:

·  A well-designed chair that does not cause backaches.

·  Adequate lighting to reduce eyestrain.

·  A large enough work space to accommodate you and your equipment.

Meanwhile, nothing hinders your organization like large piles of paper in your office. Paperwork should be well-organized so don't have to search for a single document in a sea of paper. Here are a few tips to help you avoid a frustrating and stress-inducing paperwork pile-up:

·  Sort paperwork into the following categories: action, information, reading and discard. 

·  Prioritize your paperwork.

·  Immediately finish easy tasks, so you are able to spend more time on challenging, time-consuming projects.

Communicate with your colleagues

Communicating effectively with your colleagues is important to managing your time well. If internal e-mail is available at your office, use it as much as possible. This simple method of communication is fast, efficient and cost-effective. If you use the telephone, plan your calls. Know what you want to say or find out before calling. If you think you might be spending unnecessary time on the phone, time yourself for a day. You might be right.

Plan your day

Planning your daily routine can help you make more efficient use of your time. Planning is the most effective method of time management because it helps you keep track of what you are doing and enables you to focus on specific tasks. 

·  Create a 'to do' list for each day. Prioritize your work according to urgency and importance and give yourself a time frame for each project.

·  Keep a timed record of what you do each day. This will help you make future 'to do' lists more accurate.

·  Make use of your best time. You have a certain time of day when you do your best work. Find out when it is and plan to do your most challenging work then.

·  Remain flexible. Leave some extra time in your schedule to allow for unexpected work.

Through careful planning and organization of work, you will know exactly what you need to do each day, so that you no longer need to face an overwhelming pile of papers every morning when you arrive at your office.

Don't overcommit yourself

Many people create stressful situations by overcommitting themselves. Avoiding this can be difficult, because people want others to respect them and their work. Be prepared to explain why you cannot commit yourself to a certain deadline and to negotiate over timing. If need be, discuss changing other deadlines to accommodate more urgent projects. Communication and negotiation can usually solve the scheduling problems.

Careers goals and work-life balance go hand-in-hand

Jocelyn Lincoln, vice president at Kelly Services, says proper time management will not only improve your daily work performance but will also improve your work-life balance.

"A key ingredient to overall performance is learning how to save time and how to spend it effectively," Lincoln  says. "By instilling each of these simple guidelines within your everyday lifestyle, you will likely find the time you need for work and for play."

Before you commit to a project or activity, ask yourself, "Is this the best use of my time right now?" Chances are, if you are properly managing your time, it is.

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.  Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct hire basis.  Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to 480,000 employees annually.  Revenue in 2009 was $4.3 billion.  For more information, please visit http://www.kellyservices.com/.